More than 170 countries: Chile will host the 2027 Special Olympics World Games
World sport continues to come to Chile with a new international event.
A new international sporting event will be held in Chile, after President Gabriel Boric and Sports Minister Jaime Pizarro confirmed that our country will host the 2027 Special Olympics World Games.
This is historic news, as it will be the first time that the world’s largest sporting event for people with intellectual disabilities is held in Latin America, as well as a country in the southern hemisphere. This highlights our country’s commitment to strengthening inclusion and integration through sport.
Our authorities explained that the event is expected to bring together more than 6,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 170 countries competing in 22 sports disciplines. They will be accompanied by around 2,000 trainers and caregivers, not counting the thousands of volunteers.
“We are proud to continue promoting inclusion through sports, a new national festival that paves the way for us to continue organizing events like these, which generate so much national unity and joy (…) To all the athletes of the Special Olympics World Games: we await you in Chile,” Gabriel Boric, President of Chile.
This sporting event is also expected to bring together more than 6,000 relatives of the competitors, 500,000 spectators and more than 2,000 media workers from around the world.
The Chilean State and the city of Santiago have committed approximately US$134 million to plan and develop the games. The application to host was a joint effort led by Special Olympics Chile, supported by the Government of Chile, and the highest authorities of the Sports Ministry, the Metropolitan Regional Government and the Chilean Olympic Committee.