Contact: Christine Shott (202) 224-0610
Thursday, June 24, 2004

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today joined Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Congressman Roy Blunt (R-MO), Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Special Olympics athletes in announcing bipartisan legislation that will allow more children and adults with intellectual disabilities to participate in the worldwide Special Olympics effort. Special Olympics competitive swimmer Stacey Price, a native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, joined Senator Santorum during today’s press conference.

The Special Olympics Sports and Empowerment Act of 2004 will create a five-year authorization for Special Olympics with $15 million authorized for fiscal year 2005. Specifically, this funding will assist in expanding the number of participants and programs around the world, increasing the volunteer base, and working to combat the prejudice and stigmatization that many individuals with intellectual disabilities face.

“I would like to thank Senator Reid and Congressmen Blunt and Hoyer for their hard work in support of legislation that will enable more adults and children around the world to take part in the celebration of accomplishment, good sportsmanship and camaraderie as a Special Olympics athlete.”

“Under the athletic motto, ‘Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt,’ Special Olympics has provided many children and adults the opportunity to participate in healthy athletic competitions,” said Santorum. “It is an honor to meet athlete Stacey Price from my home state of Pennsylvania who has upheld this motto in her twenty-eight years of competition with Special Olympics.”

The legislation acknowledges the positive impact that Special Olympics has on the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disabilities, improving their health and physical well-being, building their confidence and self-esteem, and giving them a voice to become active and productive members of their communities. The bill calls for increasing athlete participation in and public awareness about the Special Olympics movement, as well as dispelling negative stereotypes about individuals with intellectual disabilities, and building athlete and family involvement through sports.

Special Olympics was founded in Chicago in 1968, where the First International Special Olympics Summer Games took place. More than 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada participated in this event dedicated to providing opportunities for athletic competition for persons with intellectual disabilities. Thirty-six years later, more than 1.5 million children and adults from more than 150 countries around the world are directly benefiting from this life-changing idea.

“I thank Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her vision of a program that enables people with intellectual disabilities to use their talents and strengths to challenge themselves in a supportive, yet competitive environment,” said Santorum. “Every athlete who competes in Special Olympics deserves a round of applause, as do their sponsors, coaches, families and friends who offer support for these athletes to go for the gold.”

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