Atos powers Special Olympics USA Games tech services

Atos delivered digital and competition management services for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games as part of its five-year partnership with Special Olympics.

It provided competition management, data processing, sport entries, credentialing, timing and scoring integration, and results distribution during the event. Those services were supported by work on the Special Olympics Global Games System, along with infrastructure, security and support from on-site and remote teams.

The USA Games brought together thousands of athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters from across the US. Organisers used the event to highlight sport's role in creating opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities and promoting inclusion.

For Atos, the assignment adds to a sports events business built over more than three decades. The company has a dedicated sports and major events division and works with football bodies including UEFA and CONMEBOL.

The project also extends support Atos has already provided to other Special Olympics competitions. Under the partnership announced in 2023, it supplies digital services for a series of global events, including the World Winter and Summer Games as well as the USA Games.

Event systems

Competition management systems are central to multi-sport events because they handle athlete registrations, event schedules, accreditation and the publication of results. Timing and scoring links are also critical to ensuring official outcomes can be collected and distributed quickly to organisers, participants, families and media.

Atos worked closely with Special Olympics organisers during the USA Games to keep competition operations, participant management and results services running throughout the week. It presented the work as part of a broader effort to help officials, volunteers and athletes manage the demands of a large national sports event.

Founded in 1968, Special Olympics describes itself as a global sports movement for people with intellectual disabilities. It says it has more than 5.1 million athletes and Unified Sports partners, along with more than one million coaches and volunteers, across more than 200 countries and territories.

The organisation runs more than 80,000 games and competitions each year across more than 30 Olympic-type sports. Unified Sports competitions, one of the formats highlighted during the USA Games, bring together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities on the same teams.

Partnership focus

The partnership gives Special Olympics access to technology services commonly used at large international sporting competitions. For Atos, it is another example of how event technology providers are seeking long-term roles with sports bodies beyond a single tournament or championship.

That market includes systems for registration, accreditation, scheduling, scoring and results distribution, along with cybersecurity and infrastructure management. The work has become more visible as sports organisers face pressure to deliver reliable digital services for participants and audiences while managing complex operations across multiple venues.

In comments on the project, Atos and Special Olympics both stressed technology's role in helping events run smoothly. Their remarks also underlined the importance Special Olympics places on delivering competitions that meet the standards expected by athletes, officials and supporters.

"Atos teams were extremely proud and humbled to be given the chance to contribute to such an extraordinary event as the Special Olympics USA Games," said Nacho Moros, Head of Atos Major Events. "What was displayed there was a combination of courage, performance, understanding, and kindness that is barely seen in any other sport event. We are delighted that our technologies helped make this edition of the USA Games another tremendous success."

A senior Special Olympics executive said the organisation wanted strong operational standards across its competitions and linked that goal to the services delivered during the Games.

"It is of critical importance to us that we deliver professional, world-class events that reflect the hard work, dedication, and achievements of our athletes. Our athletes deserve the very best that technology has to offer in supporting well-run, high-quality Games," said Isabel Cervelló, Vice President of Major Event Technology, Special Olympics. "In that spirit, we are extremely pleased that Atos has delivered similar types of services that power some of the most iconic sport events worldwide, helping us strengthen the experience for our communities and foster inclusion and mutual understanding."