Powered to Move Competitors

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of skills and friendship with their families, Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Since 1946, Paralyzed Veterans of America has been on a mission to change lives and build brighter futures for our seriously injured heroes. We’ve had a single-minded mission—to empower our brave men and women to regain what they fought for: their freedom and independence. The organization was founded by a band of service members who came home from World War II with a spinal cord injury. They returned to a grateful nation, but also to a world with few solutions to the challenges they faced. They made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society. They created Paralyzed Veterans of America, an organization dedicated to veterans service, medical research and civil rights for people with disabilities. Today, the work continues to create an America where all veterans and people with disabilities, and their families, have everything they need to live full and productive lives. Paralyzed Veterans national officers and our 34 chapters represent thousands of veterans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as the primary source of philanthropic support for Team USA. Founded in 2013, the USOPF generates critical financial resources that help Team USA athletes reach their full potential, both on and off the field of play. One hundred percent of gifts to the foundation go directly to athletes and the high-performance programming that supports them. Unlike most National Olympic Committees, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee does not receive federal funding for its Olympic programs. Instead, it relies on the generosity of the American public to help U.S. athletes remain competitive with the rest of the world. Our nation stands apart from others because our Olympic and Paralympic Teams are not just cheered by an enthusiastic national fan base, but funded by one. This Team Behind the Team funds important services and initiatives that empower Team USA athletes to reach their full potential, both on and off the field of play. Team USA does more than just represent the United States on sport’s biggest stage: Our athletes inspire all Americans—and the next generation of Team USA. Through their stories of trial and triumph, U.S. athletes show our nation what is possible and exemplify what it means to pursue excellence. The USOPF is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and led by President Christine Walshe. Supporting the USOPF and its staff is the USOPF Board of Directors and Trustees, headed by Chairman Gordon Crawford.