Every few years, when the Paralympics come around, one question floods the internet: wait, isn't this the Special Olympics? They're not the same thing. They've never been the same thing. But the confusion is genuine, and it's worth clearing up before the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games open in Milan on March 6. Two Organizations. Two Missions. They're built from different foundations: different founding stories, different athletes, different eligibility requirements, and different ideas about what competition is for. Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Its mission is to provide year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, including conditions like Down syndrome, autism, and other cognitive or developmental disabilities. Special Olympics is participation-focused: athletes train, compete, and celebrate. The emphasis is on inclusion, belonging, and the joy of sport. The Paralympics was founded in 1960, when 400 athletes with physical disabilities from 23 countries gathered in Rome, competing in the same city as the Olympic Games for the first time. Today, the Paralympic Games run alongside every Summer and Winter Olympics, governed by the International Paralympic Committee. The athletes competing in Milan are elite, world-class competitors who qualified through ranked international competition. Many hold world records. The emphasis is performance at the highest level. Who Competes in Each? Special Olympics: Athletes with intellectual disabilities, defined as an IQ under 75-80 combined with significant adaptive behavior challenges Open to anyone age 8 and older No upper limit on the number of...

Special Olympics vs. Paralympics: What's the Difference?

Every few years, when the Paralympics come around, one question floods the internet: wait, isn't this the Special Olympics? They're not the same thing. They've never been the same thing. But the confusion is genuine, and it's worth clearing up before the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games open in Milan on March 6. Two Organizations. Two Missions. They're built from different foundations: different founding stories, different athletes, different eligibility requirements, and different ideas about what competition is for.  Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Its mission is to provide year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, including conditions like Down syndrome, autism, and other cognitive or developmental disabilities. Special Olympics is participation-focused: athletes train, compete, and celebrate. The emphasis is on inclusion, belonging, and the joy of sport.  The Paralympics was founded in 1960, when 400 athletes with physical disabilities from 23 countries gathered in Rome, competing in the same city as the Olympic Games for the first time. Today, the Paralympic Games run alongside every Summer and Winter Olympics, governed by the International Paralympic Committee. The athletes competing in Milan are elite, world-class competitors who qualified through ranked international competition. Many hold world records. The emphasis is performance at the highest level. Who Competes in Each? Special Olympics:  Athletes with intellectual disabilities, defined as an IQ under 75-80 combined with significant adaptive behavior challenges Open to anyone age 8 and older No upper limit on the number of...

 Photo Credit: Freddie B. Photography™   SpecialNeeds.com was able to attend several of the locations where the games were being held, ranging from USC, Los Angeles Equestrian Center, and Alamitos Beach in Long Beach. I will take you on a brief tour of the competitions, where assigned photographer Freddie Bommer was able to capture the human spirit at its finest.  Every photographer has different motivations for taking pictures. Freddie's happens be a sincere compassion for the very special individuals involved in the Special Olympics. I am dedicating this piece to the best of what he caught on camera. Thanks to his heartfelt work, they will convey a message to the world: "Love one another, and the joyous celebration of sport!" These are historical moments that you will only find, here on SpecialNeeds.com, a website dedicated to support the intellectually and physically challenged.    Charlotte MacDonald of Great Britain (pictured right), was excited to have won the gold in the Equestrian event! Once she caught her breath she introduced me to her two heroes, her brothers, William and James MacDonald. They both told me how fantastic it was to see all of their little sister's hard work pay off. Her mother and stepfather were also in attendance and you could see the pride on both faces when Charlotte explained just why her brothers were her heroes. "My brothers protect me, they are my guardian angles!" Her mother's message to other parents of special needs children is:...

Rafer Johnson upholds Eunice Kennedy Shriver's vision at the Special Olympics, with powerful imagery captured by Freddie B. Photography.

Rafer Johnson Continues to Nurture Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Dream!

Rafer Johnson upholds Eunice Kennedy Shriver's vision at the Special Olympics, with powerful imagery captured by Freddie B. Photography.

Rafer Johnson Continues to Nurture Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Dream!

Photo Credit: Freddie B. Photography™ Last but not least, DAY 7 Special Olympics, History is made when Kim Moo Sung, newly elected chairman of the supreme council of the Saenuri Party, attends the Los Angeles Convention Center to meet with Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, and Patrick McClenahan, President of LA2015. Many officials were among them as was SpecialNeeds.com. Photographer, Freddie B. and I, Robin Flutterby Borakove had a unique opportunity to witness and listen to Tim Shriver, Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Son, explain to the Chairman why his mother started the Special Olympics in her backyard all those years ago. Kim Moo Sung had quite the entourage and when they were done talking, he was escorted to visit some of the sporting events and congratulate the athletes. Soon after, we attended the powerlifting competition, where we watched in amazement as Adam Maresh of Valley City, North Dakota, dead lifted 405 pounds! The audience went wild and the loudest cheers came from his mom and aunt, who were able to make the trip out to Los Angeles to support him. Adam took after his father, Robert Maresh, a national wrestler nicknamed "Swampy." When Adam was in high school wrestling and power lifting came naturally. He was diagnosed with ADHD as a child but it did not hold him back. With a strong support system in place from both family and coaches, Adam is able to continue to grow as a major contender in powerlifting. He...

Tim Shriver meets South Korea's Chairman Kim at Special Olympics, where athletes like Adam Maresh impress, and Olivia Quigley inspires.

Tim Shriver Speaks With Moo Sung Kim, South Korea's Chairman of the Supreme Council at Special Olympics

  Photo Credit: Freddie B. Photography™   Last but not least, DAY 7 Special Olympics,  History is made when Kim Moo Sung, newly elected chairman of the supreme council of the Saenuri Party, attends the Los Angeles Convention Center to meet with Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, and Patrick McClenahan, President of LA2015. Many officials were among them as was SpecialNeeds.com. Photographer, Freddie B. and I, Robin Flutterby Borakove had a unique opportunity to witness and listen to Tim Shriver, Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Son, explain to the Chairman why his mother started the Special Olympics in her backyard all those years ago. Kim Moo Sung had quite the entourage and when they were done talking, he was escorted to visit some of the sporting events and congratulate the athletes. Soon after, we attended the powerlifting competition, where we watched in amazement as Adam Maresh of Valley City, North Dakota, dead lifted 405 pounds! The audience went wild and the loudest cheers came from his mom and aunt, who were able to make the trip out to Los Angeles to support him. Adam took after his father, Robert Maresh, a national wrestler nicknamed "Swampy." When Adam was in high school wrestling and power lifting came naturally. He was diagnosed with ADHD as a child but it did not hold him back. With a strong support system in place from both family and coaches, Adam is able to continue to grow as a major contender in powerlifting. He...

Tim Shriver meets South Korea's Chairman Kim at Special Olympics, where athletes like Adam Maresh impress, and Olivia Quigley inspires.

Tim Shriver Speaks With Moo Sung Kim, South Korea's Chairman of the Supreme Council at Special Olympics

Most parents are aware that swimming is a lifesaving skill that must be taught at an early age. Sadly, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between one and fourteen years of age, and children with intellectual challenges are at an even higher risk. As an alarming statistic, drowning is the number one leading cause of death of children with autism. Children with autism tend to have three characteristics, which when combined, can be very dangerous: a tendency to wander, no inherent sense of danger, and a fascination with water. We need to stress the importance of water safety to families of all children, through education, awareness, and training in order to come together as unified communities and prevent tragedies. If children participate in formal swimming lessons by the age of four, the drowning rate is reduced by 88%, according to the case control study conducted by Dr. Ruth Brenner, lead author of the study from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Yet swimming lessons alone are not enough; a multi-layered approach to reduce and prevent drowning is required, particularly for at-risk children. Parents need to be aware of the dangers and limit the exposure to potential hazards. Here are a few tips: Alarms should be installed to notify the family if a child has left the house Barriers around pools such as fences should be maintained at all times Parents and caregivers should...

Swimming is vital for safety, even more so for kids with intellectual challenges, offering therapeutic benefits and reducing drowning risks.

Swimming: A Life-saving Skill

Most parents are aware that swimming is a lifesaving skill that must be taught at an early age. Sadly, drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children between one and fourteen years of age, and children with intellectual challenges are at an even higher risk. As an alarming statistic, drowning is the number one leading cause of death of children with autism. Children with autism tend to have three characteristics, which when combined, can be very dangerous: a tendency to wander, no inherent sense of danger, and a fascination with water. We need to stress the importance of water safety to families of all children, through education, awareness, and training in order to come together as unified communities and prevent tragedies. If children participate in formal swimming lessons by the age of four, the drowning rate is reduced by 88%, according to the case control study conducted by Dr. Ruth Brenner, lead author of the study from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, based in Bethesda, Maryland. Yet swimming lessons alone are not enough; a multi-layered approach to reduce and prevent drowning is required, particularly for at-risk children. Parents need to be aware of the dangers and limit the exposure to potential hazards. Here are a few tips:  Alarms should be installed to notify the family if a child has left the house Barriers around pools such as fences should be maintained at all times Parents and caregivers should...

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Special Needs
Articles

Special Olympics vs. Paralympics: What's the Difference?

Rafer Johnson Continues to Nurture Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Dream!

Tim Shriver Speaks With Moo Sung Kim, South Korea's Chairman of the Supreme Council at Special Olympics

Swimming: A Life-saving Skill

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Special Needs Articles

Special Olympics vs. Paralympics: What's the Difference?

Rafer Johnson Continues to Nurture Eunice Kennedy Shriver's Dream!

Tim Shriver Speaks With Moo Sung Kim, South Korea's Chairman of the Supreme Council at Special Olympics

Swimming: A Life-saving Skill

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
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