Special Olympics athletes from Italy play games at Pacific Park on Wednesday, July 22, 2015. With 7,000 athletes representing more than 170 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and an anticipated 500,000 spectators, the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games – being staged in Los Angeles July 24 – August 2, 2015 – will be the largest sports-and-humanitarian event anywhere in the world that year, and the biggest single event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games. The 2015 World Summer Games, with the unparalleled spirit, enthusiasm, teamwork, hospitality and joy that are trademarks of all Special Olympics events, will feature 24 Olympic-style sports in venues throughout the Los Angeles region, following the Opening Ceremony in the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games. Serving the intellectual disability community – highlighting abilities as opposed to disabilities – Special Olympics has been changing lives and attitudes for nearly 45 years. The global Special Olympics movement engages more than 4 million people who participate in Special Olympics programs around the world. Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 ‪#‎ReachUpLA‬‪#‎SpecialOlympics‬