Special Olympics organises competition so that, wherever possible, athletes compete against other athletes of similar ability. This is called ‘Divisioning’.
Athletes or teams are divisioned under the following procedure.
1. Divide by Gender
Firstly, Special Olympic athletes are divided into Male or Female. Under some circumstances both genders are combined
2. Divide by Age
Individual Sports
- 8 – 11
- 12 – 15
- 16 – 21
- 22 – 29
- 30 and over
Team Sports
- 15 and under
- 16 – 21
- 22 and over
3. Divide by Ability:
- Pre competition information and scores are used to place individuals or teams in preliminary rounds
- On site preliminary events (timed heats or team observations) are conducted to verify or modify divisions for the final competition.
- In individual sports it is suggested that the difference between the fastest times and the slowest time within a final division should not vary by more than 10%. This 10 percent statement is not a rule but should be used as a guideline for establishing equitable divisions when the number of athletes competing is appropriate.
- Combining Groups: Age groups and/or males and females may be combined if this achieves a closer matching ability.