To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, athletes must: 1) be at least 8 years old; 2) be diagnosed by an agency or professional as having an intellectual or developmental disability; 3) complete a registration packet along with required medical and release forms; and agree to uphold the Special Olympics Athlete Code of Conduct. You can learn more, as well as access the registration packet, here.

Please call our Athlete Support Hotline at (206) 231-6034.

We offer more than 20 Olympic-type team and individual sports. For the complete list, please visit this page
this page and click on “Sports.”

Yes! Our Unified sports bring together athletes with and without intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) to compete on the same team. As a Unified partner, which is a participant without IDD, you can play on a team at your skill level. For more information on becoming a Unified partner, click here.

One of our top priorities is to empower athletes to develop leadership skills and to use their voice to help lead and influence change within the Special Olympics movement. We offer numerous trainings and opportunities to grow your skills and to take on meaningful roles beyond the playing field. You can learn more here.