Find everything you need to participate in the Spring Sports Season, including important dates, registration information, upcoming competitions, and sport-specific resources. Explore featured sports, review the season calendar, and learn how athletes, coaches, volunteers, and Unified partners can get involved.
Unified Sports is a program in which people with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and those without (partners) train and compete together on sports teams.
Every season brings new opportunities to learn, compete, and achieve personal goals. As athletes, coaches, volunteers, and families come together, the Spring Sports Season creates experiences that build confidence, strengthen connections, and celebrate what is possible when everyone has the opportunity to participate.
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Athletics
Athletics offers a wide range of events, from the 100 meters and hurdle events to the marathon, from the high jump and the long jump to the shot put, and from the relays to the wheelchair events.
Athletics is one of Special Olympics most popular sports.
Basketball
Basketball is a favorite among Special Olympics athletes. In addition to team competition, Special Olympics also offers individual skills competition, which allows athletes to train and compete in basic basketball skills. The development of these key skills is necessary prior to advancing to team play. These events include target pass, ten-meter dribble and spot shot.
The range of events is intended to offer competition opportunities for athletes of all abilities.
Bocce
Bocce is a game of skill and strategy. The object is for one team to get as many of their balls (boccia) closer to the pallina (the smallest ball) than the opposing team’s closest ball.
Flag Football
Flag football is an exciting, new sport offered to Special Olympics Southern California athletes. In the spring of 2018, it kicked off as a demonstration sport, and athletes trained and competed locally only. Starting in 2019, it became an official sport, and athletes are eligible to compete at regional and Southern California competitions. Flag Football is also offered as a unified sport as athletes with and without intellectual disabilities train and compete together on the same team.
Swimming
Because of the wide array of swimming events offered, it is appropriate for a range of ages and ability levels. Swimming competition events are based on a variety of strokes.
An athlete with Down syndrome who has been diagnosed with Atlanto-Axial Instability may not participate in Butterfly events, Individual Medley events, diving starts or diving.