Special Olympics New Jersey
Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ) has something for everyone, whether you are an athlete, coach, volunteer, or fundraiser.
Athletes across the state are training hard and competing in Cycling, Equestrian, Flag Football, Golf, and Soccer with the goal of making it to the annual Special Olympics New Jersey Fall Games! Find everything you need to know, read about upcoming competitions and events.
Sports
SONJ provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Athletes compete in Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Floor Hockey, Skiing, Soccer, Swimming, Track and Field and many more. For the complete list click here.
Special Olympics New Jersey offers 24 Olympic-style individual and team sports that provide meaningful training and competition opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities, completely free of charge. Athletes advance to higher levels of competition by meeting established criteria in accordance with Special Olympics policies and procedures. Each sport has different criteria for advancement and guidelines for athlete participation. Read through our sports to learn about each.
More Than Sports
While our mission is to provide sports training and competition to individuals with intellectual disabilities, we also work off the playing field to enrich the lives of more than 26,000 athletes, their families and their communities in New Jersey. Special Olympics New Jersey fosters inclusive communities for people with and without intellectual disabilities through innovative sport, health, wellness and leadership opportunities for Special Olympics athletes, their families, and society as a whole. All programs, training, and competitions are provided FREE of charge to athletes thanks to the generous support of individual fundraisers, supporters, volunteers, and year-round partners. Fundraising events such as Polar Bear Plunges, 3K and 5K Runs, golf outings and more are held throughout the year to support thousands of athletes. Get involved today by finding an upcoming fundraiser here.
SONJ Young Athletes Program
While SONJ athletes must be at least 8 years old to compete, children ages 2 through 7, with and without intellectual disabilities, can join the Young Athletes program. Young Athletes introduces children to Special Olympics by focusing on inclusive sports play, teaching skills like balance, jumping, and kicking. Young Athletes will have the ability to learn and improve their social skills like taking turns and playing with teammate’s, build their self-confidence, and get the opportunity to play as a family and meet new friends. Come play with us and find out more about the program here.
For a listing of all our upcoming events, check out our updated listing/calendar. Upcoming Events
Want to learn more about becoming a volunteer for events and support athletes? Volunteer Info
Are you or someone you know interested in registering to be an athlete and compete? Become an Athlete
Get involved
Become an athlete, volunteer or find out ways to give. Find out how you can get involved today!
Special Olympics NJ Sports Complex
1 Eunice Kennedy Shriver Way
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Events and competitions are held throughout the state. Special Olympics New Jersey is broken into 13 areas comprised of the 21 counties in New Jersey. If you need assistance more locally, you can find your local area director.
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