The Special Olympics World Games is a major event put on by the Special Olympics committee. The World Games alternate between summer and winter games, in two-year cycles, recurring every fourth year. The first games were held on July 20, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, with about 1000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada. At those first games, honorary event chair Eunice Kennedy Shriver announced the formation of the Special Olympics organization. International participation expanded in subsequent games. In 2003, the first summer games held outside the United States were in Dublin, Ireland with 7000 athletes from 150 countries. The most recent World Summer Games were held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from March 14 to 21 2019. This was the first Special Olympics World Games to be held in the Middle East. The next World Summer Games will be held in Berlin, Germany between June 16 to 25, 2023. This will be the first time for Germany to host the Special Olympics World Games.