This week sees the 10 Year Anniversary of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games which took place from 21 - 29 June that year.  

It was the largest event to be held in the world that year, the biggest sporting or cultural event to ever take place in Ireland, and the first time a Special Olympics World Games were staged outside of the USA.

To celebrate this landamark anniversary, a host of well-known sports and media personalities will challenge Special Olympic Athletes in a range of outdoor sports in all four corners of the country on Saturday June 22nd.

In Dublin's South King Street and Grafton Street, former Dublin GAA player Jason Sherlock will captain a team including broadcaster Ian Dempsey in sports such as table tennis, basketball and football against a selection of Special Olympics athletes from Carmona Cougars Special Olympics Club and Palmerstown Wildcats Special Olympics Club along with members of the public.

In Cork's Grand Parade, the county's Gaelic football manager Conor Counihan, will captain a team of local sport personalities, including Munster player Billy Holland, to compete against local Special Olympics athletes from Owenabue Special Olympics Gymnastics Club, Ballincollig Special Olympics Club and floorball athletes from the Cork area as well as members of the public in a variety of sports including football, floorball and gymnastics.

In Galway's Bay Hotel, Tribesmen hurling manager, Anthony Cunningham and Connacht rugby player George Naoupu will captain a team to challenge Special Olympics athletes from clubs across the city and country in Bocce and football skills.

At a special celebratory event in the grounds of Belfast City Hall 2-3pm, former Lions Trevor Ringland, Dick Milliken, Nigel Carr and Keith Crossan will take on Special Olympics Ulster athletes and members of the public in a number of sports including football, table tennis and basketball.

To celebrate this and the 2003 World Games and what it stood for and also to acknowledge the legacy that still is impacting people's lives throughout the country Special Olympics Ireland is asking the people of Ireland to remember and celebrate that special time in 2003 by challenging themselves to do something that they had never done before...in the same way people with an intellectual disability are doing every day of their lives in Special Olympics.