Page 41 - Revised Unified Sports Curriculum electronic version Rev. 8.1_2

ATHLETICS SPORT RULES

1. GOVERNING RULES
The Official Special Olympics Sports Rules for Athletics shall govern all Special Olympics competitions.
As an international sports program, Special Olympics has created these rules based upon International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rules for athletics found at http://www.iaaf.org/. IAAF or National
Governing Body (NGB) rules shall be employed except when they are in conflict with the Official Special Olympics
Sports Rules for Athletics or Article I. In such cases, the Official Special Olympics Sports Rules for Athletics shall
apply.

Refer to Article 1, http://media.specialolympics.org/resources/sports-essentials/general/Sports-Rules-Article-
1.pdf, for more information pertaining to Codes of Conduct, Training Standards, Medical and Safety
Requirements, Divisioning, Awards, Criteria for Advancement to Higher Levels of Competition, and Unified
Sports.

An athlete with Down syndrome who has been diagnosed with Atlanto-axial instability may not participate in the
pentathlon and high jump events.

2. OFFICIAL EVENTS
The range of events is intended to offer competition opportunities for athletes of all abilities. Programs may
determine the events offered and, if required, guidelines for the management of those events. Coaches are
responsible for providing training and event selection appropriate to each athlete’s skill and interest.
The following is a list of official events available in Special Olympics.

Track Events
25 Meters
50 Meters
100 Meters
200 Meters
400 Meters
800 Meters
1500 Meters
3000 Meters
5000 Meters
10,000 Meters
Hurdle events
Men 110 Meters
Women 100 Meters
4 x 100 Meter Relay
4 x 200 Meter Relay
4 x 400 Meter Relay
®
4 x 100 Meter Unified Sports Relay
®
4 x 200 Meter Unified Sports Relay
®
4 x 400 Meter Unified Sports Relay
Field Events
Long Jump
Standing Long Jump
High Jump
Softball Throw

5 VERSION: June 2018
© Special Olympics, Inc., 2018
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