Eligibility

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 disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have required specially designed instruction. There is no cost to participate in Special Olympics.

For those athletes between the ages of 2 to 7, Special Olympics offers the “Young Athletes” program, which is a non-competitive, sports skills development program. These young athletes will enjoy the same physical, mental and social benefits as our older athletes, but in an environment that will provide them with opportunities to prepare for future competition at age 8 and beyond.

As a global organization, Special Olympics has adopted “intellectual disabilities” as a widely accepted and less objectionable term for what is referred to in clinical settings as “mental retardation.” Although the movement has updated its terminology, Special Olympics continues to serve the same population and its mission remains unchanged. In the context of the Special Olympics movement, the term intellectual disabilities is synonymous with mental retardation; other terms–including cognitive delay, intellectual handicaps, learning disability, mental disabilities and mental handicaps–are used around the world.

Are you or a family member eligible?

For specific eligibility questions, please contact the Special Olympics Indiana State Office at 800.742.0612.