Unified Sports

Special Olympics Unified Sports brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete on the same team. Throughout the year, in a variety of sports ranging from basketball to golf to fig u re skating, Unified Sports athletes improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills, challenge the competition and have fun, too.

The concept of combining athletes with intellectual disabilities and those without (called partners) was first introduced in the United States in the mid-1980s to provide another level of challenge for higher ability athletes and to promote equality and inclusion. Today, the initiative includes virtually all Special Olympics sports, and Unified Sports competitions are an important part of Special Olympics World Games, as well as local, state and national Games.

Unified Sports enables athletes to:

• Learn new sports;


• Develop higher- level sports skills;


• Have new competition experiences;


• Experience meaningful inclusion as each athlete is ensured of playing a valued role on the team;


• Socialize with peers and form friendships (the program provides a forum for positive social interaction between teammates and often leads to long-lasting friendships); and


• Participate in their communities and have choices outside of Special Olympics (Unified Sports programs often are initiated by community partners, including parks and recreation departments, schools, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and community sports organizations.