“Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” – Athlete Oath
Traditional athletes
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;
- cognitive delay as determined by standardized measures such as intelligence quotient or other accepted measures;
- or a closely related developmental disability which means functional limitations in both general learning and adaptive skills.
Please review our athlete eligibility information (PDF) for more information.
Those who qualify as a traditional athlete must register by completing and returning an athlete application (PDF). Each sports season has placement deadlines for new athletes.
