I understand the difference,
and my understanding is that the Special Olympics operates on a regional level unlike the Paralympics, which operates on a global level and is directly tied to the Olympics in terms of where it is held. In the context of the announcement, I made a presumption that the mention of the Special Olympics was confusion over the difference between the Special Olympics and the Paralympics.
(s0WmVHAwZgpG, Wed 6 Jul 2005, 13:17, archived)