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The Special Olympics was officially announced in December 1968 in Washington, D.C., USA. The program began through research and activities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, led by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Initially, efforts included visits to different states to engage with families and recruit professionals in the medical field.
The first Special Olympics Games in the United States were held in Chicago in July 1968, with approximately 1,000 athletes participating in around 200 sporting events. The first Special Olympics World Games outside the United States were held in Ireland in 2003.
Today, Special Olympics is a global organization with countries from all continents participating in summer and winter sporting events across multiple sports. More than five million athletes from over 170 countries currently participate in Special Olympics worldwide.
History of the Saudi Special Olympics
The Saudi Special Olympics was established in Riyadh as the first office representing the organization in the Kingdom in 1994, under the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may he rest in peace. The journey began with training people with disabilities in the Kingdom. At that time, Saudi Arabia participated in more than eight World Games, starting with Connecticut, USA, with 18 athletes in 1995.
Since its establishment, Saudi Arabia has proudly participated in numerous World Games organized by the Special Olympics International across the globe, including in Ireland, China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. The most recent participation was in the 2023 Special Olympics Summer World Games in Berlin.
This participation marked the largest delegation in Saudi history, with 85 athletes competing in 15 different Olympic sports. For the first time, Saudi female athletes competed in sports such as swimming, football, weightlifting, and equestrian events, with female representation accounting for 59% of the delegation.
Saudi Arabia has also actively participated in the regional games for the Middle East and North Africa, held in Egypt.