Our Sports Programme

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Special Olympics Great Britain is constantly collaborating and co-operating with other charities, as well as working in partnership with Disability Sports Organisations and National Governing Bodies in order to provide sporting opportunities for people with a learning disability. Special Olympics Great Britain is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.

Corresponding to the old UK Sports Council regional boundaries, there are currently nineteen regions within the Special Olympics GB structure; ten in England, eight in Scotland and one region of Wales. Availability of sports depends on whether or not coaches or facilities are available to athletes in any particular geographic region. Therefore, some Special Olympics regions in the UK might be stronger in one sport and not so strong in another.

Special Olympics seeks to provide the highest possible quality of coaching and competition for its athletes. Athletes are able to choose which sports they would like to participate in from a range of more than 20 Summer and Winter Sports.

FACT: In 1988 Special Olympics was recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is the only sports organisation authorised by the IOC to use the word 'Olympics' in its title.

Special Olympics Official Sports

Alpine Skiing Gymnastics

Aquatics Judo

Athletics Powerlifting

Badmington Roller Skating

Basketball Sailing

Bocce Snowboarding

Bowling Snowshoeing

Cross Country Skiing Softball

Cycling Speed Skating

Equestrian Table Tennis

Figure Skating Team Handball

Floor Hockey Tennis

Football (Unified Football) Volleyball

Golf

Special Olympics Recognised Sports

Cricket

Kayaking

Netball

Nationally Popular Sports Recognised by SOGB

Boccia

Bowls

New Age Kurling

Uni-hoc (Floorball)

MATP PROGRAMME

Special Olympics also has the Motor Activities Training Programme (MATP) for people with profound or multiple learning disabilities. To find out more about the sports offered by Special Olympics please visit the SOI website

What is Unified Football? Unified Football® is the same as any other 7-a-side football you find, except that half the team is made up of people with a learning disability (called Athletes), and the other half is made up of people without a learning disability (called Unified Partners).

Who is the Unified Football for? Unified Football® is an inclusive programme. it is open to all people interested in taking part in football.

What are the aims of Unified Football? The main aim is to integrate players with a learning disability into a Unified team. This allows social interaction, and also promotes full inclusion. The programme hopes to raise the awareness of learning disability, whilst challenging views that people may have on what a learning disability is or is not!

When was Unified Football launch? The developing Unified Football® programme was launched in Great Britain by former Minister of Sport Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Sir Matthew Pinsent, a Vodafone Foundation Advisor and England’s Ladies Football Head Coach, Hope Powell in 2008 with a match between a Unified Football group from the North West and the All-Parliamentary Football Team managed by SOGB Chairman Lawrie McMenemy MBE.

Who is supporting Unified Football? The initiative in GB is sponsored by the Vodafone Foundation and Fitflop.

Over the next 12 months, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and National Grid will be working closely with Special Olympics Great Britain to support the development of new Unified Football® teams across North and South London.

The Youth Unified Football® Development Project is being funded across Europe/Eurasia by the Vodafone Foundation with a goal to expand Special Olympics Unified Sports in local communities in Great Britain, Italy, France, Hungary, Turkey and Romania.

Who many people is playing Unified Football in Great Britain and abroad? There are currently 150+ Unified players in 10 SOGB clubs around the country with plans to bring in more than 600 participants by the end of 2010.

The goal is to have 6,000 participants accross Europe by the end of 2010 with further support from UEFA, national football associations such as the FA and professional teams including Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan.