One For The Road: Happy Birthday, Special Olympics
By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 20, 2012 10:40PM
On this date in 1968, Soldier Field hosted the first ever Special Olympics. At that first game there were 1,000 participants with intellectual disabilities hailing from 26 U.S. states and Canada. They competed in track and field and swimming. “You know, Eunice, the world will never be the same after this,” Mayor Richard J. Daley told Eunice Kennedy Shriver at the first Special Olympics games.
Well things are a little bigger now. In 2011 the Special Olympics served 4,004,415 athletes worldwide, and the organization has 225 accredited programs in 170 countries. The games include 36 different sports.
Check out the infographic below for more information on the Special Olympics today. Watch the video below for more information on the history of the Special Olympics.
