On August 30th, 2016, in New York, USA a proclamation was signed between the International Tennis Federation and Special Olympics proclaiming the agreement of a long-term framework to provide more opportunities in the sport of tennis to people with and without an intellectual disability.
The ITF is the international governing body of tennis and beach tennis, responsible for the rules of both sports and maintaining the integrity of tennis. This collaboration will have a greater social impact by addressing the need for acceptance, inclusion, respect, and participation in the sport of tennis.
Special Olympics and ITF share a common commitment to the expansion of tennis in SO, through the delivery of high-quality tennis experiences for Special Olympics athletes. With a particular focus on the education of coaches, SO and ITF have collaborated on the development of two coaching e-learning courses for the ITF Academy, designed to educate all tennis coaches on ways to engage, support and develop tennis players with intellectual disabilities.