Special Olympics is the world’s largest program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. More than 2.2 million athletes around the world benefit from participation in Special Olympics.

Special Olympics ACT Region offers training and competition opportunities in 10 Olympic-type sports for athletes 8 years or older. No matter what your ability level, you can benefit from Special Olympics. And no matter what your interest, there is a sport for you. If you are interested in participating as a Special Olympics athlete, please contact the Special Olympics ACT Region office.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, athletes must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disability; a cognitive delay as determined by standardised measures such as intelligence quotient or other generally accepted measures; or a closely related development disability, i.e., functional limitations in both general learning and adaptive skills. All prospective athletes must register to participate in Special Olympics by registering for membership.

Age Requirements

There is no maximum age limitation for participation in Special Olympics. The minimum age requirement for participation in Special Olympics competition is 8 years of age. Some Accredited Programs may permit children who are at least 6 years old to participate in age-appropriate Special Olympics training programs or in specific (and age-appropriate) cultural or social activities offered during the course of a Special Olympics event (for example, monthly discos). However, no child may participate in a Special Olympics competition (or be awarded medals or ribbons associated with competition) before his or her 8th birthday. If you are interested in participating as a Special Olympics athlete, to request information about athlete registration and training information please contact us or register for membership.

Identifying Persons with an Intellectual Disability

A person is considered to have an intellectual disability for purposes of determining his or her eligibility to participate in Special Olympics if that person satisfies any one of the following requirements:

• The person has been identified by an agency or professional as having an intellectual disability as determined by their localities; or
• The person has a cognitive delay, as determined by standardised measures such as intelligent quotient or ‘IQ’ testing or other measures that are generally accepted within the professional community in an Accredited Program’s nation as being a reliable measurement of the existence of a cognitive delay; or
• The person has a closely related developmental disability. A “closely related developmental disability” means having functional limitations in both general learning (such as IQ) and in adaptive skills (such as in recreation, work, independent living, self-direction, or self-care). However, persons whose functional limitations are based solely on a physical, behavioural, or emotional disability, or a specific learning or sensory disability, are not eligible to participate as Special Olympics athletes, but may be eligible to volunteer for Special Olympics as partners in Unified Sports if they otherwise meet the separate eligibility requirements for participation in Unified Sports set forth in the Sports Rule.

Degree of Disability

Participation in Special Olympics training and competition is open to all persons with intellectual disabilities who meet the age requirements, regardless of the level or degree of that person’s disability, and whether or not that person also has other psychological or physical disabilities, so long as that person register to participate in Special Olympics as required.