We are so excited you’ve decided to join the Special Olympics New Jersey family. SONJ provides opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports programs. Take a look at the steps below and let’s get started!
1. Determine Eligibility
To become a registered athlete, applicants must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the eligible conditions:
- Intellectual disability
- Cognitive delays measured by formal assessment
- Significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay
Athletes ages of 2 – 7 may participate in Young Athletes. Athletes ages 6 and 7 are known as athletes in training and have the unique opportunity to participate in Young Athletes and begin training with a Local Training Program (LTP).
2. Complete the Participation Packet
The Participation Packet is required for all athletes prior to participation as there is an athlete medical form that must be filled out and signed by a doctor, confirming that an athlete is cleared for participation. Learn more about and download the Special Olympics New Jersey Participation Packet that must be returned to our office.
Please make a copy for yourself and mail the original copy to:
Special Olympics New Jersey
1 Eunice Kennedy Shriver Way
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Please contact the state office at (609) 896-8000 or sportsinfo@sonj.org if you are a new athlete and do not hear from a SONJ staff or community member within two weeks of submitting a Participation Packet.
3. Pick Your Sport(s)
Look at the sports SONJ offers and pick what you’d like to play! During the year, we conduct more than 260 competitive events in 24 different sports across the state.
4. Contact Our Office
Please contact the corresponding County Coordinator for your area. Contact information is on the individual county pages.
Once you contact a SONJ representative, we can assist in the process of finding a local training program near you.