Special Olympics sprang from the simple philosophy that all people benefit from participation in sports. In the early 1960's, Eunice Kennedy Shriver held a day  camp for people with mental retardation and, through encouragement and instruction, children and adults with mental retardation proved themselves more athletically capable than anyone had thought possible. They also enjoyed many other benefits - physical, social, and psychological. Mrs. Shriver organized the First International Special Olympics Games, which were held in 1968 at Soldier Field in Chicago. At those first Games, 1,000 athletes from the United States and Canada competed in track and field and aquatics. Today Special Olympics is the world's largest year-round program of physical fitness, sports training, and athletic competition for people with mental retardation and/or closely related developmental disabilities. Close to one million athletes participate, with athletes in every state of the U.S. and in over 140 countries around the world. What started out as a day camp has rapidly developed into an organization of international significance, and Special Olympics has indeed become "A World of Winners."

The Local level includes programs participating in sports training and competition intra-area.

Belmont Sport is a local organization that has Programs that offer Sport training and Social activities for people with developmental disabilities. Belmont Sport is supported by the Belmont Recreation Department and The Belmont S.P.O.R.T. parents group. It includes the towns of Belmont, Watertown and Arlington.