Affiliated Clubs

Special Olympics San Marino

A global movement

The Special Olympics Sports Organization was founded in 1968 from the revolutionary idea of Eunice Kennedy Shriver: originally a summer camp for young people with intellectual disabilities that she hosted in her backyard, it is now a movement involving 200 countries around the world. Special Olympics is the only organization authorized to use the term Olympics in its name, representing the interests of Athletes with intellectual disabilities in the International Olympic Commission.

The association provides opportunities for training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities while encouraging their physical and emotional well-being. Athletes face each challenge with joy and courage because the goal is to have fun and improve their personal and social skills, in a context that involves the entire community. The goal is to fight against the social exclusion of people with disabilities, developing their skills and aiming for the fulfillment of the human being.

“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

Contact Special Olympics San Marino

President
Barbara Frisoni

Tel.
+378 0549/999486

E-mail
info@specialolympics.sm

The History of Special Olympics

The courage of a woman

The Special Olympics Sports Organization was founded in 1968 from the revolutionary idea of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
In 1971, the movement gained permission from the U.S. Olympic Commission to use the term "Olympics" in its name and, in 1988, recognition from the International Olympic Commission. Eunice, the founder, experienced firsthand the exclusion from the society of people with intellectual disabilities between the 1950s and 1960s, who were often placed in custodial institutions. Her own sister, Rosemary, had an intellectual disability that the Kennedy Shriver family tried to keep secret: it was Eunice herself who made it public in her fight against exclusion and marginalization.

Mindful of her personal experience and the many sports activities she practiced together with her sister - such as swimming, sailing, running and soccer - and aware of the conditions in which people with intellectual disabilities were forced to live, Eunice Kennedy Shriver began organizing sports activities for people with intellectual disabilities starting in 1962 in her backyard. She thus welcomed people who lived in custodial institutions and who, up to that time, had never played sports, sometimes had never even touched grass...

The Mission of Special Olympics

The game that changes the rules

The Special Olympics movement, which started as a small summer camp to grow into an international movement, has taken the revolutionary idea of Eunice Kennedy Shriver to every part of the world. Playing Sports can be an important tool for the empowerment of people with intellectual disabilities because it promotes equality, integration, and the development of fundamental skills for every member of society.

Integrating into the world through Playing Sports to learn the rules of life is one of the core beliefs of the founder and a value shared today by the Special Olympics Athletes and so many people. Special Olympics stands out for its innovative approach and Unified Sport, which involves Athletes with and without disabilities on the same teams to develop empathy and cooperation in all participants, promoting social inclusion at school and in the younger generations.

Differences between Special Olympics and the Paralympic Committee

Two different worlds, the same passion

The Special Olympics and the Paralympic Committee are two organizations recognized by the International Olympic Committee. They differ from each other in philosophy and goals. The Paralympic Committee follows the criteria of the Olympic Games, with competitions reserved for the best Athletes, and encourages people with disabilities to participate in sports.

Special Olympics is an educational program that offers and organizes training sessions and events specifically for people with intellectual disabilities everywhere in the world. Sports events organized by Special Olympics are open to all, follow the guidelines of international regulations, and reward all participants.

Associazione Martin Mancini

Turn a disability into a talent!

Associazione Martin Mancini was founded in 2010, is registered in the Council of Associations and is a member of the societies affiliated with the F. S.S. It promotes the socialization of young people with disabilities by playing Sports, a powerful tool for the integration of children with disabilities into the social fabric and the community they belong to. By playing Sports, young people come together and identify themselves as part of a group, learning to face life with serenity and courage.

Sport helps young people with physical and cognitive disabilities to have more confidence in themselves and in being a part of a group, overcoming physical and psychological barriers to grow up in a safe and welcoming environment.
With the Martin Mancini Minibasket Trophy, the association wants to encourage young Athletes and their families to come together and team up with each other, their families, and their communities to learn to face life with positivity and to create a more inclusive environment.

"And who are you? I'm a fast tiger."
That was Martin's answer to anyone who asked him to introduce himself, ever since he had to rely on a wheelchair when he was 3 1/2 years old. After a spinal tumor made it impossible for him to walk, Martin was able to turn a disability into a talent.