Reach Report 2008 - Special Olympics

Reach Report 

2008 

Special Olympics Reach Report 2008


May 2009 

Reach Report 2008 

This annual report summarizes data and key findings describing the breadth and depth of the global Special 

Olympics movement – hence the title “Reach Report.” Data on athletes, coaches, competitions, financial and 

in-kind support from nearly 170 countries was compiled to produce this year’s report. Special Olympics, Inc. 

greatly appreciates the hard work invested by Programs, Regional staff members and volunteers worldwide to 

gather and report 2008 Special Olympics Census data. 

Special Olympics, Inc. 

1133 19 th Street, NW 

Washington, DC 20036 USA 

Phone: +1 (202) 628-3630 

Fax +1 (202) 824-0200 

www.specialolympics.org 



The Year in Brief 

Athlete Participation 

Growth 

• Special Olympics grew at a 10.5 percent rate 

• We currently serve approximately 3.2 million athletes worldwide 

Age 

• Nearly 68 percent of our athletes are of school age (8-21) 

• Over 31 percent are adults (22+) 

• Special Olympics also serves more than 27,000 individuals ages 2-7 

Sports 

• The Movement’s top sports include athletics, football, basketball, bowling, aquatics and table-tennis 

• Over 200,000 athletes and partners are now engaged in Unified Sports opportunities 

• 27,243 athletes serve in leadership positions offered through Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) 

Program Development Data 

Coaches 

• More than 260,000 coaches supported Special Olympics athletes – 11.3 percent growth on a year earlier 

Competitions 

• Nearly 33,000 competitions organized around the world, 90 competitions hosted every day 

• 2.5 million individuals experienced Special Olympics competitions in 2008 

Revenue 

• Cash revenue generated by Special Olympics Programs amounted to 176 million USD in 2008 

• In-kind revenue exceeded 70 million USD 



Table of Contents 

Executive Summary 1 

Program Development Data – the Foundation for Success 3 

Detailed Findings by Area: 

The Movement’s Reach 

Growth 4 

Serving the World 5 

Average Program Size 6 

Quality 

Athletes-to-Participants Ratio 7 

Coaches 8 

Competitions 9 

Support 

Cash and In-kind Donations 10 

Participation 

Athlete Demographics – age and gender distribution 11 

Sports Participation 12 

Most Popular Sports 12 

Unified Sports® 13 

Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) 13 

Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) 14 

Regional Results Directory 15 

Methodology and Definitions 24 



Executive Summary 

The current Special Olympics Reach Report is designed to provide a summary of key programmatic results achieved 

globally in the framework of Special Olympics activities conducted in the course of the year 2008. Special Olympics 

operates in nearly 170 countries, 50 U.S. States and three U.S. territories. By collecting data from all of the 

Programs across the globe, the Movement continues to reinforce its commitment to development and monitoring 

of the objective parameters that measure the organization’s progress and accomplishments. Athlete participation 

information has been consistently collected since 2002. In addition, the 2006 Special Olympics Census paved the 

way for gathering data about coaches, competitions, cash and in-kind donations 1 . Collectively, these inputs inform 

the tracking of progress toward achieving the growth, quality, and revenue goals outlined in the 2006-2010 Strategic 

Plan. 

Growth 

In 2008, Special Olympics continued to grow steadily and expanded the global reach at an annual rate of 10.5 

percent. In the course of the year the Movement delivered sports training and competition opportunities to 

3,177,410 athletes across the globe and exceeded well ahead of schedule the 2010 Strategic Goal of serving 

3 million individuals with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Asia-Pacific recruited new athletes at the 

annual rate of 19.8 percent and emerged as the organization’s fastest growing region, followed by Africa and East 

Asia that posted 12.4 percent and 12.0 percent growth rates, respectively. In the past year, the Movement’s two 

largest regions - Asia-Pacific and East Asia - accounted for an overwhelming majority of the new Special Olympics 

athletes (68 percent). The overall regional distribution of athletes is shown below in Figure 1. 

Figure 1 - Regional Distribution of Special Olympics Athletes, 2008 

Geographic Distribution of Special Olympics Athlete Population (2008) 

Europe/Eurasia 

15% 

Latin America 

9% 

East Asia 

27% 

MENA 

4% 

1 Definitions for these metrics can be found in the methodology section at the back of the current document. 

Asia-Pacific 

22% 

Africa 

4% 

North America 

20% 

Special Olympics Reach Report 2008 

1

2 

While the most popular Special Olympics sports remain unchanged and include athletics, football, basketball, 

bowling, aquatics and table-tennis, in 2008, the Programs reported some notable trends in the demographic 

characteristics of the athlete population: 

• The ratio of male to female athletes has decreased to 1.6-to-1 signaling a trend toward greater engagement of 

female athletes. 

• Nearly 68 percent of Special Olympics athletes are of school age (8-21) and this age group is shrinking, while the 

proportions of adult athletes (age 22 and over) and young athletes (2-7) are increasing gradually. In 2008, adult 

athletes and young athletes accounted for 31.3 percent and 0.9 percent of the athlete population, respectively. 

The number of children ages 2-7 that trained according to Special Olympics rules increased by over 50 

percent (to 27,243 individuals) as compared to the previous year. 

• Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) experienced a period of brisk growth and expanded by 59 percent as 

compared to 2007 – nearly six times faster than the overall growth rate for the Movement. Special Olympics 

currently offers leadership opportunities to 21,218 athletes (0.7% of all athletes). 

Quality 

The Movement continues to sharpen the focus on delivering year-round competition opportunities in a variety of 

sports. In the course of 2008, Special Olympics offered athletes 2,000 more competitions than a year earlier and 

increased the overall number to 32,817 – with 90 competitions staged every day around the world. Over offered by 

the Programs. 

Throughout the world 260,232 coaches supported Special Olympics athletes in the course of training and 

competitive endeavors. Three of the Movement’s seven Regions reported double-digit increases in the numbers of 

coaches and the overall cohort gained over 26 thousand new recruits. North America accounts for 42 percent of all 

coaches, followed by Asia-Pacific and East Asia (18 percent in each of these two regions). As a result of the strong 

growth in the number of coaches, Special Olympics continues to provide individualized attention – the worldwide 

athletes-to-coaches ratio improved in 2008 and reached 12.2 athletes per every coach (down from 12.6 athletes 

per every coach in 2006 and 12.3 – in 2007). 

Support 

For 2007, Movement-wide revenue amounted to more than 176 million USD 1 . U.S.-based Programs continued 

to generate the vast majority of the Movement’s cash donations, contributing over 80 percent of the total cash 

income brought in by Special Olympics Programs worldwide. If cash donations across all Programs could be 

distributed equally to Special Olympics athletes, in 2008 global donations per athlete would amount to 55.4 USD – 

approximately 20 percent lower than a year earlier and 15.4 lower than the 2006 level. 

2 Movement-wide revenue is the sum of self-reported cash income (does no include in-kind( from Programs. This figure does not include revenue 

generated by Special Olympics, Inc. 


Program Development Data – 

The Foundation for Success 

Special Olympics continues steady expansion of the organization’s reach and athlete participation. In 2008, the 

Movement surpassed its 2006-2010 strategic growth goal of 3 million athletes and provided sports training and 

competition opportunities to nearly 3.18 million individuals worldwide. The expanding scope of services and the 

growing promise to individuals with intellectual disabilities and family members require development and consistent 

deployment of capabilities in the areas of coaches’ recruitment and education, delivery of competitions, communications 

and fundraising. Since 2006, Special Olympics has been applying a consistent set of definitions to track the dynamics 

of participation for athletes and coaches, frequency of competitions and the extent of the cash and in-kind fundraising 

contributions. Collectively these factors are known as Critical Program Development Indicators (CPDIs). 

Special Olympics Progress Toward 2010 Growth Goal 

3 million 

2 million 

1 million 

0 

Special Olympics 

has surpassed 

the 2006-2010 

Strategic Growth 

Goal of 3 million 

athletes 

2006 2007 2008 2010 

In 2008, Special Olympics reached out to 300,784 new athletes – a 10.5 percent increase in the number of individuals 

served. However, this stable growth in the number of athletes corresponded with a decline of 11 percent in the amount 

of cash revenue generated by Special Olympics Programs around the world and only modest growth of 5.4 percent in 

the amount of in-kind contributions. To offset the decline in revenues and sustain the quality of activities Programs rely 

on increasing numbers of coaches and volunteers. In the course of 2008, for example, Special Olympics engaged 26,335 

new coaches. Available CPDIs continue to point to wide disparities in the types of service delivery models across the 

seven Regions. Middle East/North Africa and Asia-Pacific favor larger competitions and on average in these Regions 

every competition attracts 420 and 245 athletes, respectively. By contrast, in North America and Africa only 41 and 

35 athletes, respectively, take part in an average competitive opportunity. Programs in North America generated 238.2 

USD of cash income per athlete – 450 times more than Programs in East Asia and nearly six times more than in Europe/ 

Eurasia. 

Table 1: Critical Program Development Indicators, 2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

Athletes 

95,830 

577,634 

698,186 

309,231 

196,378 

74,449 

528,817 

2,480,525 

Participants 

19,365 

101,363 

169,926 

169,832 

97,631 

50,293 

88,475 

696,885 

Total 

115,195 

678,997 

868,112 

479,063 

294,009 

124,742 

617,292 

3,177,410 

Coaches 

9,466 

46,818 

46,953 

30,252 

13,621 

3,778 

109,344 

260,232 

Competitions 

3,233 

2,774 

5,048 

3,401 

3,089 

297 

14,975 

32,817 

Total Revenue 

1,310,359 

5,003,899 

459,912 

18,972,190 

2,677,639 

622,220 

147,039,406 

176,125,625 

In-kind 

697,352 

3,550,101 

308,400 

2,993,505 

3,549,572 

614,340 

58,467,484 

70,180,754 


3

4 

The Movement’s Reach 

Growth 

In the past year, the organization generated a notably slower rate of growth at the global level than in 2007 – 10.5 

percent versus 13.5 percent, respectively. Overall, the deceleration of the Movement’s worldwide expansion results from 

a deliberate change of priorities and a shift of resources to local sports infrastructure development, training and higher 

quality of athlete participation. However, at the Regional level the trend resulted in uneven fluctuations. In 2008, Asia- 

Pacific Region continued to grow at an almost 20 percent rate, while Africa and Middle East/North Africa expanded at 

approximately half of their 2007 growth rates and Latin America reported near-zero growth. North America defied the 

trend and increased the number of athletes served across the Region by 9.8 percent (see Table 2 below). 

Table 2: 2006-2008 Special Olympics Athlete Growth, by Region 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

Total 

Athletes 

(2006) 

81,884 

467,128 

660,014 

426,063 

265,324 

111,424 

522,576 

2,534,413 

Despite the growth rate fluctuations Asia-Pacific and East Asia Regions continue to catalyze global growth collectively 

contributing more than 200,000 new athletes. Special Olympics North America was able to sustain the strong positive 

momentum generated in 2007 and for the second year in a row accounted for nearly 20 percent of the new athletes. 

Based on the data presented in the charts below, approximately half of all Special Olympics athletes now train and 

compete in East Asia (27.3 percent of the global athlete population) and Asia-Pacific (21.4 percent), while 80 percent of 

all athletes come from outside of North America – the organization’s birthplace. 


15% 


Total 

Athletes 

(2007) 

102,507 

566,653 

774,929 

457,375 

293,551 

119,581 

562,030 

2,876,626 

Total 

Athletes 

(2008) 

115,195 

678,997 

868,112 

479,063 

294,009 

124,742 

617,292 

3,177,410 

Geographic Distribution of Special Olympics 

Athlete Population (2007) 

Latin America 

9% 

East Asia 

27% 

MENA 

4% 

Asia-Pacific 

20% 

Africa 

4% 

North America 

20% 

Growth 

(2006- 

2007) 

20,623 

99,525 

114,915 

31,312 

28,227 

8,157 

39,454 

342,213 


15% 

Growth 

(2007- 

2008) 

12,688 

112,344 

93,183 

21,688 

458 

5,161 

55,262 

300,784 

Growth 

Rate (2006- 

2007) 

25.2% 

21.3% 

17.4% 

7.3% 

10.6% 

7.3% 

7.5% 

13.5% 

Growth 

Rate(2007- 

2008) 

Geographic Distribution of Special Olympics 

Athlete Population (2008) 

Latin America 

9% 

East Asia 

27% 

MENA 

4% 

12.4% 

19.8% 

12.0% 

4.7% 

.2% 

4.3% 

9.8% 

10.5% 

Asia-Pacific 

21% 

Africa 

4% 

North America 

20%

Serving the World 

Guided by the Movement’s Mission Statement, Special Olympics is determined to offer sport training and competition 

opportunities to all individuals with intellectual disability. Over the years, the organization has significantly expanded the 

geographic scope of its work and engaged millions of new athletes. However, as evidenced by the data in Table 3 below, 

Special Olympics still serves less than 2 percent of the world’s population of people with intellectual disability. 

As a result of multi-year active growth in Asia-Pacific and East Asia, in 2008 the Movement reached important service 

milestones in these two Regions. In Asia-Pacific Special Olympics now offers training sessions and competitions to 1 

percent of the eligible population and over 2 percent of the eligible individuals in East Asia have opportunities to participate 

in the sporting activities developed by the Programs. 

Table 3: Special Olympics Global Service Rate, 2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

Population 

(thousands)* 

559,425 

2,266,084 

1,382,965 

884,184 

395,997 

391,465 

444,391 

6,324,511 

Persons with ID 

(thousands)** 

16,783 

67,983 

41,489 

26,526 

11,880 

11,744 

13,332 

189,735 

# of Special 

Olympics Athletes 

115,195 

678,997 

868,112 

479,063 

294,009 

124,742 

617,292 

3,177,410 

% of Eligible Population 

Served by Special Olympics 

*Sources: World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revisions. Highlights. New York, United Nations, 2007. For U.S. Program: 

2006 Population Estimates Program, U.S. Census Bureau, 2007. 

**Estimated 1-3 percent of the world’s population have an intellectual disability, according to 2001 World Health Report, 

Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope, The 3 percent level was applied for the current Report. 

0.69% 

1.00% 

2.09% 

1.81% 

2.47% 

1.06% 

4.63% 

1.67% 


5

6 

Average Program Size 

These days Special Olympics Programs are as diverse as ever in terms of the numbers of athletes served, organizational 

structures and modes of operation. In 2008, the smallest Program in the world offered services to 19 athletes, while the 

largest provided sports opportunities to 828,053 athletes. There is not a “typical” Special Olympics Program anywhere 

in the world. However, averages and medians of key parameters – athletes, coaches, competitions and cash donations – 

help us understand the overarching trends in the development of the Movement. Table 4 below presents the results for 

2006-2008: 

Table 4: 2006-2007 Average and Median Program Size. 3 

Athletes 

Coaches 

Competitions 

Cash Donations 

Average Per 

Program 

Over the last three years the average size of a Special Olympics Program increased by over 20 percent. The Programs on 

average engaged nearly 25 percent more coaches in 2008 than they did in 2006 and organized almost 40 percent more 

competitions. However, Program-level revenue streams remain volatile as evidenced by the average size of cash donations 

– after an 8.5 percent year-on-year increase in 2007, last year this indicator plunged by nearly 12 percent erasing all the 

gains achieved since the launch of the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan. 

The median values based on the information captured in 2008 indicate that half of all Special Olympics Programs 

generate less than 50,000 US dollars per year and serve fewer than 3,200 athletes per Program, suggesting that large 

numbers of athletes and a major proportion of the revenue generating capacity are concentrated within relatively few 

established Programs. 


11,520 

922 

101 

805,280 

2006 2007 


Program 

Median 

3,336 

188 

16 

40,500 

Average Per 

Program 

12,672 

1,030 

135 

874,119 

Program 

Median 

3,022 

179 

20 

72,350 

Average Per 

Program 

13,912 

1,146 

139 

772,222 

Program 

Median 

3 Average (mean) serves as a mathematical representation of the typical value of a series of numbers, computed as the sum of all numbers in the series divided by 

the count of all numbers in the series. Median is defined as sthe midpoint in the range of numbers that arranged in order of value - 50% of the range are above the 

median and 50% are below. 

3,227 

200 

22 

47,600

Quality 

Athletes-to-Participants Ratio 

A quality Special Olympics experience enables every individual to take part in sports training as well as competitions. 

The data collected about Special Olympics competitions in 2008 indicates that there were 7 percent more competitive 

opportunities available last year than in 2007. The athletes-to-participants ratio points to how widely these 

opportunities were available and how many individuals were able to take advantage of the experiences. Even though 

there is no “ideal” level for the ratio, Special Olympics believes that the higher values signal improvement since more 

athletes benefit from both training and competitions. In 2008, this ratio experienced a minimal decline from 3.57 in 

2007 to 3.56 in 2008. However, as indicated in Table 5 below, in 2008, nearly 2.5 million individuals (2,480,525) 

with intellectual disability got a chance to compete in Special Olympics events representing a 10.4 percent increase in 

the number of competing athletes over the 2007 level and a 28.1 percent increase as compared to 2006. 

Table 5: Athletes-to-Participants Ratio Comparison, 2006-2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

Athletes 

71,041 

271,410 

627,189 

264,472 

173,636 

70,846 

457,808 

1,936,402 

2006 2007 


Participants 

10,843 

195,718 

32,825 

161,591 

91,688 

40,578 

64,768 

598,011 

Athletes/ 

Participants 

Ratio 

Athletes 

6.55 87,399 

1.39 468,993 

19.11 660,638 

1.64 285,500 

1.89 183,262 

1.75 74,179 

7.07 487,513 

3.24 2,247,484 

Participants 

15,108 

97,660 

114,291 

171,875 

110,289 

45,402 

74,517 

629,142 

Athletes/ 

Participants 

Ratio 

Globally, 78 percent of individuals engaged in Special Olympics took part in competitions in 2007 and 2008. 

However, at the regional level there are notable disparities in the proportion of participants – those individuals with 

intellectual disability who trained but did not compete in the course of the year. In North America, participants 

accounted for 14.3 percent of the total involvement in Special Olympics, while in Middle East/North Africa 

this indicator reached 40.3 percent. Over the years the global athletes-to-participants ratio has demonstrated 

improvements rising from on average 2.7 in 2000-2006 to 2.9 in 2000-2008. The renewed focus on quality has 

enabled Special Olympics to offset sharp declines in the ratio caused by the rapid expansion in 2000-2005. 

4 

3.5 

3 

2.5 

2 

1.5 

5.78 

4,80 

5.78 

1.66 

1.66 

1.63 

6.54 

3.57 

Athletes-to-Participants Ratio, 2000-2008 

2000-2005 Strategic Plan - 

focused on growth 

2006-2010 Strategic Plan - 

focused on quality 

2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Athletes 

95,830 

577,634 

698,186 

309,231 

196,378 

74,449 

528,817 

2,480,525 

Participants 

19,365 

101,363 

169,926 

169,832 

97,631 

50,293 

88,475 

696,885 

Athletes/ 

Participants 

Ratio 

6.55 

1.39 

19.11 

1.64 

1.89 

1.75 

7.07 

3.24 


7

8 

Coaches 

Although multiple other considerations can play a role, individualized attention of qualified coaches represents an 

important factor that determines the quality of Special Olympics training and competition experiences. Thus, the 

number of coaches compared to the number of athletes serves as an indicator of quality that can be uniformly applied 

across the Movement. In the framework of the current Report we do not assess coaching qualifications and apply a 

very broad definition of a “coach” that includes all individuals who provided sports instruction to Special Olympics 

athletes in a given year. It is also implied that there is no single best coaching formula and varying sports, athlete 

ability levels and other factors determine numbers of coaches recruited by Special Olympics Programs. In 2007, 

Special Olympics achieved a rate of growth in the number of coaches in excess of 11 percent (See Table 6 below), 

however the athletes-to-coaches ratio improved only in three of the Movement’s seven Regions (Africa, Asia-Pacific, 

and Europe/Eurasia) pointing to a potential mismatch with growth in the number of athletes. 

Table 6: Coaches by Region, 2007-2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

Athletes 

102,507 

566,653 

774,929 

457,375 

293,551 

119,581 

562,030 

2,876,626 


2006 2007 


Coaches 

Coaches 

as % of 

Worldwide 

Total 

Athletes/ 

Coaches Athletes 

Ratio 

Coaches 

Coaches 

as % of 

Worldside 

Total 

7,541 3.2% 13.6 115,195 9,466 3.6% 

34,872 14.9% 16.2 678,997 46,818 18.0% 

47,424 20.3% 16.3 868,112 46,953 18.0% 

23,458 10.0% 19.5 479,063 30,252 11.6% 

15,066 6.4% 19.5 294,009 13,621 5.2% 

4,172 1.8% 28.7 124,742 3,778 1.5% 

101,364 43.3% 5.5 617,292 109,344 42.0% 

233,897 100% 12.3 3,177,410 260,232 100% 

Athletes/ 

Coaches 

Ratio 

12.2 

14.5 

18.5 

15.8 

21.6 

33.0 

5.6 

12.2

Competitions 

In the past year, Special Olympics continued to offer growing numbers 

of competitive opportunities. Instead of 60 competitions organized 

every day in 2006, throughout 2008 Special Olympics athletes had a 

chance to participate in 90 competitive events that took place every 

day around the world! With the global competitions growth rate above 

7 percent, Special Olympics Africa added competitions at a brisk pace of 

54 percent, followed by Europe/Eurasia (15.2 percent) and North 

America (9.9 percent). 

Special Olympics North America continues to account 

for over 45 percent of all competitive events with Special 

Olympics Africa demonstrating notable gains in 2008 

and currently offering 10 percent of competitions. 

Table 7: Competitions by Region, 2007-2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

# of Competitions 

2006 2007 


2,097 

3,641 

5,040 

2,952 

3,104 

284 

13,621 

30,739 

% of the 

Worldwide Total 

6.8% 

11.8% 

16.4% 

9.6% 

10.1% 

0.9% 

44.3% 

100.0% 

2008 Competitions 

32,817 Every Year 

90 Every Day 

# of Competitions 

3,233 

2,774 

5,048 

3,401 

3,089 

297 

14,975 

32,817 

% of the 

Worldwide Total 

9.9% 

8.5% 

15.4% 

10.4% 

9.4% 

0.9% 

45.6% 

100.0% 


9

10 

Cash and In-kind Donations 

Special Olympics Programs (excluding Special Olympics, Inc.) raised almost 176.1 million USD of cash revenue 

in 2008. As compared to a year earlier, the Movement’s cash contributions declined by 11 percent driven by 

notable Regional-level decreases in East Asia, Europe/Eurasia, Africa and North America. Asia-Pacific was the only 

Region to buck the trend and post 133 percent increase in donations. The organization-wide fall in cash revenue 

was partly offset by a 5.4 percent expansion of in-kind contributions with Asia-Pacific, Middle East/North Africa 

and Latin America Regions achieving triple-digit growth in this revenue category. As indicated in Table 8 below, 

Special Olympics Programs in North America continue to lead in terms of cash and in-kind revenue generated as a 

proportion of the worldwide total. 

Table 8: Cash and In-kind Donations, 2007-2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

“Donations per athlete” represent another key parameter of the Movement’s fundraising capabilities. To understand 

this indicator, it is critical to account for the fact that “donations per athlete” do not represent and are not 

synonymous with “cost per athlete”, since “donations per athlete” only account for the actual revenue generated 

and do not capture the budgeted and/or actual expenses related to Special Olympics services. In 2008, the level 

of donations per athlete declined in five of the Movement’s seven Regions with Asia-Pacific and Latin America 

representing the two exceptions from the global trend. 


2006 2007 


Cas Cash h % of the In-K In-Kind ind % of of the CasCashh % of the 

In-K In-Kind ind % of of the 

Rev enue Worldwide Rev enue W orldwide Rev enue Worldide Rev enue 

Revenue Worldwide Revenue Worldwide Revenue 

W orldside 

(USD) Total (USD) Total (USD) 

Worldwide Revenue 

Total (USD) 

Worldwide 

Total 

(USD) Total (USD) Total (USD) Total (USD) Total 

1,592,028 0.8% 1,291,405 1.9% 1,310,359 0.7% 697,352 1.0% 

2,145,531 1.1% 328,953 0.5% 5,003,899 2.8% 3,550,101 5.1% 

1,078,147 0.5% 1,828,765 2.7% 459,912 0.3% 308,400 0.4% 

34,716,816 17.5% 3,929,020 5.9% 18,972,190 10.8% 2,993,505 4.3% 

2,510,430 1.3% 1,263,697 1.9% 2,677,639 1.5% 3,549,572 5.1% 

664,992 0.3% 296,250 0.4% 662,220 0.4% 614,340 0.9% 

155,717,029 78.5% 57,675,553 86.6% 147,039,406 83.5% 58,467,484 83.3% 

198,424,973 100.0% 66,613,643 100% 176,125,625 100.0% 70,180,754 100% 

Table 9: Donations Per Athlete, 2007-2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

2006 

Donations Per 

Athlete (Cash 

Only, USD) 

6.1 

8.2 

1.1 

19.3 

6.4 

2.1 

288.4 

65.5 

2007 

Donations Per 

Athlete (Cash 

Only, USD) 

15.5 

3.8 

1.4 

75.9 

8.6 

5.6 

277.1 

69 


Donations Per 

Athlete (Cash 

Only, USD) 

11.4 

7.4 

0.5 

39.6 

9.1 

5.3 

238.2 

55.4 

SUPPORT 

At 238.2 USD per athlete, Special Olympics 

North America continues to demonstrate the 

highest Regional level of revenue generation per 

athlete. If cash donations brought in by all 

Programs could be distributed equally 

across all Special Olympics athletes, in 2008 

global donations per athlete would be 

55.4 USD – 19.7 percent lower than 

a year earlier and 15.4 percent lower than the 

2006 level.

PARTICIPATION 

Athlete Demographics – age and gender 

distribution 

As Table 10 below indicates, at the global level athletes 8 to 15 years of age constitute over one third of all individuals 

participating in Special Olympics. School age athletes that fall into 8-15 and 16-21 age groups comprise nearly 68 

percent of the worldwide athlete population – a decline of one percentage point from the 2007 level, while adult 

athletes (22 years of age and older) account for nearly 30 percent. 

At the Regional level, North America continues to serve the highest proportion of athletes 22 years of age and 

older, though the contribution of this age group to the overall athlete population is declining and has fallen below 

44 percent of the Regional total. East Asia serves large numbers of younger athletes in the 8-15 age group (over 38 

percent) and Africa focuses on athletes in the 16-21 age group (over 44 percent of the Regional total). While these 

variations reflect the differences in approaches taken by the Regions in delivering Special Olympics sports training 

and competitions, in 2007 and 2008, the disparities have been diminishing and possibly pointing to more balanced 

recruitment efforts across age groups. 

Since 2007, data is collected about young individuals (ages 2-5 and 6-7), who train according to Special Olympics 

rules and guidelines, but are not yet eligible to compete. In 2008, the number of children with intellectual 

disabilities ages 2-7 that train around the world increased by over 50 percent as compared to the previous year. 

Overall, representatives of the two youngest age groups contribute less than one percent to the global total; however, 

in Africa and North America the youngest athletes account for 1.8 and 2.4 percent of the athlete populations, 

respectively, signaling a strong interest in the Young Athletes initiative and related programming. 

Table 10: Age Groups by Region, 2008 

Region 

Africa 

Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

2-5 

Age 2006 Groups - Total Athletes 

Age Groups - as % of Regional Total 

6-7 

8-15 

16-21 

901 1,161 31,660 49,982 

384 962 232,183 258,719 

469 1,065 332,013 284,024 

573 2,032 171,600 162,518 

1,970 1,728 105,802 102,420 

168 765 44,433 47,152 

7,001 8,064 166,699 162,869 

11.466 15,777 1,084,390 1,067,684 

22+ 

31,497 

186,749 

250,541 

142,340 

82,089 

32,224 

269,104 

994,544 

Gender 

In 2008, female athletes accounted for 38 percent of the Movement-wide total (male athletes constituted 62 

percent of the population) representing an increase of one percentage point over a year earlier – a substantial change 

considering that despite the overall aggressive growth, the proportion of Special Olympics male athletes remained 

unchanged in 2002-2007. Among the seven Special Olympics Regions, Asia-Pacific reported the highest level 

of female participation (42 percent), followed by Africa (41 percent). At the opposite end of the spectrum, male 

athletes accounted for 71 percent of the total athlete participation in the Middle East/North Africa Region, and 65 

percent in Europe/Eurasia and Latin America Regions. 

2-5 

0.8% 

0.1% 

0.1% 

0.1% 

0.7% 

0.1% 

1.1% 

0.4% 

6-7 

1.0% 

0.1% 

0.1% 

0.4% 

0.6% 

0.6% 

1.3% 

0.5% 

8-15 

27.5% 

34.2% 

38.2% 

35.8% 

36.0% 

35.6% 

27.2% 

34.2% 

16-21 

43.4% 

38.1% 

32.7% 

33.9% 

34.8% 

37.8% 

26.5% 

33.6% 

22+ 

27.3% 

27.5% 

28.9% 

29.7% 

27.9% 

25.8% 

43.8% 

31.3% 

Total 

100.0% 

100.0% 

100.0% 

100.0% 

100.0% 

100.0% 

100.0% 

100.0% 


11

12 

SPORTS PARTICIPATION 

Most Popular Sports 

In the course of 2008, on average, every athlete in Special Olympics participated in training sessions and competitions 

in 1.2 sports. Nearly 70 percent of all sports experiences were associated with the six most popular kinds of sports 

presented in Table 12 below. The respective levels of popularity remained stable over the last three years. However, 

disparate patterns emerged since Special Olympics Census data collection commenced in 2002. 

The Movement’s most popular sport – athletics – has been continuously losing in popularity as a result of dedicated 

efforts to offer Special Olympics athletes a broader range of training and competitive opportunities. Football gained 

in popularity in 2004-2005 following concerted expansion efforts in Europe/Eurasia and Latin America, but the 

proportion of football players stagnated at the 10 percent level for the last four years. The growing number of 

athletes engaged in sports other than the “Top 6” further illustrates the global trend toward diversification of athlete 

experiences, though in 2008, the less popular sports accounted for only 30 percent of all training sessions and 

competitions. 

Throughout 2008, nearly 158 thousand Special Olympics athletes took part in Nationally Popular Sports offered by 

Special Olympics Programs representing a 163 percent increase in this segment of the athlete population as compared 

to the year earlier. Currently over 4 percent of athletes participate in Nationally Popular Sports and the combined 

share of these experiences approaches popularity of table tennis, the Movement’s sixth most popular sport. 

Table 12: Trends in Popular Sports 2002-2008 

Sport 

Athletics 

Football 

Basketball 

Bowling 

Aquatics 

Table Tennis 

Other Sports 


2006 

Percent of Athletes Participating in Top Sports 

2002 

37% 

8% 

11% 

12% 

7% 

1% 

24% 

2003 

30% 

8% 

11% 

11% 

6% 

4% 

30% 

2004 

30% 

8% 

11% 

11% 

6% 

4% 

30% 

2005 

34% 

10% 

11% 

9% 

6% 

4% 

26% 

2006 

34% 

10% 

9% 

8% 

5% 

5% 

29% 

2007 

34% 

10% 

9% 

7% 

6% 

5% 

29% 


33% 

10% 

9% 

7% 

6% 

5% 

30%

Unified Sports 

With Unified Sports participation increasing by 35 percent in 2008, athletes and partners involved in the program 

constituted the fastest growing segment of the overall Special Olympics athlete population. Moreover, the expansion 

of Unified Sports further accelerated in the past year, up from the 28 percent growth rates achieved in 2006 and 

2007. The recruitment of athletes continues to outpace the delivery of services to new partners. Data presented in 

Table 13 below indicates that last year Special Olympics achieved 38 percent growth in the number of Unified Sports 

athletes, while the number of partners increased at a 30 percent rate, leading to a further shift in the athletes-topartners 

ratio – from 1.27 athletes per partner in 2006; to 1.6 in 2007 and 1.69 in 2008. The most popular sports 

offered in the Unified Sports format continue to be football, basketball and athletics. 

Table 13: Unified Sports Participation, 2002-2008 

Sport 


Participation 

2002 

71,380 

2003 

63,306 

2006 

2004 

73,801 

2005 

90,997 

2006 

119,044 

Athletes 

94,035 

2007 

Partners 

58,681 

Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) 

In 2008, MATP participation grew by 11.6 percent, primarily as a result of the strong increase in MATP activities 

reported by Programs in North America (21.7 percent). 

Region 

Africa 

AsiaPacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

2006 

Motor Activities Training Program Participation 

2002 

2003 

80 40 

523 575 

41 0 

10,275 14,402 

482 634 

262 553 

10,764 10,964 

22,427 27,169 

2004 

471 

764 

219 

17,220 

666 

1,224 

13,987 

34,551 

2005 

475 

3,354 

132 

20,474 

1,148 

1,135 

13,403 

40,121 

2006 

937 

3,791 

473 

20,339 

1,389 

1,693 

13,139 

41,761 

The rapid expansion of MATP services in North America firmly established the Region’s leading position accounting 

for 44 percent of all MATP participants, followed by Europe/Eurasia with 35 percent. Together these two Regions 

(See Table 14) continue to provide sports opportunities for nearly four-fifths of all MATP athletes. At the same time, 

East Asia and Africa Regions report the fastest annual growth rates increasing participation in the initiative by 85 

and 57 percent, respectively. Since 2002, when the first comprehensive MATP results were reported, the number 

of individuals benefiting from the program expanded by 82 percent with growth taking place in all seven Special 

Olympics Regions. 

2007 

391 

3,405 

594 

13,841 

2,299 

1,338 

14,709 

36,576 


612 

3,463 

1,097 

14,132 

2,272 

1,360 

17,911 

40,847 

Total 

152,716 

2007 

Athletes Partners 

129,623 

75,507 

Total 

206,130 


13

Regional Results - Middle East/North Africa 


21

14 

Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) 

For the second year in a row Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programs experience robust gains in popularity – a 60 

percent jump in ALPs participation reported for 2008 builds upon the 14 percent growth rate achieved a year earlier (See Table 

15 below). Five of the seven Special Olympics Regions were able to increase the reach of athlete leadership offerings with the 

ALPs population in Africa skyrocketing more than 10 times above the 2007 level. The strong growth achieved in 2008 enabled 

Special Olympics Africa to account for over 25 percent of all ALPs athletes – more than the combined total for Asia-Pacific, 

Middle East/North Africa and North America. East Asia and Latin America Regions account for 21.5 percent and 18.3 

percent of the ALPs athletes, respectively, followed by Europe/Eurasia with 12.3 percent. 

Table 15: ALPs Participation, 2002-2008 

Region 

Africa 

AsiaPacific 

East Asia 


Latin America 

MENA 

North America 

Worldwide 

The steady growth in the numbers of ALPs athletes at the global level has increased the proportion of athlete leaders in the 

overall Special Olympics athlete population from 0.46 percent in 2007 to 0.67 percent in 2008; however, despite the dynamic 

three-fold expansion of ALPs programming between 2002 and 2008 the Movement is yet to reach the 1 percent level for 

Special Olympics athletes serving in leadership positions. 


Athlete Leadership 2006 Programs 

2002 

432 

170 

595 

569 

4,005 

281 

1,006 

7,058 

2003 

1,216 

298 

1,091 

869 

2,045 

323 

2,618 

8,460 

2004 

108 

235 

1,265 

1,027 

1,215 

555 

2,349 

6,754 

2005 

108 

156 

1,346 

1,409 

3,608 

985 

2,411 

10,023 

2006 

398 

480 

1,829 

1,361 

4,081 

1,077 

2,472 

11,698 

2007 

451 

843 

2,742 

1,926 

3,514 

1,372 

2,474 

13,322 


5,362 

554 

4,571 

2,611 

3,892 

2,147 

2,081 

21,218

Regional Results Directory 

Below is the report of the 2008 Census results presented alphabetically by Region and by Program. For comparison, 2007 

Census data is included as well. 

All of the background information can also be found in an electronic format through the Program Development System (PDS) 

under the 2008 Athlete Participation reporting options and the 2009 Program Information Profile data (2008 Actual results for 

coaches, competitions, cash and in-kind revenue). 


15

16 

Regional Results - Africa 


Regional Results - Asia-Pacific 

East Asia 


17

18 

Regional Results - Europe/Eurasia 


Special Olympics Reach Report 2008 19

20 

Regional Results - Latin America 


Regional Results - Middle East/North America 


21

22 

Regional Results - North America 


Special Olympics Reach Report 2008 23

24 

Methodology and Definitions 


APPENDIX 

In the framework of the 2008 Special Olympics Census, each Special Olympics Program submitted an Athlete 

Participation Summary (APS) form, which is housed in the Program Development System (PDS). The additional 

metrics collected were also submitted through PDS in the Program Information Profile (PIP). All data was captured in 

PDS by March 31, 2009. 

The 2008 Census captured athlete participation data (including Unified Sports, MATP and ALPs), as well as 

information about coaches, competitions, cash and in-kind donations received by Special Olympics Programs. 

In the course of data collection, analysis and presentation, Special Olympics relied on the following set of definitions: 

Athlete 

A Special Olympics athlete is a person with an intellectual disability who trains in a Special Olympics sport and who 

competes at least once in that sport at a Special Olympics Games or competition at any level (local, state, national, 

regional, or world) during the calendar year (1 January - 31 December); 

-Or- 

A Special Olympics athlete is a person with an intellectual disability who participates in Motor Activities Training 

Program. 

Participant 

A Special Olympics participant is a person with an intellectual disability who trains in a Special Olympics sport 

but has not competed at least once in a Special Olympics Games or competition at any level (local, state, national, 

regional, or world) during the calendar year (1 January - 31 December). 


Special Olympics “Unified Sports®” is a program that combines Special Olympics athletes and athletes without 

intellectual disabilities on sports teams for training and competition. 

Unified Sports Athlete 

A Special Olympics Unified Sports Athlete is a person with an intellectual disability who trains in a Special Olympics 

“Unified” sport and who competes at least once in that sport at a Special Olympics Games or competition at any level 

(local, state, national, regional, or world) during the calendar year (1 January - 31 December). 

Unified Sports Partner 

A Special Olympics Unified Sports Partner is a person without an intellectual disability who trains in a Special 

Olympics “Unified” sport and who competes at least once in that sport at a Special Olympics Games or competition at 

any level (local, state, national, regional, or world) during the calendar year (1 January - 31 December). 

Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) Athlete An Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) Athlete is defined as a person 

with an intellectual disability who participates in at least one Athlete Leadership Program and fulfills the definition of a 

Special Olympics Athlete as defined in these instructions

Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) Participant An Athlete Leadership Program Participant (ALPs) is defined as 

a person with an intellectual disability who participates in at least one Athlete Leadership Program and fulfills the 

definition of a Special Olympics Participant set forth in these instructions 

-Or- 

APPENDIX 

An Athlete Leadership Program Participant (ALPs) is defined as a person with an intellectual disability who 

participates in at least one Athlete Leadership Program and is not training or competing as an athlete or participant. 

Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) 

A MATP athlete is a person with an intellectual disability that participates in MATP activities during the calendar 

year January 1-December 31. MATP activities are designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities with severe 

limitations who do not yet possess the physical and/or behavioral skills necessary to participate in official Special 

Olympics sports. 

“Other” Sports 

“Other” Sports are those sports that are not official sports but are locally popular or recognized sports. 

The word “other” on the APS form in the Sports Column is designated to collect data for other sports that are not 

listed on the form (for example, Recognized sports). 

An example of “other” is the sport of cricket for South Africa. Cricket is not an official Special Olympics sport. 

However, it is offered by Special Olympics South Africa and provides data for growth of new sports. 

Total Revenue (USD) Definition 

Revenue includes SOI distributions (such as direct mail and grants, including Christmas Records 

Grants), contributions from individuals, royalties and sponsorships from corporations, government support, 

foundation grants, and community support. Report the estimated total revenue (in USD) that your Program 

received from all sources during the calendar year 1 January to 31 December (except for in-kind donations -- these 

will be reported separately below). 

In-Kind Donations 

In-kind donations are goods and services provided free of charge to Programs to support their operations. Report 

the value of in-kind donations (USD) your Program received from 1 January to 31 December. 

Number of Competition Opportunities 

Competitions can include all forms of competition, including: multi-sport “Games,” local level league play for team 

sports, single sport meets and competitions. Report the total number of competitions that have been conducted at 

all Program levels from 1 January to 31 December. 

Coaches 

A coach provides Special Olympics athletes with comprehensive sports training and preparation for competitions. 

Report the total number of coaches that have coached athletes from 1 January to 31 December. 


25


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Reach Report 2008 - Special Olympics

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