The 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games are just around the corner, as the opening ceremony from Berlin, Germany, will be held Saturday at 3 p.m. EST. After catching the opening ceremony on ABC, you can turn to ESPN to watch the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 -- the 16th Special Olympics -- from June 17-25.
Sadly, you can't wager on these sports on the best sports betting sites, but you can wager on other top sports betting markets this summer, like World Series odds and NFL futures.
Here are some of the most popular summer sports in which more than 7,000 Special Olympics athletes from over 190 countries will be competing in:
Soccer
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with over 3.5 billion fans, so it's no surprise that it is also the most popular Special Olympics sport. The 2020 Special Olympics Global Sport Partnerships survey documented 106 different national partnerships to grow the sport of soccer among Special Olympics communities around the world.
Basketball
Basketball is another very popular Special Olympics sports -- in terms of athlete participation and spectator fanfare -- both in the United States and worldwide. Basketball's 71 national partnerships, noted in the 2020 survey, were the second most after soccer's 106. There are multiple basketball events set to take place at the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games, with both the traditional 5-on-5 option as well as a 3-on-3 tournament.
Track And Field
Track and field, which is also known as Athletics around the world, is a sport that can be enjoyed by athletes of all levels. Participating in track and field allows athletes to push their bodies to their personal limits in a variety of events.
There are 44 track and field events offered at the Special Olympics, including walking, running, wheelchair, jumping, and throwing competitions. Track and field is the number one sport when it comes to Special Olympics athlete participation worldwide, and it draws significant spectator attention as well. Of note, no World Records are kept at the Special Olympics to help promote equality between competitors.
A 💜 for #Berlin2023! Meet "Unity" – a mascot for athletes from all around over world and a symbol for togetherness, joy, excitement and pride!#SpecialOlympicsWorldGames #UnbeatableTogether #Unity #Mascot pic.twitter.com/5apWwo4k5e
— Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 (@SOWG_Berlin2023) March 16, 2023
Swimming
Swimming is the aquatic complement to track and field, and it actually had the third most Special Olympics Global Sport Partnerships, according to the 2020 survey, with 65. There will be 20 swimming events at the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, with individual competitions of various distances in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly as well as freestyle and medley relays.
Bowling
Bowling is one of the most popular sports at the Special Olympics. The social nature of the game and ability to easily accommodate players of all ages and ability levels has made bowling an especially beneficial sport for this community. The New York Special Olympics organization tracks the number of athletes statewide for each sport and bowling has the most in the Empire State with 10,130, which is well ahead of second-place basketball at 7,448 participants.
Bocce
This may come as a shock to Americans, but bocce is the third most played sport in the world, behind soccer and golf. Naturally, bocce also has a high participation rate among athletes at the Special Olympics. Bocce's roots date back as far as 264 B.C. in Rome, and this game involves rolling or tossing balls at a smaller target ball called the pallina.
