Texas Special Olympics

Special olympics provides training and recreation opportunities for persons with disabilities.  Family resources are available for the families of Special Olympians.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympicsathletes and the community.

Special Olympics Texas is divided into four regions with 19 area offices. Athletes may begin training as early as six years old, but must be eight years old to compete. Athletes must be 12 years old to attend statewide competitions. Thanks to the Young Athletes Program (YAP), which launched in 2005, children ages two through seven can participate as an “Athlete in Training” in areas where the program is available.

Special Olympics Texas is a year-round movement, holding more than 300 competitions annually on area, regional and state levels. Event divisions are based on age, gender and ability level to give athletes an equal chance to win. Each participant receives a medal or ribbon following their events.

Special Olympics Texas has six statewide events annually: Summer Games, Equestrian, Sailing/Kayaking, Fall Classic, Winter Games and Flag Football. Statewide competition locations vary approximately every three years.

Special Olympics, Inc. holds World Games every other year and USA National Games every four years.

Special Olympics Texas athletes must train for a minimum of eight weeks prior to each competition. Volunteer coaches, who are required to first complete a certification program and attend seasonal training schools, are responsible for training the athletes. Competition officials and event directors are also required to attend training schools.

In the largest study to date of people with intellectual disabilities and their families, researchers found that Special Olympics Texas leads the nation in the employment of athletes with intellectual disabilities in competitive environments. The study also showed that children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities experience a significant improvement in self-esteem through participating in Special Olympics in the Lone Star State.

Volunteers are the lifeline of the Special Olympics program. These volunteers serve as coaches, officials, committee members, competition assistants, speech coaches, and much more. There are more than 4,051 volunteer coaches involved in the program.

Location

4732 Whirlwind Drive
San Antonio, 78217, TX

Accessible Location: No

Details

Type of Organization	Nonprofit (501c3)
Categories	Health & Fitness, Recreation, Volunteer Opportunity
Services offered in Spanish?	yes
Newsletter?	No
Child Care Available?	No
Age Range	All Ages , Birth - 3 , 3-5 , 6-11 , 12-14 , 15-21 , 22 and up
Disability Categories	Developmental Disability, Genetic or Congenital Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Learning Disability, Medical Condition, Mental Health Disorder, Physical Disability
Does this organization belong to all disabilities?	yes
This organization belongs to these diagnoses
Is this a statewide service?	yes
Website	http://www.sotx.org/
Contact Name	Gloria Cruz
Email Address	[email protected]
Phone Number	512.835.9873

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