The fundamental difference that sets Special Olympics competitions apart from those of other sports organizations is that athletes of all ability levels are encouraged to participate, and every athlete is recognized for his or her performance. Competitions are structured so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar ability in equitable divisions.

Procedures for Divisioning

• An athlete's ability is the primary factor in divisioning Special Olympics competition. The ability of an athlete or team is determined by an entry score from a prior competition or is the result of a seeding round or preliminary event at the competition itself. Other factors that are significant in establishing competitive divisions are age and gender.
• Ideally, competition is enhanced when each division accommodates at least three and no more than eight competitors or teams of similar ability. In some cases, however, the number of athletes or teams within a competition will be insufficient to achieve this goal. The following procedures (see below) describe the sequential process for creating equitable divisions and also provides guidance for managing athlete participation when factors preclude ideal divisioning.

The primary focus throughout the divisioning process should be on the competitiveness of the Special Olympics athlete. Competition Managers are entrusted with this responsibility and must meet the challenge of providing Special Olympics athletes with quality competition.

Individual Sports Divisioning

• Step One: Divide Athletes by Gender
  • Divide athletes into two groups based upon gender. Female athletes shall compete against other female athletes, and male athletes shall compete against other male athletes. A relay team that consists of both male and female athletes shall compete in the male division of the competition if there are not enough other relay teams with male and female athletes at the appropriate level of competition.
• Step Two: Divide Athletes by Age
  • An athlete's age group shall be determined by the athlete's age on the opening date of the competition.
  • Divide male and female athletes into the following age groups: ages 8-11; 12-15; 16-21; 22-29; and ages 30 years and over. An additional age group may be established if there are a significant number of competitors in the 30 years and over age group.
  • Athletes shall compete against other athletes within the same age group, unless:
  • There are less than three competitors within an age group. These athletes shall compete in the next oldest age group. That age group shall then be renamed to accurately reflect the entire range of competitors within that age group.
  • After completing "Step Three: Divide Athletes by Ability," age groups are broadened and/or individual athletes are reassigned to other age groups to improve the similarity of scores between athletes within a division.
• Step Three: Divide Athletes by Ability
  • To complete the divisioning process, the following guidelines shall be applied according to the event being divisioned.

Team Sports Divisioning

• Step One: Divide Athletes by Gender
  • Divide teams into two groups based upon gender. Female teams shall compete against other female teams and male teams shall compete against other male teams. Mixed gender teams are permissible and shall compete against other mixed gender teams or, if there are not enough mixed gender teams, against male teams.
  • Teams shall compete against other teams of the same gender unless there is only one male or one female team within the competition. This team shall be divisioned with teams of the opposite gender who are of similar age and ability.
• Step Two: Divide Athletes by Age
  • The age group of a team is determined by the age of the oldest athlete on that team on the opening date of the competition.
  • Divide male and female teams into the following age groups: ages 15 and under; 16-21; and 22 and over. An additional group may be established if there are a significant number of teams in the "22 and over" age group.
  • Teams should compete against other teams within the same age group.
• Step Three: Divide Athletes by Ability
  • All Special Olympics team sport competitions shall utilize the sport's specific skill assessment tests and a preliminary seeding round to assess the level of ability of the participating teams.
  • Refer to the Special Olympics Sports Rules for each team sport for a description of the skills assessment tests and additional information regarding the assessment of team sports for divisioning purposes.
  • Group teams according to ability based upon the skills assessment tests and results from the preliminary seeding round.
  • Create divisions of no more than eight teams by applying age groups to the teams within each ability group.
  • Within each ability group, age groups may be combined to create divisions.
  • If there are only two male or two female teams within the competition, these teams shall compete against each other.
  • If there is only one team within an age or ability group, that team must be divisioned with other teams, regardless of age or ability.