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Athlete Information
What is Special Olympics?
Special Olympics is a year round sports training and competition programme for people with a learning disability.
Am I eligible to join?
To join Special Olympics Ireland you must: have an intellectual disability and be over 6 years old to train or 8 years old to compete (there is no upper age limit).
In Special Olympics Ireland there are 12 sports on offer. For information about these sports please click here
Who do I contact if I want to join?
If you are interested in finding out about Special Olympics in your community you should contact your Regional Special Olympics Office. There are five Special Olympics Regions. Click on the name of your Region below to find out more:
What else can I do in Special Olympics?
In addition to sports training and competition, there is an Athlete Leadership Programme (also known as ALPs) for Special Olympics athletes who are over 16 years old. Athletes learn leadership skills such as how to represent other athletes as part of a committee, they learn about public speaking and making presentations and how to be a volunteer. If you would like more information about ALPs please click here.