Special Olympics and Judo

WE ARE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF PUTTING TOGETHER A JUDO HANDBOOK FOR THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS MOVEMENT.

IF YOU FEEL YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS HANDBOOK, PLEASE SEND YOUR STATEMENTS OR IDEAS TO     royjudo@ntlworld.com

Eligibility for participation in Special Olympics

The Special Olympics General Sports Rules set down the criteria for athletes to be eligible for Special Olympics from which the following is extracted

1.General Statement of Eligibility

Special Olympics training and competition is open to every person with a learning disability, who is at least 8 years of age and who is registered to participate in Special Olympics as required by the General Rules.

2. Age Requirements.

There is no maximum age limitation for participation in Special Olympics. The minimum age requirement for participation in Special Olympics competition is 8 years of age. Children who are at least 6 years old, may participate in age appropriate Special Olympics Training programmes.

3. Identifying Persons with a Learning Disability.

A person is considered to have a learning disability for purposes of determining his or her eligibility to participate in Special Olympics, if that person satisfies any one of the following requirement.

1. The person has been identified by an agency or professional as having a learning disability as determined by their localities;

Or;

1. The person has a cognitive delay, as determined by standardised measures

Such as intelligent quotient or “IQ” testing or other measures that are generally accepted within the professional community in that accredited programmes nation as being a reliable measurement of the existence of cognitive delay.

Or;

1. The person has a closely related developmental disability. A “ closely

Related developmental disability” means having functional limitations in both general learning (such as IQ ) and in adaptive skills ( such as recreation, work, independent living, self-direction or self-care). However, persons whose functional limitations are based solely on a physical, behavioural, or emotional disability, or a specific learning or sensory disability, but may be able to volunteer for Special Olympics as partners in Unified Sports, if they otherwise meet the separate eligibility requirements for participation in Unified Sports as set forth in the Sports Rules.

It is important to draw a distinction between people who have a general learning disability (who are eligible for Special Olympics) and those with a specific learning difficulty ( who will usually be ineligible).

Conditions such as: Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Attention Deficit Disorder OR Challenging Behaviour.