Special Olympics World Games

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The mascot for the Shanghai 2007 Special Olympics, displayed in Pudong in front of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.

The Special Olympics World Games are an international sporting competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities, organized by Special Olympics.

Like the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, the Special Olympics World Games include summer and winter versions, and are held every four years. The first International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1968. The first International Special Olympics Winter Games were held in February 1977 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA.

In 1991, the name was officially changed from International Special Olympics Summer or Winter Games to Special Olympics World Summer or World Winter Games

[edit] Summer Games

• 1968 International Special Olympics Summer Games, July 20, 1968, Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA
• 1970 International Special Olympics Summer Games, August 13-15, 1970, Chicago, Illinois, USA
• 1972 International Special Olympics Summer Games, August 13-18, 1972, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
• 1975 International Special Olympics Summer Games, August 7-11, 1975, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA
• 1979 International Special Olympics Summer Games, August 8-13, 1979, State University of New York, Brockport, New York, USA
• 1983 International Special Olympics Summer Games, July 12-18, 1983, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
• 1987 International Special Olympics Summer Games, July31 - August 8, 1987, Saint Mary's College, South Bend, Indiana, USA
• 1991 Special Olympics World Summer Games, July 19-27, 1991, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
• 1995 Special Olympics World Summer Games, July 1-9, 1995, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
• 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games, June 26 - July 4, 1999, Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
• 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games, June 21-29, 2003, Dublin, Ireland
• 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, October 2-11, 2007, Shanghai, China
• 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, July-August, Athens, Greece

[edit] Winter Games

• 1977 International Special Olympics Winter Games, February 5-11 1977, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA
• 1981 International Special Olympics Winter Games, March 8-13 1981, Smugglers' Notch and Stowe, Vermont, USA
• 1985 International Special Olympics Winter Games, March 24-29 1985, Park City, Utah, USA
• 1989 International Special Olympics Winter Games, April 1-8 1989, Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe, California, USA
• 1993 Special Olympics World Winter Games, March 20-27 1993, Salzburg and Schladming, Austria
• 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games, February 1-8 1997 Toronto and Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
• 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games, March 4-11 2001, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
• 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games, February 26 - March 4 2005, Nagano, Japan
• 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, January 31 - February 7 2009, Boise, Idaho, USA

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, was originally the host city of the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games. However, due to "unknown circumstances", the city gave hosting rights back to Special Olympics.

[edit] Summer sports

• Aquatics
• Athletics (track and field)
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Bocce
• Bowling
• Cycling
• Equestrian
• Floor Hockey
• Football (Soccer)
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Judo
• Powerlifting
• Roller Skating
• Sailing
• Softball
• Table Tennis
• Team Handball
• Tennis
• Volleyball

[edit] Winter Sports

• Alpine Skiing
• Cross-country skiing
• Figure Skating
• Snowboarding
• Snowshoeing
• Speed Skating
• Floor Hockey

[edit] See also

• Camp Shriver
• Special Olympics
• Deaflympics
• Paralympic Games
• Olympic Games
• Ancient Olympics
• Flame of Hope

[edit] External links

• Special Olympics