7000-205 SPORT: ATHLETE PARTICIPATION IN OUTSIDE COMMUNITIES
Review Date: February 2021
Effective Date: February 2021
All Special Olympics Ontario athletes shall participate in a sport club within the Community in which they live. It may be possible to participate in clubs outside of the Community in the following three cases.
A: Sport Choice/Club unavailable in Community:
If the athlete’s Community does not have a club with the sport of choice, the athlete may then request participation within another Community’s sport club. It is the decision of that sport club’s Head Coach, in consultation with the District Developer, whether to allow that athlete to join.
The athlete will train and compete and be an active member of the receiving sport club community for the purpose of competition and advancement to Provincial and National Games. These athletes are the responsibility of the Sport Clubs Community Council, administratively and financially. For all intents and purposes they are a member of this Community as pertains to that sport.
B: Reasons outside of unavailability of sport in their home Community:
If an athlete wishes to join a sport club outside of their Community for any reason other than the unavailability of the sport within their home Community, they must submit a written request to their District Developer.
The appeal must contain the following information:
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Name of athlete and his/her sport club
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Name of person(s) submitting the request
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Reason(s) for the request
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Supporting pertinent documentation
The District Developer shall review the appeal. The appeal must include documentation that supports the following:
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The athlete must be a member in good standing.
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Receiving sport club must not have a waiting list of athletes from within their own community.
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Consultation of all involved parties.
The athlete will train and compete and be an active member of the receiving sport club community for the purpose of competition and advancement to Provincial and National Games. These athletes are the responsibility of the Sport Clubs Community Council, administratively and financially. For all intents and purposes they are a member of this Community as pertains to that sport.
C: Athletes who wish to train in two community programs in a single sport:
Must follow the procedure and criteria as outlined in B.
The athlete will train in two separate sports clubs in a single sport, however, the athlete is required to compete in their HOME sport club Community for the purpose of competition and advancement to Provincial and National Games.
Following the request a memo will be sent out to all applicable parties describing the decision.