Athlete Resources
Become an athlete! Anyone 8 or older who has an intellectual disability can become a Special Olympics athlete. To register, get in touch with your nearest Special Olympics office. Below, you’ll find some more detailed information about eligibility, registration and more.
Athlete Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, athletes must have an intellectual disability; a cognitive delay, or a development disability, that is, functional limitations in both general learning and adaptive skills. Participation in Special Olympics starts at age 8 years, and there’s no maximum age limit. Children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 through 7 can take part in the Young Athletes program, either at home or through a nearby Special Olympics program. People without intellectual disabilities can take part in Unified Sports, teams that mix people with and without intellectual disabilities.
Information on Young Athletes
Information on Unified Sports
How to Register
All individuals who meet Special Olympics eligibility requirements and wish to participate must register with an accredited Program. Each Special Olympics Program has its own athlete registration form.
Find Special Olympics near you
Code of Conduct
All Special Olympics athletes and Unified Sports® Partners agree to a code of conduct that outlines expectations for sportsmanship, training and competition; and personal responsibility.
Sportsmanship
- I will practice good sportsmanship.
- I will act in ways that bring respect to me, my coaches, my team and Special Olympics.
- I will not use bad language.
- I will not swear or insult other persons.
- I will not fight with other athletes, coaches, volunteers or staff.
Training and Competition
- I will train regularly.
- I will learn and follow the rules of my sport.
- I will listen to my coaches and the officials and ask questions when I do not understand.
- I will always try my best during training, divisioning and competitions.
- I will not "hold back" in preliminaries just to get into an easier final heat.
Responsibility for My Actions
- I will not make inappropriate or unwanted physical, verbal or sexual advances on others.
- I will not drink alcohol, smoke or take illegal drugs while representing Special Olympics at training sessions, competition or during Games.
- I will not take drugs for the purpose of improving my performance.
- I will obey all laws and Special Olympics rules.
I understand that if I do not obey this Code of Conduct my Program or a Games Organizing Committee may not allow me to participate.
Competition
In Special Olympics, athletes of all ability levels are encouraged to participate, and every athlete is recognized for his or her performance. Competitions are structured so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar ability in fair divisions, a process called divisioning. Individuals with profound disabilities can participate through the Special Olympics Motor Activities Training Program, which emphasizes training and participation rather than competition.
Available Sports
Special Olympics has 30 official sports, but most local programs offer just a few. See the link below for all sports, and a way to find out at sports Programs near you.
Special Olympics Official Sports
Advancement
To advance to a higher level of competition in a particular year, an athlete must have participated for a minimum of eight weeks in an organized training program in the sport or sports in which he or she is entered for higher level competition. A planned regimen of training under a volunteer coach, teacher or parent is considered an organized training program.
Advancement criteria are used for selecting athletes to compete at World Games, such as the soccer (football) competition between Special Olympics Ireland and Team USA at the 2003 Special Olympics World Games) and are strongly recommended for use in selecting athletes for advancement to other levels of competition.
In addition, an athlete must have placed first, second or third at the lower level of competition in the same sport. For example, an athlete may not advance to international or multinational competition in a given sport unless that athlete competed in that sport at a national or state/provincial competition and placed first, second or third.
When conditions exist that preclude all first-, second- or third-place winners from advancing to higher-level competition (for example, a Program has 100 first, second- and third-place winners in the 100-meter dash and a quota of five athletes for the 100-meter dash at the next World Games), athletes shall be selected as follows:
a. First Priority: Athletes shall be first-place winners in at least the event at the next lower level of competition. If the number of first-place winners exceeds the quota, athletes shall be chosen by random selection from among all division winners.
b. Second Priority: Athletes who were second-place finishers in the event shall be chosen next by random selection from among all division winners.
c. A team having no competition at a specific level shall be declared a winner. The team shall not receive a place award; however, the team shall be eligible to advance to the next higher level of competition. An athlete shall not be barred from future competition because of prior competition (e.g., an athlete who competed in the 2003 World Games is eligible to compete in the 2007 World Games unless that athlete fails to meet some other eligibility criterion).
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