Eligibility
To be eligible for participation in Special Olympics, a competitor must agree to observe and abide by the Official Special Olympics Sports Rules.
Special Olympics was created and developed to give individuals with intellectual disability the opportunity to train and compete in sports activities. No person shall, on the grounds of sex, race, religion, color, sexual orientation or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of or otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of Special Olympics.
To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, an athlete must be at least eight years old and:
- have been identified by an agency or professional as having an intellectual disability; or
- have a cognitive delay (learn slower than their peers) as determined by standardized measures; or
- have significant learning or vocational problems** due to cognitive delays which require or have required specially-designed instruction***.
Some flexibility is left to Accredited Programs and sub-Programs for determining, in exceptional circumstances, individual eligibility of a participant because of the variety of situations, needs and definitions that exist in the many localities where Special Olympics has been and will be instituted.
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Significant learning or vocational problems refer to those learning problems resulting from cognitive delays (intellectual impairment). These do not include physical disability, emotional or behavioral difficulties or specific disabilities such as dyslexia or speech or language impairment. |
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Specially-designed instruction refers to time when a person is receiving supportive education or remedial instruction directed at the cognitive delay. In the case of adults, specially-designed instruction is usually replaced with specially-designed programs in the workplace, or in the support work place, or in supported work or at home. |
