Athens 2011

Be Brave in the attempt.

A typographic fan tribute to the 2011 World Summer Games in Athens — and a forward look to the next chapter in Santiago, October 2027. Independent, unofficial, made with care.

The 2027 chapter What this is
Banner from the original 2011 athens2011.org site advertising the opening and closing ceremonies of the Special Olympics World Summer Games at Panathenaic Stadium, Athens, Greece.
From the 2011 archive Panathenaic Stadium, Athens — 25 June to 4 July 2011 — 7,500 athletes, 185 nations, 22 sports.

The story so far

One movement, three cities, six decades.

It began in a backyard in Maryland, moved to Soldier Field in Chicago in 1968, and by 2011 it had reached the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens — where the modern Olympic flame was first relit in 1896. In 2027 it crosses the equator for the first time.

  1. 1968

    Eunice Kennedy Shriver opens the first International Special Olympics at Soldier Field, Chicago — 1,000 athletes from 26 states and Canada.

  2. 2011

    7,500 athletes from 185 nations gather in Athens for the XIII World Summer Games — opening ceremonies at the Panathenaic Stadium, the cradle of the modern Olympic movement.

  3. 2026

    The Santiago 2027 logo is unveiled — a circle of shapes around the Special Olympics mark, drawn with athletes from Chile.

  4. 2027

    October 16–24: Santiago hosts the World Games — the first time the Games come to Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere.

Artifact · 2011

"Join the wonderful winning world."

The official motto of the Athens Games — Ενωθείτε με τον Υπέροχο Κόσμο των Νικητών — ten days, twenty-two sports, one stadium that started it all in 1896.

25 June – 4 July 2011 · Opened by President Karolos Papoulias · Panathenaic Stadium · 7,500 athletes · 185 nations · 25,000 volunteers · a Guinness World Record attempt for largest simultaneous volleyball game at OAKA on the final Saturday.

A small banner module from the 2011 athens2011.org site — Hellenic Olympic Committee badge.

From the archive

athens2011.org, as it stood.

Three modules pulled from the original site. We kept the dust on.

Twelve sites across Athens hosted the 2011 Games — from the Olympic Aquatic Centre at OAKA to the Markopoulo Equestrian Park.
The venues. Twelve sites across Athens hosted the 2011 Games — from the Olympic Aquatic Centre at OAKA to the Markopoulo Equestrian Park.
The "Official Results" pylon from the original site — a daily ritual for fans following the Games online.
Official results. The "Official Results" pylon from the original site — a daily ritual for fans following the Games online.
A feature module from the 2011 athens2011.org homepage carousel — athletes, host families, the torch run.
Stories from the Games. A feature module from the 2011 athens2011.org homepage carousel — athletes, host families, the torch run.

The roster, both eras

Twenty-two sports.
Same number, sixteen years apart.

Athens 2011 ran twenty-two Olympic-type sports. Santiago 2027 will run twenty-two too. The list shifts a little — beach volleyball stays, roller skating yields to skating in different forms — but the shape of the Games rhymes across generations.

  • Aquatics
  • Athletics
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Bocce
  • Bowling
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Gymnastics
  • Handball
  • Judo
  • Kayaking
  • Powerlifting
  • Roller Skating
  • Sailing
  • Softball
  • Table Tennis
  • Tennis
  • Volleyball

What this is

Three things to keep in mind.

01

Heart of an athlete

The oath has been the same since 1968: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." Everything here orbits that sentence.

02

Cradle to continent

From the marble of the Panathenaic Stadium in 2011 to the Cordillera in 2027 — a movement that keeps finding new ground.

03

A site, not a federation

This is one person's tribute. No tickets, no merchandise, no affiliation. Just typography, archive, and a hope for what's next.

The next chapter

Santiago · October 2027.
First Games south of the equator.

Over 6,000 athletes from more than 170 nations will gather in Santiago, Chile from 16–24 October 2027 — the first World Games hosted in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere in the movement's 57-year history. The host committee's rallying cry: ¡Viva la inclusión!

See what's coming