Sports Training and Competition
Special Olympics Unified Sports™
Special Olympics Unified Sports™ is a program that brings together athletes with intellectual disabilities and their peers without intellectual disabilities on the same team for training and competition. A primary goal of Unified Sports is to equalize the ability level of Special Olympics athletes with their partners’ and to promote inclusion through same team practice and competition. Special Athletes in this program need to have the necessary skill level to participate in the sport so they can be appropriately matched with their Special Partners.
Motor Activities Program
Special Olympics Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) is designed for persons with significant intellectual and/or physical limitation who do not yet possess the physical and/or behavioural skills necessary to participate in Official Special Olympics sports. The program provides a comprehensive motor activity and recreation training curriculum for these participants.
Special Olympics Young Athletes Program
an early childhood sports play program for children age 2 to seven years old, includes games, songs, and other fun physical activities to get future Special Olympics athletes moving and ready for sport training.
Special Olympics Unified Sports™
Special Olympics Unified Sports™ is a program that brings together athletes with intellectual disabilities and their peers without intellectual disabilities on the same team for training and competition. A primary goal of Unified Sports is to equalize the ability level of Special Olympics athletes with their partners’ and to promote inclusion through same team practice and competition. Special Athletes in this program need to have the necessary skill level to participate in the sport so they can be appropriately matched with their Special Partners.
Motor Activities Program
Special Olympics Motor Activities Training Program (MATP) is designed for persons with significant intellectual and/or physical limitation who do not yet possess the physical and/or behavioural skills necessary to participate in Official Special Olympics sports. The program provides a comprehensive motor activity and recreation training curriculum for these participants.
Special Olympics Young Athletes Program
an early childhood sports play program for children age 2 to seven years old, includes games, songs, and other fun physical activities to get future Special Olympics athletes moving and ready for sport training.
Special Olympics Healthy Athletes
The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative was developed to improve each athlete’s ability to train and compete in Special Olympics. Healthy Athletes has five disciplines:
- Special Olympics Special Smiles: Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes- have provided athletes health benefits through Dental and Vision examinations to tens of thousands of Special Olympics athletes.
- Special Olympics Healthy Hearing, in which athletes have hearing screenings.
- Special Olympics Fun Fitness in which athletes learn injury prevention through stretching exercises.
- Special Olympics Health Promotion in which athletes learn the components of a healthy lifestyle- regular exercise and good nutrition choices. These screenings and exams are conducted at Special Olympics local, State, National and World Games and are provided at no cost to Special Olympics athletes.
Family Support Network
The Family Support Network helps families to help each other. This initiative gives families a support system within Special Olympics. Based on the Parent-to-Parent model, veteran Special Olympics families have an opportunity to mentor families who are new to Special Olympics, providing them with informational and emotional support.
