[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16633]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            SPECIAL OLYMPICS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to mark the anniversary of a great 
tradition, one that ties my home State of Illinois with the nation of 
Greece. The Special Olympics, which brings people with intellectual 
disabilities together for athletic competition, began 40 years ago this 
month.
  In fact, the first Special Olympics were held on Soldier Field in 
Chicago. It all started when a young woman named Anne McGlone had an 
idea. She was a physical education instructor at West Pullman park on 
the southeast side. The Chicago Park district came to her to ask if she 
had any ideas to help kids with special needs.
  Anne McGlone ran with it. She asked the Kennedy Foundation for a one-
time donation of $25,000 to put on the first Special Olympics. On July 
20, 1968, about 1,000 athletes from 26 American States, and Canada, got 
together and ran, swam and played hockey.
  Anne McGlone, now Anne Burke, went on to law school. She is now on 
the supreme court of the State of Illinois. But she kept working on the 
Special Olympics along the way.
  With the continued support of Eunice and Sargent Shriver and the 
Kennedy foundation, the Special Olympics grew. Today, the Special 
Olympics is a huge international movement that has brought together 
millions of people with intellectual disabilities in 175 countries 
around the world. I congratulate the Special Olympics for 40 years of 
empowering people with intellectual disabilities.
  Last summer, the Special Olympics summer games were held in Shanghai, 
China. Next time around, in 2011, they will be held in Athens, Greece. 
It is fitting for Greece, with its proud Olympic tradition, to host the 
Special Olympics, and I wish the Greek Government every success as it 
prepares to host the games.
  Closer to home, the next Special Olympics winter games will be held 
in 2009 in Boise, ID. And even closer to home, just as Chicago hopes to 
host the next Olympic games in 2016, I hope that one day the Special 
Olympics will come back to Chicago, where it started 40 years ago.

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