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 disabilities the opportunity to train and compete in sports activities.  No person shall, on the grounds of sex, race, religion, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of Special Olympics.

 

I.        Persons eligible for participation are those persons at least eight years old who are identified as having mental retardation or who have handicapping conditions because of cognitive delays* and have significant learning or vocational problems** (to the extent that, if of school age, they are receiving specially designed instruction for at least 50 percent of their instructional day***).

                *Cognitive delays refer to significantly lower intellectual functioning or performance.

                **Significant learning problems refer to those learning problems resulting from cognitive delays (intellectual impairment) as opposed to emotional or behavioral disabilities or difficulties.

                ***Specially designed instruction for at least 50 percent of their instructional day refers to the time when an individual is receiving instruction, regardless of type.  Generally, this instruction is special education or its equivalent.  In the case of adults, specially designed instruction is usually replaced with specially designed programs in the work place or at home.

            II.    Some flexibility is left to Local, Area, State Program or National Special Olympics Organizations for determining the eligibility of the participants because of the variety of situations, needs and definitions that exist in the many localities where Special Olympics programs have been and will be instituted.

 

            III.    Persons under eight years of age may not participate in Special Olympics competitions.  There is no upper age limit.

 

            IV.   Persons who have multiple handicaps may participate in Special Olympics, but must be eligible under sub-headings I, II, and III.

 

            V.    Any person wishing to participate in Special Olympics must first have a medical examination, a signed medical release and a signed parentguardianindividual release form.