Events

Inspiration happens every day.

Special Olympian Competing in Track and Field

Special Olympics Virginia athletes train, compete and succeed in nearly 2,000 area and regional competitions in 22 sports each year. We also host seven annual state-level competitions:

  • Summer Games – June in Richmond, hosting tennis, powerlifting, track & field, softball, swimming and bowling
  • Golf Championships - October in Richmond, hosting golf skills and golf tournament play
  • Fall Championships – November in Virginia Beach, hosting bowling, soccer, volleyball, bocce, golf and roller skating

Additionally, athletes have the opportunity to compete at the national and international level. Every two years the Special Olympics World Games are held, alternating between winter and summer events. These games are patterned after the traditional Olympic Games and follow many of the same customs, rules and regulations.

You make the difference in an athlete’s life.

To raise much-needed funds for the program, Special Olympics Virginia holds numerous annual fundraisers. From the Polar Plunge® Winter Festival and the Plane Pull® to Tip-A-Cops organized by the Law Enforcement Torch Run®, there's always something going on to support Special Olympics Virginia’s amazing athletes.

Join us at any of our events. For more information on how to get involved at the state or local level, contact our Volunteer Manager.

“…To say that the lot of people with intellectual disabilities has improved because of Special Olympics would be a gross understatement. 

[Eunice Kennedy] Shriver’s movement did nothing less than release an entire population from a prison of ignorance and misunderstanding. It did something else, too – create a cathartic covenant between competitor and fan that is unlike anything else in sport.

You watch and what you see is nothing less than a transformation, the passage of someone who has been labeled unfortunate, handicapped, disabled or challenged to something else: athlete.”

-- Sports Illustrated, December 2008