How to Become a Special Olympics Athlete or Volunteer

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Choose your sport.

   The Special Olympics provides year-round training to improve physical fitness and abilities.
   
   Aspiring athletes can choose from 32 sports disciplines (sports offered may vary with continent). , The Special Olympics competitions are open for athletes aged 8 years and above.
   
   For children in the 2 to 7 age group, th Special Olympics offers a Young Athletes program, a sport and play program which focuses on fun activities that are important for mental and physical growth., To do this, get in touch with a Special Olympics Office near you.
   
   To know more about office locations and becoming an athlete, visit http://www.specialolympics.org/Sections/Get_Involved/Become_an_Athlete.aspx., The Special Olympics has active programs in 170 countries and events take place throughout the year.
   
   There may even be an office in your city which needs your help.
   
   To check the list of offices worldwide, visit http://www.specialolympics.org/Common/Special_Olympics_Program_Locator.aspx., These areas include:
   Fundraising Providing health care for athletes Officiating a match Coaching an athlete/team Assisting athletes in competitions Helping to organise and conduct competitions. , This is possible to avoid clashes with your work or other commitments., A list of locations is provided via the weblink in Step 1 of "Becoming a Volunteer".
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   Step 2: Select the relevant competition.

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   Step 3: Register yourself as an athlete.

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   Step 4: Find out what opportunities are on offer for volunteering.

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   Step 5: Choose which area you want to volunteer in

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   Step 6: according to your skills and expertise.

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   Step 7: Volunteer on days and at times convenient to you.

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   Step 8: Register yourself as a volunteer

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   Step 9: visit http://www.specialolympics.org/volunteers.aspx or visit a Special Olympics office near you.

Detailed Guide

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