Additional Programs

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 Boards of Directors, officiating competitions, or coaching other athletes.

Through its Family Leadership and Support initiative, Special Olympics offers families not just opportunities for sports, social interaction and fun, but also a much-needed support system.

The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® initiative's mission is to improve each athlete's ability to train and compete in Special Olympics. The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Initiative includes several disciplines: Fit Feet, FUNfitness, Health Promotion, Healthy Hearing, Opening Eyes® and Special Smiles®.

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.

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.