Special Olympics NL 

Address: 40 Aberdeen Ave, Suite 005, St. John’s, NL A1A 5T3. 

Mandate:

To provide year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Target Population:

Children and adults with intellectual disabilities across the province.

Highlights of Programs/Services Offered:

Special Olympics NL is dedicated to enriching the lives of Newfoundlanders & Labradoreans with an intellectual disability through active participate in sport. 

• Healthy Athletes: Special Olympics Canada offers one free health exam for all athletes during National Games. 
• Active Start: One of two initiatives developed by Special Olympics Canada for young athletes ages 2 to 6. Program leaders introduce children to the world of sport by developing fundamental movement skills like walking, running, jumping and balancing. 
• FUNdamentals: FUNdamentals is one of two initiatives developed by Special Olympics Canada for young athletes ages 7 – 12. Program leaders help develop fundamental movement skills like running, jumping, throwing, catching, striking and kicking. 
• Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD): The Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model guides the physical literacy of each individual with an intellectual disability. Special Olympics Canada uses the same LTAD model as sports organizations across Canada. 
• Unified Sports – In the Schools: Promotes social inclusion through shared sport training and competition experiences for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. 
• Unified Competitions will follow the same divisioning principles used in all of our Special Olympics competitions. Teams of comparable ability will be grouped together for meaningful competition. 
• Athlete Leadership: Special Olympics Athlete Leadership allows athletes to explore opportunities for greater participation in the movement beyond sports training and competition as peer mentors, team captains, spokespeople and Board and committee members. These roles give athletes a voice in shaping the Special Olympics movement, and a chance to spread the word about the transformations Special Olympics can bring to individuals and families.