About Us

Special Olympics Ontario (SOO) is a community-based program. Its primary instrument of program delivery is through community sports clubs, which are operated by a team of volunteer coaches. These programs give athletes the opportunity to train twelve months of the year in order to compete and test their skills against other athletes of similar ability.

Special Olympics Ontario, at all levels of the organization, strives to involve families and care providers of Special Olympics athletes to participate and share in the joy of Special Olympics programs. Families are Special Olympics' most powerful and valuable natural resource. Special Olympics can provide family members with a sense of pride in their athlete, a sense of accomplishment through sports and the hope of an exciting and bright future for the individual as an athlete and a citizen in the community.

Special Olympics promotes opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and develop skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympic athletes and the community.

Over the past 40 years Special Olympics has grown from a modest program serving local athletes to become the world’s largest movement dedicated to promoting respect, acceptance, inclusion, and human dignity for people with intellectual disabilities through sports.

Mission Statement

"Special Olympics Ontario is dedicated to enriching the lives of people with an intellectual disability through sport."