Special Olympics Singapore - Mission & Vision

Mission & Vision

Mission

To provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

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.

Philosophy

Special Olympics is founded on the belief that people with intellectual disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team sports. Special Olympics also believes that through millions of individual acts of inclusion where people with and without intellectual disabilities are brought together, long-standing myths are dispelled, negative attitudes changed and new opportunities to embrace and celebrate people with intellectual disabilities are created.

History

Special Olympics began in 1968 with the First International Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by Mrs Eunice Kennedy Shriver who saw that people with intellectual disabilities were far more capable in sports and physical activities than many experts thought. Since then, millions of children and adults with intellectual disabilities have benefited from the Movement.