Events
Overview
Inspiration happens every day.Special Olympics Virginia athletes train, compete and succeed in nearly 2,000 area and regional competitions in 22 sports each year. We also host six annual state-level competitions:
- Winter Championships – January in Northern Virginia, hosting gymnastics, speed skating, figure skating and bowling
- Alpine Championships – January at Wintergreen Resort, hosting alpine skiing
- The Xperience – January at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, hosting tennis
- Basketball Championships – March in Stafford, hosting basketball games and skills competitions
- Summer Games – June in Richmond, hosting tennis, powerlifting, track & field, softball, swimming and bowling
- 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.
Come and 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
