Eligibility
Traditional Program
To be eligible to participate in a traditional program, an athlete must be at least 8 years old.
All athletes in the traditional program must be identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disability, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that have required specially designed instruction.
Young Athletes
To participate in an inclusive Young Athletes session, a traditional athlete and peer partner must be between the ages of 2 and 7 years old.
Programs
Community-Based
- Traditional (at least 8 years old)
Learn more about sports offered through Special Olympics - Young Athletes (ages 2 to 7)
Learn more about Young Athletes
Locations
Special Olympics Southern California provides programs throughout the southernmost counties in California. Programs are managed by staff and volunteers and organized into 11 Regions: Inland Empire, Kern County, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego County, San Gabriel Valley, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Santa Clarita Valley, Tri-Valley and Ventura County.
FIND A PROGRAM
Get Started
To get more information on how to become an athlete and the opportunities available in your community, please complete the Online Athlete Interest Form. This will provide us with important information so we can help get you started.
ATHLETE INTEREST FORM
RESOURCES