Special Olympics USA athlete Ben Stofsky to compete at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025

Celebrating Special Olympics USA

For over 40 years Bank of America has partnered with Special Olympics to support athlete leadership and empowerment, economic advancement and inclusion.

As part of this ongoing partnership, Bank of America is the premier sponsor of the Special Olympics USA delegation, which will compete in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The delegation of 101 athletes and Unified partners from across 42 Special Olympics US Programs will compete alongside 1,500 athletes from around the world in 8 different sports from March 8 – 15, 2025.

Get to know floorball athlete Ben Stofsky

As a Special Olympics athlete since he was six years old, Ben has participated in a variety of sports, including athletics, basketball, softball, floor hockey and floorball. Floorball is actually the newest sport for Ben, having picked it up about one year ago. Nonetheless, Ben’s Unified floorball team will represent the United States at the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025.

Floorball is an indoor team sport developed in the 1970s in Sweden, played in a rink with five field players plus one goalkeeper per team. The sport has similarities with hockey, as the main objective is to score more goals than the opposing team. For Special Olympics the game is slightly modified, as matches are played three versus three with goalkeepers, on a smaller court that measures 20 meters long by 12 meters wide.

Upon hearing the news that the Unified floorball team from New York was selected to compete in Turin, Ben described it as a, “dream come true.” This will be his first trip outside of the United States, and the excitement is shared not only by the entire team, but also by his biggest cheerleader, his mother, Meg. A cancer survivor, Meg has shown Ben that he can persevere to turn a negative situation into a positive one and she credits Ben for being the bravest person she knows. Special Olympics has taught Ben how to be a part of a team, have compassion for others, build confidence and try new things. He’s recently applied these skills at a new job with Lonely Worm Farm, where he tends to animals and vegetation. Ben’s also a leader on the floorball team, engaging his teammates, including lifelong friends and new acquaintances alike, to ensure everyone feels welcomed and accepted.

During World Games, the entire Special Olympics movement comes together to see athletes in action and celebrate their victories. Bank of America is excited to cheer on Special Olympics USA, and we wish the athletes the best of luck as they compete on the global stage.

Bank of America’s partnership with Special Olympics

We have partnered with Special Olympics as part of our longstanding commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive society for all. Our support for the Special Olympics Athlete Leadership and Unified Leadership Programs helps Special Olympics Athletes—persons living with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD)—be the ones to drive the organization’s mission and movement for acceptance. The bank’s most recent investment of $5MM over 3 years enables Special Olympics to provide holistic support to athletes with IDD across the globe. Programming empowers athletes through high-quality sport opportunities, robust leadership and capacity-building trainings, support for families and caregivers, and development of youth leaders to ensure the next generation champions a world where everyone can experience dignity and belonging.

In addition to philanthropic grant support, our Bank of America employees and Disability Action Network around the world have volunteered their time, expertise, and personal support for the importance of inclusive leadership, employment, and skills-building on and off the sports field for persons with disabilities.