Special Olympics on the plaza at La Défense on Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Special Olympics race is back in Paris La Défense on Thursday, October 1, 2026, for its 30th edition! Sign up and come run the 2.5 km during your lunch break for a good cause. This sporting and charitable event helps raise funds and change perceptions about intellectual disabilities.
Whether you walk or run, your participation helps the organization support people living with intellectual disabilities by giving them access to sports activities. If you’d like to learn more about this festive, athletic, and charitable event, then follow the route!
A festive event promoting solidarity
Getting active while promoting inclusion in sports is possible at Paris La Défense! The Special Olympics event invites you to join us on the plaza on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Last year, more than 3,500 employees came together to support people with intellectual disabilities. This unique experience offers various formats:
- A 2.5-km team walk;
- A 2.5 km relay run in teams of four;
- Unified: by including a person with an intellectual disability on your team;
- By having Special Olympics athletes compete under your company’s colors.
So there’s something for everyone—and every pair of running shoes!
By participating in Special Olympics, you’ll challenge perceptions of intellectual disabilities, help promote inclusion of people with disabilities in sports, and raise funds for the organization.
Special Olympics
“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in my efforts”—this is the motto of Special Olympics. Founded in 1968 in the United States, the Special Olympics Movement has always believed in the power of personal fulfillment through sports. Today, the organization operates in nearly 200 countries and has nearly 5 million athletes.
In France, 700,000 people live with an invisible disability. While accessibility is limited for them, the organization is committed to opening the doors to a world that everyone should be able to access. Its primary goal: to create spaces for inclusion that bring together “the mainstream world and the world of disability” while challenging society’s perceptions of intellectual disabilities.
Through the charity runs it has been organizing for 30 years in Paris La Défense, Special Olympics gives you the chance to do your part!
To learn more about Special Olympics
Practical information:
Thursday, October 1, 2026 – 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Parvis de La Défense