Sign up to join a local team or individual sport. Special Olympics Massachusetts has teams for every age and skill level. Everyone is placed in a division that provides quality, evenly matched competition. To prepare for game day, local coaches run training sessions throughout the season building sport-based skills, team camaraderie, and a local social network for athletes, unified partners, and their families.
All coaches have access to training including sport-specific skills, working with athletes with disabilities and autism, concussion prevention and awareness, and Unified sports.
Athletes who competed last year
Unified Partners who competed last year
Coaches in Massachusetts
Annual competitions
Special Olympics Unified Sports brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete on the same team. A primary goal of Unified Sports is to equalize the ability level of Special Olympics athletes with their partners and to promote inclusion through team practice and competition.
Play UnifiedTraditional Special Olympics sports are designed specifically for athletes with intellectual disabilities to compete with and against each other. This was the original model designed by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and put in place starting in 1968. Many parents find this is a great model for their athletes’ first special Olympics experience.
Learn moreThe Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) works alongside Special Olympics Massachusetts to promote Unified Sports through the Unified Champion Schools Program. Currently, the partnership supports interscholastic Unified basketball each fall and Unified track & field each spring. Additionally, Special Olympics Massachusetts partners with the MASC to offer a number of Unified Bocce tournaments throughout the school year.
Learn more about Schools ProgramsPickleball is capturing hearts everywhere, including at Special Olympics Massachusetts. It helps athletes with intellectual disabilities improve skills and connect with others, enhancing fun and inclusion year-round.
Staying hydrated is crucial for athletes of all abilities, even as the temperatures start to cool down. Whether you’re wrapping up summer sports or training for the fall season, it’s important for Special Olympics athletes to hydrated.
Special Olympics Massachusetts Golfer, Tyler Lagasse breaks down the field and previews the 2024 edition of the PGA Championship. Learn a bit of history and get a sense for what storylines may play out on the course.
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Competitive sports dates to the inception of Special Olympics. The movement was born at the first Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. Athletes with intellectual disabilities competed in a number of sports earning medals for their accomplishments. Athletes and team take to the field, court, or track to play against opponents of similar ability.
Unlike many community or school sports programs, special Olympics uses a process called divisioning to assign athletes and teams to groups that offer relatively equal play. For example, in track, qualifying times are used and athletes whose times within a certain range will compete for the final. Similar principles are assigned to other individual spots. For team sports a lot of emphasis is placed on coaches assessments and preliminary play to create divisions in team sports.
Historically, this model has produced high quality competition allowing for athletes to worry more about their own performance on game day vs. how skilled their opponent might be.
As with all Special Olympics programming, there is never a cost for athletes or Unified partners to participate. Recreational Sports programming is no different. Through incredible donor support and critical financial partnerships, we are proud to be able to provide these programs free of cost.
Many people view Summer Games as THE Special Olympics competition in Massachusetts each year. While it is an incredible event and our largest competition by far, there are many other opportunities for athletes to compete throughout the year. Special Olympics Massachusetts offers 23 sports and over 750 competitions each year.
Special Olympics Programs are designed for athletes with intellectual disabilities and as such, we adapt to meet the needs of each person. As we are able and with a focus on the safety of all participants, we will also make accommodations and adaptations for individuals who also have a physical disability.
Absolutely! Our competitive Unified sports programs are designed to be inclusive of anyone who wants to get in the game. We offer Unified sports in 23 disciplines and host over 650 Unified competitions throughout the year.