Official Sports and Rules
Special Olympics athletes all have the opportunity to participate in programs at a level that suits their individual needs.
Perhaps they have decided to stay active for life, enrolling in year-round programs that run in the community. Or maybe they will choose to take it to a higher level, with an eye to earning the opportunity to compete in National or World Games.
In order to create an environment that is beneficial for everyone involved, on both a competitive and personal level, Special Olympics Canada has taken great care in developing rules and processes for placing each athlete in an appropriate group for competition (process called divisioning). This way, every athlete is able to participate and benefit from being active.
Special Olympics Canada athletes participate in the following official sports. Rulebooks for each sport can be found by clicking on each individual sport. Rules are reviewed on a 4-year cycle following the National Games.
Winter Sports
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5 Pin Bowling Official Rules
As a national sport program, Special Olympics has created these rules based upon the Canadian 5-Pin Bowling Associations’ (CFPBA) rules for 5-Pin Bowling competitions.
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Alpine Skiing Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the Fédération internationale de Ski
(FIS) and Alpine Canada (AC) rules.
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Cross Country Skiing Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the Federation Internationale de Ski
(FIS) and Nordiq Canada Rules and Regulations.
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Figure Skating Official Rules
The Special Olympics Canada Figure Skating rules are based upon the Skate Canada
CanSkate and STAR programs.
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Speed Skating Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the Speed Skating Canada (SSC) rules for speed skating.
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Snowshoeing Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has established these rules based upon the International Racing Standards (IRS).
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Floorball Official Rules
As an national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon International Floorball Federation (IFF) rules for
floorball, Floorball Canada, and SOI rules of play.
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Floor Hockey Official Rules
The following Special Olympics Canada sports rules shall govern all Special Olympics Canada floor hockey competitions.
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Curling Official Rules
As a national sports program, Curling Canada rules for curling competitions and general play shall be employed except when they are in conflict with the Special Olympics Canada Official Sports Rules.
Summer Sports
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Swimming Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) and Swimming/Natation Canada (SNC) rules for swimming.
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Athletics Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the Internationale Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and the Athletics Canada (AC) rules for Athletics.
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Basketball Official Rules
As a national sport program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the Federation International de Basketball (FIBA) and Special Olympics Incorporated rules for basketball competitions.
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Bocce Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the Special Olympics Inc. rules for bocce competitions.
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Golf Official Rules
As an international sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon The Rules of Golf as approved by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) and the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA).
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Powerlifting Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) and the Canadian Powerlifting Union (CPU) rules for powerlifting.
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Rhythmic Gymnastics Official Rules
As an international sports program, Special Olympics has created these rules based upon Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) rules for rhythmic gymnastics
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Soccer Official Rules
As a national sport program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Canada Soccer rules.
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Slo-pitch Softball Official Rules
As a national sports program, Special Olympics Canada has established these rules based upon Softball Canada’s Rulebook.
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Tenpin Bowling Official Rules
As a national sport program, Special Olympics Canada has created these rules based upon the Canadian TenPin Bowling Federation (CTF) rules for tenpin bowling competitions.