Lietuvos specialiosios olimpiados komitetas is organizing this fundraiser.

We are the Lithuanian Special Olympics Committee (LSOK), we care for children, young people and adults with intellectual disabilities in sport. We work with people with an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) between 20 and 70 (the average person has an IQ of around 100).

Swimming is one of the most beneficial sports for children and young people with intellectual disabilities. And this skill is vital. It helps children form healthy habits, builds self-confidence, and helps them integrate into the community.

Rapolas and Karolina are just some of the 1200 Young people with special needs playing sport in Lithuania. They train responsibly in the pool and dream of swimming their way to victory. However, there are more children and young people wanting to play sport than we can currently accommodate due to lack of funding, so we need your support.

In order for children and young people with intellectual disabilities to be able to train, the Lithuanian Committee needs to rent pool lanes, hire high-calibre coaches, buy equipment, finance the organisation of competitions and travel to competitions in other countries.

Later on, the most talented swimmers become athletes with special needs, participate in competitions in Lithuania and abroad, and represent Lithuania at the Special Olympics World Games.

Your donations will allow us to do even more to help children and young people achieve the victories they want. The donation will be used for swimming training, pool lane rental in Vilnius, Palanga and Panevėžys, coaches' salaries, equipment and travel to competitions.

We are very proud of our special needs athletes, who have already won medals for Lithuania in high-performance swimming competitions! We invite you to contribute to giving future athletes the opportunity to train and prepare for competitions, so that their personal and sporting achievements become achievements for us all.

Some of the funds raised will also be used to rent gymnasiums in Vilnius and a winter sports facility in Ignalina, so that we can train other sports.

Special needs athletes are currently preparing for the Special Olympics. 2025 m. The Special Olympics Winter Games are held in Turin, Italy (2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games), featuring two Lithuanian national teams in two sports.

Special Olympics Summer Games 2027 (2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games) in Santiago, Chile, where 12 Lithuanian teams will compete in 12 sports.

Our aim is to bring together children, young people and adults with intellectual disabilities who want to play sport into a large community where they can develop healthy habits, improve their well-being and integrate into society.

Research shows that training in different sports improves the physical and psychological well-being of people with intellectual disabilities, as well as making it easier for their families and society to accept people with disabilities.
How the project benefits and how sport helps people with intellectual disabilities:

Boosts self-confidence - sporting achievements boost the self-confidence, abilities and self-esteem of children and young people with special needs.

Strengthens physical health - swimming and other sports help develop physical endurance and coordination.

Builds healthy habits - regular participation in sports training lays the foundations for a healthy lifestyle.

Helps social integration - participation in training promotes communication and teamwork, making it easier for people with intellectual disabilities to integrate into society.

Improves psychological health - sport reduces stress, helps you manage your emotions better and improves your mood.

Provides a level playing field for sport - The Lithuanian Special Olympics Committee gives children and young people with special needs the opportunity to play professional sports and represent Lithuania in international competitions and Special Olympics.

We are an international organisation "Special Olympics" Members. It is the world's largest sports organisation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, and has been active since 1968.It is headquartered in Washington DC, USA.

"Special Olympics" brings together around 5 million people with intellectual disabilities from 177 countries. More than 100,000 sporting events are organised worldwide each year. This includes around 40 sporting events for the Lithuanian intellectual disability community organised by our Committee.

Lithuanian Special Olympics Committee (https://www.lsok.lt)

Thank you for believing in us!