Special Olympics - Unified Champion Schools

Course Modules

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Module 1	Module 1
Unit 1	Welcome to Special Olympics
Unit 2	What Makes Special Olympics Different?
Unit 3	Our Athletes
Unit 4	Being a Sports Assistant
Unit 5	Assessment
Unit 6	Sport: Level 1 Sport Assistant Course Evaluation Survey

Module Video

Module Summary

Introduction

Welcome to this e-learning course about being a Sports Assistant at Special Olympics (SO).

What is Special Olympics?

If you didn’t already know, we’re the world's largest sports organisation for athletes with intellectual disabilities (IDD). We provide year-round training and competitions to 5.7 million athletes and Unified partners in 172 different countries.

What is a Sports Assistant?

Our Sports Assistants help with the running of sport programmes and competitions in their local area. You don’t need to have experience of sport as a player, administrator or coach; any volunteer can become a Sports Assistant.

Our mission

At Special Olympics, we are guided by our mission. This highlights video should give you an idea of how we operate:

Our founding principles

We have six founding principles which govern every part of what we do.

Where do you come in?

You are just at the beginning of your Special Olympics journey. The Sports Assistant Course is the first stage in the coaching pathway. Later, we’ll look at what you’ll be required to do and how you can progress within the coaching pathway.

What we’re going to cover

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Click or tap each title to find out more.

The mission

Explain the mission and founding principles of Special Olympics.

Standing out

Describe the key factors that make Special Olympics different from other sports organizations.

Defining IDD

Define intellectual disability and discuss its potential impact on athletes’ sport participation.

The Paralympics

Highlight the main differences between SO and Paralympics.

Defining fitness

Define fitness and explore the three stated components of fitness.

Sport Training Sessions

Identify the main components of a sport training session (including health and safety).

The Role of the Sports Assistant

Describe the role of a SO Sports Assistant and explain the SOI Coaches Code of Conduct.

Protective behaviour

Describe the key considerations of protective behaviour.

Achievements

After our competitions, there’s a medal ceremony.

First place finishers receive gold medals, second gets silver and third gets bronze. Place ribbons of various colours are presented for finishers in fourth to eighth place. Athletes who are disqualified for sport technical violations (it happens!) or do not finish the event are awarded a participation ribbon.

Throughout the course, you’ll earn different awards. You’ve just unlocked the Award Ribbon. Click on the medal icon in the top right-hand corner to view your awards and read some fun facts about Special Olympics.

That concludes our introductory section. In order to move to the next section all content on this page must be competed.

Build Your Action Plan

Based on the video, what do you think our mission is?

The mission is to ensure that individuals with intellectual disabilities can engage in, enjoy, and benefit from sports tailored to their needs. Through consistent and proper training, they cultivate sports skills, experience healthy competition with peers of similar abilities, assess their progress, and receive incentives. Participation in sports not only enhances physical well-being but also contributes to mental and social development. Families find strength, and communities foster unity, equality, respect, and acceptance for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This inclusive environment thrives through participation and observation.
Every eligible athlete with IDD should have the opportunity to join sports training and competition programs offered by Special Olympics (SO), irrespective of race, gender, nationality, or geographical location, in adherence to uniform global standards. Special Olympics celebrates and promotes sportsmanship and the joy of sports participation for its intrinsic value. Its goal is to provide each athlete with training and competition opportunities that push them to their fullest potential.

Special Olympics ensures that all competitions offer sports and events suitable for athletes of varying abilities and levels, including team sports where each athlete has the chance to participate fully in every game.

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Welcome to Special Olympics

Course Modules

Module Video

Module Summary

Introduction

Welcome to this e-learning course about being a Sports Assistant at Special Olympics (SO).

What is Special Olympics?

If you didn’t already know, we’re the world's largest sports organisation for athletes with intellectual disabilities (IDD). We provide year-round training and competitions to 5.7 million athletes and Unified partners in 172 different countries.

What is a Sports Assistant?

Our Sports Assistants help with the running of sport programmes and competitions in their local area. You don’t need to have experience of sport as a player, administrator or coach; any volunteer can become a Sports Assistant.

Our mission

At Special Olympics, we are guided by our mission. This highlights video should give you an idea of how we operate:

Our founding principles

We have six founding principles which govern every part of what we do.

Principle one

People with IDD can, with proper instruction and encouragement, enjoy, learn, and benefit from participation in sports, adapted as necessary to meet their needs.

Principle two

Consistent training provided by qualified coaches, emphasising conditioning, is vital in developing sports skills. Competition with others of equal abilities is the best way to test skills, measure progress and provide incentives for growth.

Principle three

Through sport, people with IDD benefit physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. Families are strengthened and the community is united with people with IDD in an environment of equality, respect and acceptance. This happens through participation and observation.

Principle four

Any person with IDD who is eligible should have the opportunity to join the sports training and competition programs offered by SO.

Principle five

SO welcomes people of all races, genders, religions, national origin, geography, and political philosophies. It offers sports training and competition opportunities to all eligible persons with IDD in accordance with uniform worldwide standards.

Principle six

Where do you come in?

You are just at the beginning of your Special Olympics journey. The Sports Assistant Course is the first stage in the coaching pathway. Later, we’ll look at what you’ll be required to do and how you can progress within the coaching pathway.

Core coach education courses

These are our standard, core coach education courses:

Continuing coach professional development courses

The following CPD courses are in development or may be offered by your local programme:

Coach trainer training

Here are the courses that we offer to those who want to train coaches: