Special Olympics was founded in 1968, and just like the Olympics and Paralympics, World Summer Games and World Winter Games are each held every four years. In the first World Games to be held in the Middle East and North Africa Region 7,500 athletes from more than 190 countries and territories worldwide will participate in 24 Olympic-style sports competitions over seven days.
Seiko Holdings Corporation (Chairman and Group CEO: Shinji Hattori, Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, hereinafter referred to as "Seiko") sponsored the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 and the Special Olympics World Winter Games Austria 2017. In 2019, Seiko will now be an official supporter of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, a global sporting event for people with intellectual disabilities, to be held in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, from March 14 to 21.
The international sports organization, Special Olympics, continues to hold sports training for people with intellectual disabilities and numerous year-round competitions as a place to recognize their achievements. In Japan, the 3rd Unified Football Championship was held in Osaka in June 2018, and the 7th Special Olympics Nippon National Games Aichi were held in September 2018. A total of 105 Japanese athletes selected from these games will participate in 11 sports at the upcoming 2019 World Games.
Seiko supports the activities of Special Olympics, which values growing together, having fun together, and sharing that experience regardless of sex, age, and level of sports ability.
