Special Olympics New York

Special Olympics New York offers year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The program also includes Unified Sports, where people with and without intellectual disabilities participate together as teammates. Athletes take part in sports training and athletic competition that follow authentic sports formats.

• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except New York State holidays

Special Olympics New York was founded as part of the broader Special Olympics movement that began in 1968 under Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Dorothy Buehring Phillips inaugurated the program in New York in 1969, and Special Olympics New York was incorporated in 1970 with Phillips as its first State Director. In June 1970, Rochester hosted the first State Summer Games for the program. The mission of Special Olympics New York is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and share gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community. Unified Sports within Special Olympics New York promotes inclusion by bringing people with and without intellectual disabilities together as teammates. Today, Special Olympics New York is the largest Special Olympics program in the United States and one of the largest in the world. The program seeks passionate coaches, inclusive facilities, and mission-driven sponsors to help expand training opportunities for athletes.

Last updated February 9, 2026.