Mission

The Mission is to provide year – round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic – type sports for children above the age of eight and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them endless opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and participation in an environment of sharing gifts, skills and friendship, along with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the rest of the community.

Special Olympics Vision

The Special Olympics movement will transform communities by inspiring people throughout the world to open their minds, accept and include people with intellectual disabilities and thereby celebrate the similarities common to all people. 

Special Olympics Hellas was founded in 1987 as a non-profit, sports and educational association for the integration of Greeks with intellectual disabilities in the Global Movement of Special Olympics, offering them the opportunity to bring out their special abilities and show them to the global community, through their participation in international sports events. At the same time, they undertook the responsibility to inspire the Greek society and state to respect the diversity of people with intellectual disability, their special needs and the belief that they are useful and equal members of this society.

Special Olympics Hellas is under the High Protection of His Excellency the President of the Greek Republic and under the Auspices of the Greek Parliament. It is an associate member of the Greek Olympic Committee and officially recognized by the Deputy Ministry of Culture (General Secretariat of Sport), as a Sporting Association.

The Special Olympics Athlete Oath:
Let me Win! But if I Cannot win, Let me be brave in the attempt!

Our nation hosted the biggest sporting event worldwide for the year 2011, the Special Olympics World Summer Games ATHENS 2011. The only Games in the world, where all participating athletes are Winners. Winners in their struggle for our respect in their diversity. Winners in their struggle for self-esteem. Winners in their struggle to defend their special abilities. The Special Olympics World Summer Games ATHENS 2011 has been the crowning of a long lasting movement founded in 1968 by a great woman, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who managed to realize her dream of global magnitude. To create a world that is not dominated by those who are excluded but by those who are included.

Nevertheless, the Special Olympics World Summer Games ATHENS 2011 that has been held in Athens bear a special significance. They took place, without the presence of their founder, only two years after her death, in the land of “fair play”. Where the true values of competition were born. Where the talent of the Special Olympics athletes reminded us what the games are really about.

Join our Wonderful Winning World!

The Emblem of the Special Olympics World Summer Games ATHENS 2011 is a radiant sun, the source of life that underlines the excellence and power of the athlete that takes part in the Games. Excellence is depicted in the olive branch and power in the spiral form in the center of the sun. The colors reflect the Greek landscape and project emotions like passion for life in the warm red, optimism in the orange, determination in the blue, freedom in the light blue and hope in the green.

The Sun is the symbol of optimism, joy and glory. Its light and warmth are considered a source of life and happiness. Greece, worldwide known for its Sun, has since ancient times worshiped as a God.

Its selection as the Mascot of the Special Olympics World Summer Games ATHENS 2011, aims to convey the message of joy and optimism towards all athletes, and to welcome them in Greece with a big warm hug.

Even though in the Olympics Games, Apollon, as the god of Sun, is present only in the Torch lighting ceremony after being called by the High Priestess, in the Special Olympics of Athens, Apollon will be present and will spread its light to all our athletes, while they will be competing in the sports fields, by keeping the Flame of Hope lighted.

The motto “I’m in – Ime Mesa” delivers a dynamic message, which refers to the value of participation. It inspires, gives incentive and impulse to all of us, volunteers, athletes, guests, as well as the general public in order to endorse the values of the Special Olympics Movement.

At the same time, the motto invites us all to embrace these –really unique- games that constitute the biggest international Sporting event, hosted by our country in the year 2011.

The motto is in perfect harmony with the Hellenic philosophy and culture, as we Greeks, as a nation, always get together for a greater common cause

Venisha Bowler, SOI, Senior Manager Sports, chair

Makis Asimakopoulos, Ph.D., GOC Head of Sports and Venues

Bob Whitehead, SO Wisconsin, Special Olympics Inc., Sports Rules Advisory Committee

Vasilis Kassimatis, SO Hellas, Member of CTAC Competition and Training Advisory Committee SOEE