Special Olympics Arizona’s (SOAZ) goal is to empower the over 180,000 Arizonans with intellectual disabilities to be healthy, productive and respected members of society through SOAZ’s year-round sports training, competitions and support programs.
Many assume that Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ) offers sports competitions every other year like traditional Olympics. What many find surprising is Special Olympics Arizona offers over 400+ area competitions a year with 18,500 athletes currently competing for gold. Currently, Special Olympics Arizona offers 22 Olympic-type individual and team sports which provide meaningful training and competition opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities, including age-appropriate activities and activities for lower ability athletes. Athletes can compete at a variety of levels that accommodate a diverse range.
In addition, athletes can choose to compete within the Special Olympics Unified Sports® program, which brings together athletes with and without disabilities of similar age and athletic ability to train and compete on the same sports teams. The lessons learned in Special Olympics also impact life skills. Sports training enhances focus and gives participants a structure for learning important lessons about perseverance, endurance and setting goals. Year-round training programs are designed to improve every athlete’s social and physical wellness. The variety of sports offered provides athletes with the opportunity to train, compete and improve at the individual or team level. Teams and delegations have the flexibility to choose the sports they want to offer.
Note: Not every local delegation offers training in every sport.
Arizona is divided into 6 geographic areas under an area management system which is in place to improve the quality of programming at the local level. Special Olympics Arizona (Arizona) has area offices in Flagstaff, Tucson, and Yuma, with the headquarters office based in Phoenix.
