Women are at the heart of Special Olympics: Celebrating Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women throughout history, who have shaped our past and are shaping our future.

For decades, women with and without intellectual disabilities were too often on the sidelines. Today, that reality is changing. Since Eunice Kennedy Shriver Special Olympics established, women are at the core of the movement, and expanding equal access to sports has remained a priority. The increased visibility of female athletes on the world stage means that girls and women intellectual disability You don’t have to look far to see someone like her competing and leading.

Special Olympics is steadily moving toward achieving a 50:50 gender balance among athletes participating in the World Games. Exactly one year ago, in March 2025, the world came together Turin, Italy for the Special Olympics World Winter Games Where 45.61 percent of athletes and Uniform partners were female. This represented one 14 percentage point increase in women’s participation compared to the 2017 World Winter Games in Austria.

With each World Games, Special Olympics moves closer to equal gender representation in all sports. The 2023 World Games in Berlin celebrated 48 percent female athletesand the organizing committee of the 2027 World Games in Santiago, Chileis working on achieving 50:50 participation for the first time.

This progress is not limited to competition. Within the movement, women lead as coaches, officials, volunteers, board members and staff. Women athlete leaders speak on global stages. United partners advocate for inclusion in their schools and communities. Mothers, sisters and mentors strengthen our movement that reaches more than 200 countries around the world.

This Women’s History Month, join us in celebrating their stories and recognizing how far we have come and the responsibility we carry moving forward.