On any given day, Special Olympics athletes are competing all around the world in 32 Olympic-type sports.
Special Olympics West Virginia (SOWV) is proud to offer training and competition in 16 of those Olympic-type sports to over 4,400 children and adults in WV.
Because athletes compete at different levels of abilities, Special Olympics WV offers different levels of competition:
Our athletes train for a minimum of eight weeks with an average 1-2 practices per week in preparation for competition at any of our five (5) state-level events, as well as local, area and regional events.
Sports competition is available for eligible athletes 8 years old and older, and there is no age limit. Athletes may participate in Special Olympics as long as they would like.
Spring Sports: Basketball, Basketball Skills, and Cheerleading
Summer Sports: Athletics (Track & Field), Baggo (Cornhole), Bocce, Golf, Softball, Swimming, and Tennis
Fall Sports: Bowling, Flag Football, Football Skills, and Volleyball
Winter Sports: Alpine (Downhill) Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowboarding, and Snowshoeing
The Motor Activity Training Program (MATP) is designed for athletes with severe or profound intellectual disabilities who are unable to participate in official Special Olympics sport competitions because of their skill and/or functional abilities.
Young Athletes is an early childhood play program for children with and without intellectual disabilities, ages 2 to 7 years old. Young Athletes introduces basic sport skills, like running, kicking and throwing.
Team sports bring people together. Special Olympics Unified Sports™ teams do that too, and much more. Over 1.4 million people worldwide take part in Unified Sports, breaking down stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities in a really fun way.
Special Olympics West Virginia adheres to sport training and competition guidelines set forth by Special Olympics, Inc. as stated in Article I of the Special Olympics Sports Rules.
Special Olympics divisioning is a fundamental rule that athletes in competitions are matched up with others of the same gender, about the same age and most importantly, of about the same competitive ability.
View this Divisioning video created by Special Olympics Inc. regarding the divisioning process.
