The Special Olympics Flame of Hope was lit in the Atrium of the Zappeion Olympics Palace in Athens, Greece on February 18, 2001. The Palace served as the Olympics Village for the first Modern Day Olympic Games that took place in Athens in 1896. After traveling over 5,500 miles to Alaska, the torch ignited the cauldron that will burn throughout the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games. Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, the Special Olympics continues to change the way the world treats people with mental retardation.

"Proud to Play" is the theme for the 2001 World Games. More than 2,750 athletes and coaches came from Anchorage to Andorra to compete in Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Figure Skating, Floor Hockey, Snowboarding, Snowshoeing and Speed Skating. The Special Olympics athlete oath is "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

The 2001 World Games are not just about competition. It's about making friends and experiencing new things. Special Olympics Town was a great place to do just that! Athletes can pan for gold, do arts and crafts, climb on a rock wall, sing karaoke, "surf" the Internet, play arcade games, visit with NASA astronauts, fly a plane in a flight simulator, go virtual fishing and snowboarding, get a removable tattoo, and of course trade pins!