Ulaanbaatar
Prime Minister of Mongolia Affirms Full Support for Special Olympics Movement
Sports
Ulaanbaatar, July 16, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Mongolia is currently hosting the Regional Conference of the Special Olympics International. To attend the event, the Chief Executive of Special Olympics Mary Davis and regional directors have arrived in Mongolia. Prime Minister of Mongolia Zandanshatar Gombojoav received the delegation on July 14, 2025.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Zandanshatar expressed his full support for the Special Olympics and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to advancing inclusive policies across education, sports, and social development.
Oyun Sanjaasuren, Chairperson of the Special Olympics Mongolia, noted that in the past, children from special needs schools had limited opportunities to participate in sports competitions. However, through the Special Olympics movement, these children now receive support to develop physically and socially, gaining achievements in public recognition as equal members of society. She emphasized that the Government’s support has been a driving force for progress.
Mary Davis, the Chief Executive of Special Olympics, expressed her deep gratitude for the warm welcome by the Prime Minister and shared information that the Special Olympic's movement was founded in 1968 in the United States and has since grown to include 175 member countries. In addition to training and preparing athletes, the movement aims to showcase their talents and raise global awareness of their skills and potential through competitions.
The Special Olympics is a global humanitarian initiative that promotes the inclusion of children and youth with intellectual disabilities through sports. Mongolia joined this movement in 2013, and currently has over 1,000 Special Olympics athletes. A unique aspect of the Special Olympics is its Unified Sports format, where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities compete together on the same team. This fosters mutual understanding, inclusion, and shared development. Unlike other forms of direct social integration, the Special Olympics focuses on using sports as a transformative tool to foster development and societal inclusion—highlighting the movement’s core mission of empowerment through unity.
