The World Winter Games Return to Austria, Special Olympics

Special Olympics has many thousands of competitions around the world every year. Our athletes train in 30-plus sports in 169 countries. Every two years, there's a World Games competition that shows off the best our movement has to offer. For many of our athletes, attending a World Games is the dream of a lifetime. For almost 2,700 Special Olympics athletes, that dream is coming true at the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. The athletes have trained in their 107 home countries. Coaches have guided their practices. Family and friends have cheered for them. This month, they traveled to the mountains of Austria. About 1,000 coaches came with them. Our athletes are skiing, skating, snowboarding, snowshoeing, shooting balls and shooting pucks to see who will win the gold--and who will not. These World Games mark a return: In 1993, Austria hosted the very first Special Olympics World Winter Games held outside the U.S. (Learn more about how the first World Games in Austria happened.) A lot has changed since those 1993 Games. This time, an even larger worldwide audience is getting the chance to see many moments from the Games. ESPN is broadcasting stories and events during the 2017 Games in Austria.