Special Olympics is proud to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for our support of youth sports and commitment to the NYSS vision: to unite U.S. youth sports culture around the hope that one day all youth will have the opportunity, motivation, and access to play sports—regardless of their ability, race, ethnicity, sex, or ZIP code. Special Olympics is proudly recognized along with other NYSS Champions on health.gov as part of a growing network of organizations partnering with HHS to improve the youth sports landscape in America.
HHS released the NYSS in September 2019 in response to Presidential Executive Order 13824, which called for a national strategy to increase youth sports participation. The NYSS offers actionable strategies for parents, coaches, organizations, communities, and policymakers to increase participation in youth sports, increase awareness of the benefits of youth sports participation, monitor and evaluate youth sports participation, and recruit and engage volunteers in youth sports programming.
To learn more about all the NYSS Champions, or if you are interested in joining the federal call to become an NYSS Champion, please visit health.gov.