Santiago, Chile has been selected as the host city for the 2027 Special Olympics World Games, making it the first time in the organization’s 55-year history that a World Games will be held in the Southern Hemisphere.

In less than four years, Santiago will play host to more than 6,000 Special Olympics athletes from over 170 countries, participating in 22 Olympic-style sports at state-of-the-art competition venues. They will be assisted by over 2,000 coaches and numerous volunteers. The Games will also bring in 6,000 family members, over 2,000 international media personnel, and 500,000 spectators. With its rich cultural heritage, stunning architecture, and a long tradition of hosting global sporting events, Santiago is expected to leave a legacy of social transformation for Chile, its people, and the Latin American region.

During a press event held at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C., Emanuelle Dutra de Souza, an Athlete Leader and International Board Director from Special Olympics Brazil, made an exciting announcement. The host city for the Special Olympics 2027 World Games has been officially designated as Santiago de Chile. This significant announcement was presided over by esteemed individuals including Timothy Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS, Sebastián Kraljevich, the Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS, and Jaime Pizarro Herrera, the Chilean Minister of Sport and leader of the Santiago 2027 bid.

The Federal Government of Chile and the City of Santiago have allocated around $134 million to organize and host the World Games, aiming to support various UN Sustainable Development Goals such as No Poverty, Good Health & Well-Being, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Reduced Inequalities, among others.

The initial proposal was a collaborative endeavor spearheaded by Special Olympics Chile, with the backing of the City of Santiago, the President of Chile Gabriel Boric Font, the Minister of Sport Jaime Pizarro, the Undersecretary of Sport Antonia Illanes, the Governor of Santiago Claudio Orrego, and the President of the National Olympic Committee of Chile Miguel Angel Mujica.

The impact of the 2027 World Games in Chile can be seen through the establishment of Unified Schools programs in over 200 municipalities and 1,000 schools, enhanced training for law enforcement on interacting with individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), better education for primary healthcare professionals in treating individuals with ID, the growth of Special Olympics Chile across all 16 regions of the nation, and a range of initiatives aimed at raising awareness and garnering political support across Latin America.

The official agreement for the World Games will be finalized on Friday, April 26th during a gathering in Washington, D.C. hosted by the Consejo Americano del Deporte (CADE), a group consisting of 41 sports ministers from the Western Hemisphere.

Every other year, numerous athletes from the Special Olympics community across the globe gather to exhibit their athletic abilities and commemorate the essence of Special Olympics, an organization that organizes more than 50,000 games and competitions annually. The inaugural Special Olympics World Games occurred in 1968 and have since transformed into a prestigious sporting event of international stature. By alternating between Summer Games and Winter Games, the Special Olympics World Games attract public interest towards the skills and capabilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities, contributing to the transformation of societal perspectives and the dismantling of stereotypes.