Specialolympics

Special Olympics Timeline

By Salman Maknojia

  • The Creation

    The Creation
    When Eunice Kennedy Shriver saw how unjustly and unfairly people with intellectual disabilities were treated. She also saw that many children with intellectual disabilities didn’t even have a place to play. She decided to take action.
    Eunice Kennedy Shriver created Camp Shriver, a day camp for people with intellectual disabilities at her own farm, Timberlawn, in Maryland.

  • First Summer Special Olympics

    First Summer Special Olympics
    They are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois here in the USA. About 1,000 athletes from 26 states, even Canada arrived to compete. Rafer Johnson took 40 athletes and coaches from California that year.

  • First Winter Special Olympics

    First Winter Special Olympics
    The first winter games was held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

  • Torch Run

    Torch Run
    The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics is launched in Wichita, Kansas (USA), where Police Chief Richard LaMunyon saw an urgent need to increase awareness of Special Olympics. The Torch Run is now the movement's largest grassroots fundraiser, raising $30 million annually.

  • Banner

    Banner
    The United Nations in New York City launches the International Year of Special Olympics under the banner “Special Olympics—Uniting the World.

  • Becoming Recognized

    Becoming Recognized
    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) signs a historic agreement with Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver officially endorsing and recognizing Special Olympics.

  • 30th Anniversary

    30th Anniversary
    The Olympic celebrate 30 years

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver

    Eunice Kennedy Shriver
    The founder of the Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver passes away.

  • Hitting Milestones

    Hitting Milestones
    Special Olympics' global reach hits a new milestone, with more than 4 million athletes participating in programs around the world.

  • Bringing Us Together

    Bringing Us Together
    Opening of the first Special Olympics Global Development Summit. The event brings together government officials, human rights activists, as well as leaders from the sports and business worlds to explore ways to "End the Cycle of Poverty and Exclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities." The summit is held as part of the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2013 in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea. More than 2,300 athletes from 100 countries take part in the 2013 World Winter Games, held from

  • The Special Olympics program in Bharat

    The Special Olympics program in Bharat
    March 2013 (India) welcoThe Special Olympics program in Bharatmes its one-millionth registered athlete.

  • TO BE CONTINUED

    The race to improve the quality of the intellectually disabelled in still under way.