Eligibility Information

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, a person must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delays that require or have required specially designed instruction. The Special Olympics Young Athletes program was created for children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 through 7. Special Olympics Illinois does not charge athletes or their families to participate in the program.