Provincial Games
2025
The 2025 SOA Summer Games will feature approximately 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities competing in the 10 official summer sports: 10-pin bowling, athletics, basketball, bocce, golf, rhythmic gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball, and swimming. The athletes will compete as part of Affiliate and Community Program teams supported by approximately 300 volunteer coaches and mission staff from their home communities.
These will be Special Olympics Alberta's first Provincial Summer Games since 2017! At the 2025 SOA Games, competitors will try to achieve personal-best Provincial Games performances, and will try to advance to national and international levels of competition.
Provincial Games Eligibility
The provincial games are an exciting opportunity for all athletes. In order to be eligible to compete at Provincial Games, athletes must be a registered member with their local club and be in good standing with Special Olympics Alberta.
Athletes will register for provincial games through their local Special Olympics program. Although some athletes compete and train in many sports, they will only be permitted to register in one sport for Provincial Games. It will be up to the athlete and their affiliate to determine which sport they will wish to compete in.
For an athlete to be eligible for provincial games they must meet the following criteria:
Be thirteen (13) years of age as of January 1 of that games year;
Is registered with Special Olympics Alberta and a member in good standing within the community;
Is a member of an accredited Special Olympics Alberta Affiliate or Community Program;
Have appropriate maturation based upon the following:
Ability to cope with pressures involved in traveling and competition
Ability to cope with being out of usual environment
Have competed in a qualifying competition preceding the Provincial Championships/Games in that particular sport; and
Have actively participated in a Special Olympics Alberta program, in that sport, for one (1) full program year prior to Provincial Games.
Athlete Single Sport Competition
Majority of Special Olympics Albert athletes are multisport athletes.
Provincial, National, and International competitions are single sport competitions, which means that athletes can only be selected for one sport at those levels. Athletes have the authority to choose which sport they wish to compete in starting at the local and provincial level.