Special Olympics Unified Sports® brings together athletes with and without intellectual disabilities to train and compete on the same team. Participants improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills and learn acceptance and inclusion while participating in Unified Sports. 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.
Special Olympics Athletes (with IDD)
Unified Partners (without IDD)
Unified Competitions annually
Special Olympics MA teams saw excitement on the court this season, especially the LIFE program which trained over 50 basketball athletes across four different teams!
While there is no doubt, Tyler Lagasse and Lindsey Blagg have had some memorable experiences over the years, but in 2024 they were both surprised with some truly incredible news. Watch...
The Seven Hills Shamrocks and Bridgewater-Raynham Grizzlies came into States 5-0 in their respective regular season league play. On Saturday, Nov. 18 they both faced-off in the same three-team division to solidify a perfect record.
Couldn’t find what you were looking for? write to us at Ops@SpecialOlympicsMA.org
Unified partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) train and compete as a teammate alongside Special Olympics athletes on a Unified Sports Team (either on a school or community team). Unified partners can be any age!
While Unified Partners are considered teammates of Special Olympics athletes, meaning they train and compete alongside each other, they will need to fill out a Class A volunteer form to participate.
Unified Partners can be any age! Individuals over the age of 18 are required to provide their social security number as they are CORI and background checked to ensure the safety and well-being of Special Olympics athletes. Individuals under 18 are required to have two non-family members write recommendations for them.
You can sign up today on with this form
All Special Olympics Massachusetts programs are free to both athletes and Unified partners!
Not exactly. Unified Sports should be a place where all players are evenly matched and get to experience fully playing sports. During practice there are opportunities for Unified partners and Special Olympics athletes to take leadership roles and to showcase their talents and skills. Typically Unified partners and Special Olympics athletes get as much out of the athletic experience as one another.