ESPN has been the proud global supporter of Special Olympics for more than 30 years and has served as the Global Presenting Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports since 2013 — supporting the growth and expansion of this program that empowers individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to use sports to inspire social change and promote social inclusion and acceptance.
In May, ESPN announced its continued commitment to Special Olympics and Unified Sports through two agreements: a new three-year global programming agreement and an extension and expansion of ESPN’s Global Presenting Sponsorship of Special Olympics Unified Sports.
Last week, due in part to its relationship with ESPN, Special Olympics International announced the achievement of a major milestone in its history – reaching more than 1.2 million participants in Special Olympics Unified Sports, surpassing its goal of registering one million Unified Sports participants.
ESPN NFL host Trey Wingo who serves as an ESPN/Special Olympics Unified Ambassador and is a member of the 2016-17 steering committee to support ESPN’s global initiative with Unified Sports commented, “Our mission statement is to serve sports fans wherever they are, and whomever they are. ESPN’s continuing support of Special Olympics and Unified Sports is just another example of that. The playing field and the joy that comes with competing and achieving is for everyone, and we are happy to be a part of it.”
