Welcome to the Games Information Page!

Major Games are an important part of the journey for Special Olympics athletes and coaches.  Major games includes the following competitions: Provincial Qualifiers, Provincial Games, National Games, World Games, School Championships, and Canada Games. This website will provide all the information you need for eligibility, identification and will connect you to the many major games opportunities that exist.

Current Major Games

To get specific information to each level of major games, please click the tabs below.

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The Provincial Games are held on a rotating basis over a four-year period. Athletes based on age, gender, performance and regional endorsement are selected from Provincial Games to advance to National Games. Special Olympics athletes who compete in lower and middle skill levels have an equal opportunity to advance to a higher level of competition as those athletes who have participated in a more advanced skill level. To ensure that this is so, athlete advancement is determined by an individual's performance relative to his/her peers of equal skill level. Once Team Ontario members are announced, competitors will be registered in events according to their results achieved at the Provincial Games in the year preceding National Games.
Provincial Games ➜

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The National Games occur every two years alternating between Summer and Winter Games. The Games provide athletes with an intellectual disability an opportunity to showcase their talents and test their skills against their peers making competition fierce and exciting for spectators. The National Games serve as a qualifying event to be part of Special Olympics Team Canada to take part in the Special Olympics World Games. 
National Games ➜

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The World Games are the flagship event for the Special Olympics movement and take place every two years, alternating between summer and winter Games. The World Games feature more than a week of intense, yet inspiring, competition among thousands of athletes. The Special Olympics World Games offer the opportunity to unite the world like no other event can. Here people with and without disabilities, people of different nations, cultures, political views and religions meet and can overcome existing prejudices with the power of sport.
World Games ➜

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Special Olympics Ontario’s School Championships & Qualifiers Program uniquely provides sport training and competition opportunities to high school student-athletes with intellectual disabilities. Our groundbreaking program allows athletes to compete and advance to the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships. The School Championships and Qualifiers program provides quality competition experience for students with an intellectual disability aged 13-21 in the sports of basketball, floor hockey, soccer, bocce, and track & field. Our advancement opportunities are equitable and thus EVERY athlete and team has the same opportunity to advance through a Qualifier to our Provincial Games! 
School Champs ➜

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The Canada Games brings together more than 2,000 able-bodied athletes and athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities for the largest amateur multi-sport event in the country. Alternating between winter and summer, they span over 30 different sports to showcase the very best in Canadian sport and spirit. The Games are held under the stewardship of the Canada Games Council who provide continuity, leadership and support. 
Canada Games ➜

Game Cycles

Each sport within Special Olympics Ontario operates on a four year games cycle that begins with Provincial Qualifiers and leads up to World Games. 

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Athlete Eligibility and Identification

General information about how quotas are assigned, athlete and coach eligibility, and the identification process for both Provincial and National Games can be found in the Sport and Competition Policies on the Special Olympics Resource Page.