Become an Athlete

Through the power of sports, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) discover new strengths and abilities, skills and success. Our athletes find joy, confidence and fulfillment — on the playing field and in life. They also inspire people in their communities and elsewhere to open their hearts to a wider world of human talents and potential. There are approximately 170,000 people with IDD in Washington. Our goal is to reach every one of them – and their families as well. 

Join Special Olympics Washington and be the best you can be! 

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, athletes must: 

• Be at least 8 years old (children ages 2-1/2 to 7 are eligible to participate in the Young Athletes program). 

• Be diagnosed by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disability; a cognitive delay as determined by standardized measures such as intelligence quotient or other generally accepted measures; or a closely related development disability, i.e., functional limitations in both general learning and adaptive skills. 

• Register you or your athlete in the Special Olympics Portal (Portals.SpecialOlympics.org) and complete all required online forms including self-reported health history and associated releases and waivers. 

• Agree to uphold the Special Olympics Athlete Code of Conduct. 

Ready to join the Special Olympics Washington team? 

Step 1 

Register Online 

• Get started by deciding which type of profile to create:  

• Participant Status for PC-Coach-Admin 

• Take me to the portal! 

• Registering yourself as an athlete? 

• One-pager: Create an Athlete Profile 

• One-pager: Complete or Update Your Athlete Health Form 

• One-pager: Verifying Your Participation Status 

•  Registering an athlete on their behalf? 

• One-pager: Create a Parent/Guardian Profile   

• One-pager: Create a Circle of Care Profile 

• One-pager: Complete or Update a Health Form on Behalf of an Athlete 

• One-pager: Verifying Your Athlete’s Participation Status 

• One-pager: Apply for a Coach, Chaperone or Unified Partner Role 

**Note: If you are unsure which type of profile to register, please read this.** 

For information on how to become a Unified partner, please click here. 

Need More Help? Submit a request and view Office Hours schedule here: bit.ly/SOWA-PortalSupport 

Step 2: If you are registering for the first time and are looking for a program:  

• Submit a request at bit.ly/SOWA-PortalSupport upon registration completion.  

• Peruse Find a Local Community to view prospective programs.  

• A Special Olympics Washington staff member will assist in ensuring you are connecting with a program that is a good fit.  

More Training and Resources  

• Portal Quick Tips on our Special Olympics Washington Portal Playlist on YouTube. 

• Portal Quick Tip: Get Started (2 minute video) 

• Portal Quick Tip: Verifying Current Credential Status 

• Portal Resources page