Special Olympics Georgia is committed to empowering people with intellectual disabilities on and off the playing field. By working to remove obstacles, change attitudes and open minds, Special Olympics provides opportunities for its athletes to demonstrate courage, experience joy and share their gifts, skills and friendship with the world. Special Olympics initiatives change lives:

Athlete Leadership Programs offer athletes the opportunity to take active leadership roles both on and off the playing field through self-directed, meaningful participation in virtually any aspect such serving on local management teams, public speaking, officiating competitions, or coaching other athletes.

Global Messengers
Special Olympics Georgia searches for athletes to share the story of Special Olympics with potential corporate sponsors, civic clubs and community groups. Athletes write speeches with a Global Messenger Speech Coaches, prepare for presentations and become responsible representatives of Special Olympics. To learn more about how to become a SOGA Global Messenger, please contact Robert Yost at robert.yost@specialolympicsga.org.

Young Athletes is an innovative sports play program for children ages 2 through 7. This program is comprised of a series of developmentally appropriate activities designed specifically for young children and their family members. The Young Athletes program seeks to strengthen physical development and self-esteem for children by building skills for future sports participation and socialization prior to Special Olympics competition eligibility.so_ya_lockups-01-350px

The Young Athletes program is versatile so that it can work in various learning situations. The program is designed for families to play with their young athletes at home in a fun atmosphere. It is also appropriate for preschools, schools, playgroups to use with small group of young children with and without intellectual disabilities. To learn more about Young Athletes, contact David Crawford at (229) 292-5143, or view the Activity Guide HERE.

  • Young Athletes
    • Family Flash Cards. Fun and engaging flashcards featuring each of the individual activities and at home equipment modifications for families to use at home to run Young Athletes.
    • Young Athletes At Home. Guide for families and caregivers on how to run Young Athletes activities at home.
    • Young Athletes Videos. Videos demonstrating the individual Young Athletes activities.
    • Healthy Play at Home. Poster for families to track the various healthy behaviors they do at home.
    • Tips for talking to children about Coronavirus 2019 from CDC and UNICEF.

Special Olympics Get Into It consists of online resources that include lessons, activities, videos, athlete stories and supplemental materials. At the core of Get Into It are age-appropriate lessons designed to be taught in the context of class periods. Activities with ties to service learning are completed in a classroom or community setting, as part of a club, an afterschool activity or a community based event and include involvement with local Special Olympics Programs whenever possible. Download the Get Into It Curriculum and learn more HERE.

The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Initiative

Healthy Athletes® is a Special Olympics program that provides free health screenings and health education in a fun, welcoming environment with a focus on removing the anxiety people with intellectual disabilities often experience when faced with a visit to a medical professional. The Special Olympics Georgia Healthy Athletes Initiative includes several disciplines: Healthy Hearing, Special Smiles®, Fit Feet, Opening Eyes®, and Health Promotion.

Data from Healthy Athletes events is processed through the Healthy Athletes Software System, the world’s largest database on the health of people with intellectual disabilities. This database makes it possible for medical professionals everywhere to better understand and serve this population.

In Georgia alone over 1,000 athletes are screened each year and many are given access to items or services that would otherwise not be available, like prescription glasses and fluoride treatments.

  • Fitness
    • Fit 5 Resources Series
      • Fit 5 Guide: Educational guide and tracker for athletes to focus on fitness.
      • Fitness Cards: A series of leveled exercises in endurance, strength and flexibility. These cards can be done at home and with little equipment.
      • Fitness Videos: Videos portraying the exercises in the fitness cards. Athletes can follow along with the videos to get a great workout!
    • Staying Fit at Home: simple week-long calendar that athletes can follow to stay fit. Week-long calendar can be repeated as needed. Athletes can sign up on the link in the resource to receive newsletter with content from Health Messengers to for tips and ideas on how to stay active.
    • School of Strength: Launched in March 2020 across the Special Olympics movement, School of Strength is an interactive online platform that encourages athletes to participate in a fun and engaging training program that they can do in the comfort of their own homes. Developed in partnership with WWE superstar Becky Lynch, this series of videos, a fitness tracker, a coach’s playbook and a caregiver toolkit all contribute to helping athletes focus on nutrition and fitness and getting the most out of their workouts.
    • Click here for a Staying Fit at Home BINGO board that is filled with health and fitness activities to encourage athletes to stay committed to their fitness journeys daily. Included on the board are links to many SOGA health videos and tips on a healthy lifestyle!

If you are a health professional and are interested in volunteering at one of the State Games in the Healthy Athletes program, please contact Liz Smith at liz.smith@specialolympicsga.org or (770) 414-9390 extension 1108.

Georgia Chiropractic Association

Chiropractors, you can help us in our mission and impact the lives of thousands of individuals with intellectual disabilities!  The mission of Special Olympics Georgia is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Since the early 1990’s, Georgia chiropractors have been supporting Special Olympics athletes.  As a chiropractor, you understand the benefits of sports.  We welcome you to become a part of the Special Olympics movement.

Please click here for more information and details on how to pledge your support. Contact Robert Yost or robert.yost@specialolympicsga.org for more information.

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