“Inspire Greatness”	"Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." - Athlete Oath
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	Athletes More than 25,000 athletes from 52 area and county programs across Pennsylvania trained and competed in Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) last year. Participation in Special Olympics training and competitive events is open to all people with mental retardation regardless of their degree of challenge. Athletes age 8 and over may participate in Special Olympics training programs and competitions. From then on, athletes can compete for the rest of their lives. Eligibility To participate in Special Olympics, a person must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: mental retardation, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have required specially designed instruction. Before an athlete can begin Special Olympics sports training, the athlete's parent/guardian and a medical professional must complete an application for participation. The medical portion of this form needs to be completed only once, unless the athlete has a current health situation or develops a health situation. In this case, a medical professional must complete the medical portion annually. If no health situation exists that requires an annual medical review, the basic informational portion of the form must be updated every three years. Submit the completed athlete participation form to your local program coordinator. For the name of your local program coordinator or more information about athlete participation, contact SOPA at the address listed below. Families Members of a Special Olympics athlete's family are extremely important to the success of the Special Olympics movement here in Pennsylvania. The dedication of a family who supports, transports, and offers daily encouragement to our athletes is the reason so many of them thrive in our program. In turn, SOPA provides families a place where the entire family can come together with opportunities for sports, social interaction, and fun. For more information about outreach, contact: Special Olympics Pennsylvania, 124 Washington Square, 2570 Boulevard of the Generals, Norristown, PA 19403, Or Call (800) 235-9058 or (610) 630-9450.

ã2004 Fayette County Special Olympics
Last Updated by Jim Thomas on Friday, November 26, 2004