On Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, USA Gymnastics hosted 25 of the Special Olympics athletes and coaches at the National Office. The Special Olympics athletes are training at Hoosier Gymnastics in Plainfield, Indiana for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games held on Jul. 25-Aug. 2 in Los Angeles, Calif. The largest sports and humanitarian event in the world, the 2015 Special Olympics will host 7,000 athletes, and 3,000 coaches representing 177 countries.

The first Special Olympics International Summer Games were held in 1968 in Chicago Illinois. The Special Olympics was hosted in South Bend, Indiana in 1987. Under founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics currently boasts more than 4.4 million athletes in 177 countries. The Special Olympics is the second-largest sports event after the Olympic Games.

Through the power of sport, the Special Olympics strives to create a better world by fostering acceptance and inclusion of all people.