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Research

Sports Research

Sports is at the foundation of the Special Olympics movement. Use these resources to share more about the impact of sports.

CHARTS AND GRAPHS

Use and customize these charts and graphs to help illustrate some key research findings.

OVERVIEW

Share evidence of Special Olympics’ impact through these summaries of Special Olympics research that include ready-to-share printouts designed for Programs.

  • Best Stats for Sports (PDF): This one pager provides the most compelling data points about Special Olympics Sports in easy-to-use bullet points and infographics.
  • Why Research Sports (PDF): As an organization that seeks to empower people with ID to achieve their personal best in all aspects of life, Special Olympics provides an opportunity for people with ID to demonstrate excellence, improve their physical fitness, and create relationships through sports.
  • Impact of Sports Involvement (PDF): Special Olympics studies have shown that participating in Special Olympics sports has a positive impact on athletes and families in a variety of ways. Discover more about the impact of sport.
  • Sports Research - Key Findings (PDF): Participating in sports has a variety of benefits. In one study, 94% of athletes reported improvements as a result of their participation in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and China.
  • World Games Research (PDF): Participating in World Games has been shown to positively influence the public's perception of people with ID's abilities.

RESEARCH ARTICLES

Access research articles that go into more detail on some of the findings shared in the overview section.