Mission Statement

   Special Olympics New Hanover County is an accredited program of Special Olympics – North Carolina (SONC) which provides year-round sports training and athletics competition for children and adults athletes with intellectual disabilities.

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

   GOALS: To help bring all persons with intellectual disabilities into the larger society under conditions whereby they are accepted, respected and given the chance to become useful and productive citizens.

   ELIGIBILITY: To participate in Special Olympics, a person must be at least eight years old and satisfy one of the following requirements.

• 1) The person has been identified by an agency or professional as having intellectual disabilities as determined by their localities.
• 2) The person has a cognitive delay as determined by standardized measures such as intelligence quotient or “IQ” testing or other measures which are generally accepted within the professional community as being a reliable measure of the existence of a cognitive delay.
• 3) The person has a closely-related developmental disability, which means having functional limitations in both general learning and in adaptive care (such as recreation, work, independent living, self-direction, or self-care)
• 4) All persons who are eligible to participate in Special Olympics training and/or competition programs must register to participate..

• UNIFIED SPORTS: Special Olympics Unified sports is an inclusive program that combines individuals with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and without intellectual disabilities (partners) on the same team for sports training and competition. Special Olympics New Hanover County offers programs in Bocce, Bowling, Golf, and Tennis