Special Olympics Southern California - Orange County

Special Olympics has a mission to transform lives through the joy of sport, every day, everywhere.

The mission of Special Olympics Southern California is 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.

Our vision is to promote acceptance, inclusion, and well‐being for people with intellectual disabilities through sports.

Through the power of sports, people with intellectual disabilities discover new strengths and abilities, skills, and success. The athletes find joy, confidence and fulfillment, on the playing field and in life. They also inspire people in their communities and elsewhere to open their hearts to a wider world of human talents and potential.

We are the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities: with 4.4 million athletes in 170 countries, and millions more volunteers and supporters. We are also a global and social movement.