About us

We are the Philadelphia chapter of Special Olympics Pennsylvania, a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization that provides sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

All of our programs are completely free to registered athletes. We offer year-round sports training and competition through school-based programming and at community training sites  throughout Philadelphia. Our school-based programming focuses on students in elementary, middle and high schools and our community program works with individuals with intellectual disabilities over 8 years of age. For those individuals who are between the ages of 2 and 7 with an intellectual disability, we have our Young Athletes program that helps these individuals build up their sports skills so they can become the next generation of athletes!

In addition to providing sports training and competition, we are making strides in areas like healthcare, leadership and community-building, right here in Philadelphia. You can find out more about our impact here.

“Special Olympics athletes are spokespersons for freedom itself – they ask for the freedom to live, the freedom to belong, the freedom to contribute, the freedom to have a chance. And, of all the values that unite and inspire us to seek a better world, no value holds a higher place than the value of freedom.”
– Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics