Special Olympics

Special Olympics Australia provides year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with an intellectual disability.

Through sport, we give athletes the opportunity to get fit, develop skills, make friends and be part of a community.

People with an intellectual disability are often misunderstood or ignored, yet when they are given a fair chance they can, and do, participate as valuable members of the community.

Special Olympics provides sport for all people with an intellectual disability, regardless of their skill level. We cater for athletes who just want to participate right up to elite athletes who want to compete on a world stage. And with local, state, national and international competition we give them plenty of opportunities to do their best.

We rely almost entirely on volunteers who work tirelessly to deliver the program to 4500 athletes throughout Australia. But our aim is to reach out to more of the 175,000 Australians with an intellectual disability.

Special Olympics prides itself on providing high-quality sports experiences for people with an intellectual disability. But we go further than sport.

Special Olympics also offers initiatives to help athletes develop new skills and improve their lives. We also encourage the community to get involved in Special Olympics, learn more about people with an intellectual disability and include them in their community.

Like mainstream tennis, Special Olympics Tennis gives athletes the opportunity to learn and perform a variety of skills that can be played throughout life. In addition to offering traditional singles and doubles events, Special Olympics offers individual skills competition to allow athletes to train and compete in basic tennis skills. The development of these key skills is necessary prior to advancing to match play. These skills include racket bounce, "ups," forehand volley, backhand ground stroke, serve-deuce court, serve-advantage court and alternating ground stroke with movement  

As in all Special Olympics sports, athletes are grouped in competition divisions according to ability level, age and gender.  

The following events provide meaningful competition for athletes with lower ability levels