Special Olympics Ireland

The mission of Special Olympics Ireland is "to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with an intellectual disability, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendships with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.” 

Donations will contribute to supporting our Clubs’ Support and Development Programmes, which costs approximately $922,101 per year to operate. This programme encompasses club governance, support & development, Athlete Leadership and Young Athlete™ programmes.

Clubs are the heart of what we do and we are committed to developing, implementing and communicating processes, policies and procedures to instil a strong culture of good governance. By driving a strong governance culture we will ensure that participation and opportunities are a quality experience for both athletes and volunteers. This programme also includes safeguarding in Special Olympics clubs and club recognition. 

In line with Government guidelines, Special Olympics Ireland is continuing to support its volunteers to ensure the safe reopening of clubs across the Island of Ireland. We are excited at the prospect of getting out and about over the coming months, as we work with clubs in each region on our “Let’s Get Back” communication campaign. The goal of this campaign will be to drive awareness and support for clubs as you navigate the current challenging health and logistical constraints. We applaud the enthusiasm, dedication and commitment of our club committees and volunteers and we are thrilled to see 97 clubs already actively running in-person sessions around the island of Ireland. In spite of all the challenges the past two years have thrown at us, our community is stronger than ever because we know we still have so much to achieve on behalf of our athletes, We Can’t Stop Now!

To further aid in the return of clubs across Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland launched the Club COVID-19 Grant Scheme in February. We hope that this additional support will ensure community sports clubs across the country can continue to deliver sporting opportunities at a local level so that our athletes can continue to flourish through participation in the sports they love. Applications will be processed and grants issued by end of March 2022.

On Saturday, March 12th over 100 Special Olympics athletes from all five regions took to the courts in Gormanston Park to participate in the Badminton Advancement event. This event was supported by 60 volunteers who were all delighted to be back in action. All athletes participated in singles competitions and Special Olympics Ireland was extremely grateful to have the support of Badminton Ireland ensuring, as always, that our athletes had top quality umpires and match officials to officiate the games. This event was the qualifying event for the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin so competition was keen on the day and the atmosphere was nothing short of magic.

As always, a special thank you for your support. Your commitment to Special Olympics Ireland is so very much appreciated. Without you we simply could not deliver on our promises.

Through the GlobalGiving Platform we are hoping to achieve a target of $10,000 for donations which will go towards the development of the Clubs Programme. We are delighted with all donations whether they are $10, $50 or $100. Donations of all sizes are welcome and will be thoroughly appreciated.   

Warm regards, Special Olympics Ireland 

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