Glossary of Commonly Used Special Olympics Terms
- Accreditation: Method of assuring that every Program meets the essential core requirements of the Special Olympics mission, as well as certain management and financial requirements. Accreditation grants the Program the legal right to use the Special Olympics name, logo, and other trademarks within its jurisdiction to conduct Special Olympics sports and related activities, and to raise funds under the Special Olympics name.
- Area / Local / Sub-Program Games: Preliminary competitions that take place before Accredited Program events. These serve as additional competitive opportunities for athletes, as well as provide information that is used to ensure that athletes have an opportunity to compete at an appropriate level according to their ability.
- Athlete: A person who is identified as having an intellectual disability who is at least 8 years of age and registers to participate in accordance with the SOI General Rules. This individual trains in an Official Sport or Recognized Sport for a minimum of eight weeks or longer during the calendar year and competes in local, state, or Program Special Olympics competitions, or participates in a Motor Activities Training Program. Children under age eight can participate in Young Athletes.
- Athlete Leadership Council: A committee comprised of athletes whose purpose is to facilitate discussion among athletes and pass along their suggestions to improve their respective Program.
- Athlete Medical Form: Contains pertinent athlete information, including emergency contacts and medical conditions. This form must be completed by a medical examiner before participation in Special Olympics. This form is also known as the Participation Form, and is due every three years unless otherwise stated by the Accredited Program.
- Athlete Release Form: Each athlete is required to submit a consent form to participate in Special Olympics.
- Class A Volunteer: Any person who volunteers for a Special Olympics Accredited Program as a coach, chaperone, driver, overnight host, Unified Sports® partner, or otherwise in a manner that results in regular close contact with Special Olympics athletes. Class A Volunteers also include those who may assume administrative or financial duties such as Committee Members, Event Directors, or Board Members.
- Class B Volunteer: Any person who volunteers at a single event; one-day, or walk-on volunteers who do not have direct responsibility or close ongoing contact with athletes.
- Coach: Individual charged with training athletes in a specific sport.
- Division: The competitive grouping of three to eight athletes in a particular sport based on age, gender, and ability level.
- Global Messenger: Athlete ambassadors who foster awareness and advocacy for the Special Olympics movement. Athletes must complete a training program in communications, speech writing, and presentations along with their local speech coach.
- Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®: Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®, made possible by the Golisano Foundation, and in the United States in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a program dedicated to providing health services and education to Special Olympics athletes, and changing the way health systems interact with people with intellectual disabilities.
- Local Program: The Local Program is the direct service unit for athletes and their family members within a Special Olympics Accredited Program. The Local Program engages with the public to provide sports training, competition opportunities, and related activities while creating inclusive communities. A Local Program is the grassroots level of the Special Olympics movement, and may originate out of existing independent Special Olympics clubs, public or specialized schools, colleges or universities, independent living facilities, Parks and Recreation Departments, adult service providers, professional sports clubs, geographic communities, counties, or other training groups that include registered Special Olympics athletes.
- Medical: See “Athlete Medical Form”
- SOI General Rules: The Special Olympics, Inc. (SOI) General Rules provide the rules and guidelines for all activities and bind participants (including Local Coordinators) to the Special Olympics purpose, mission, and goals.
- Staging: The area where athletes convene as they prepare for competition and awards. This is used to ensure that athletes are placed into the correct competitive divisions.
- Time Trials: An event run at the same location as the competition for establishing scores to division athletes for final competition.
- Special Olympics Unified Sports®: An inclusive sports program that combines approximately equal numbers of teammates with and without intellectual disabilities on sports teams for training and competition.
- Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools ®: Unified Champion Schools create social inclusion in schools by building on Special Olympics’ values, principles, practices, and experiences. This programming strives to incorporate three components in schools: Unified Sports®, inclusive student leadership and whole school engagement.
- Unified Sports® partner: A person without an intellectual disability who trains in a Special Olympics sport and who competes as a teammate.
· BOD: Board of Directors
· DD: Developmental Disability
· GMS: Games Management Software
· GMT: Games Management Team
· HOD: Head of Delegation
· ID: Intellectual Disability
· IYL: Inclusive Youth Leadership
· LETR®: Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics
· LMT: Local Management Team
· LOC: Local Organizing Committee
· MATP: Motor Activities Training Program
· NGB: National Governing Body
· SMT: Sports Management Team
· SOI: Special Olympics, Inc.
· SONA: Special Olympics North America
· UCS: Unified Champion Schools®
· YAC: Youth Activation Council
· YA: Special Olympics Young Athletes
· YLE: Youth Leadership Experience