Is Special Olympics right for my child?

Youth athlete cheering

The Special Olympics organization strives to be welcoming to all children and families who are looking for activities that are the right fit. Our programs will allow your child to connect with their peers and strengthen both their sport and social skills.

Special Olympics programs are designed for children, youth and adults with an intellectual disability. For information about what this means and specific qualification criteria, please visit Who can be a Special Olympics athlete.

Our programs involve more than just one sport or annual events: they include weekly activities, social experiences, competitions, and celebration events. There are programs designed for specific age groups and ability levels. For competitive sport events, athletes are divided into groups to compete against individuals at similar levels of skill and athletic ability. This allows us to provide all participants with meaningful competition.

Your child might be a great fit for Special Olympics! If you have any questions or need help to decide whether to register your child, please contact us and we would be glad to speak with you. We also encourage you to visit a local community program in your area to check it out and ask some questions. You will experience how wonderful our volunteers are and see what Special Olympics is all about.