Special Olympics South Dakota - Yankton Area, is pleased to bring you our new website to share information about our organization and what we do.

Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver who had a vision to create new opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. In 1968, the first International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Chicago, Illinois. 1,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities from 26 states and Canada competed in track and field and swimming events. 40 years later, Special Olympics continues to bring athletes together to compete in a variety of events throughout the year.

The Yankton Area organization is pleased to continue to carry out this vision for individuals in our community and the surrounding communities. Through the help of a multitude of volunteers, Special Olympics has continued to play an important part in the lives of many individuals of all age groups. Yankton Area Special Olympics currently participates in two state events each year - Basketball and Softball - as well as hosting a SE Area Regional Basketball Tournament and a local Bowling Tournament each year.

Through the efforts of our volunteers, in 2009 we hosted our first ever Polar Plunge to raise funds to continue to provide opportunities and much needed equipment and uniform improvements for our athletes. We are again in the process of putting together our second - "bigger and better" - Polar Plunge this April with the hopes that we can offer more opportunities for our athletes to take part in additional State sponsored events.

Thanks for checking out our site and our organization - Please contact us if you have any questions.