7000 -200 Divisioning

7000-200 SPORT: SPECIAL OLYMPICS DIVISIONING Review Date:  February 2021Effective Date: January 2022 Special Olympics Canada has implemented the Pan Canadian Policies for all chapters.  PAN CANADIAN DIVISIONING POLICY Due to the size of Special Olympics Ontario programs and to ensure the most equitable competition environment within Ontario, Special Olympics Ontario reserves the right to implement the following exceptions: Divisioning for Individual Sports Swimming, Athletics, Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing and Speedskating For events that do not have preliminary heats, athletes will be re-divisioned based on final times.

7000-201 Traveling Teams

7000-201 SPORT: TRAVELING TEAMS Review Date: February 2021             Effective Date: February 2021 GENERAL BEHAVIOUR All Special Olympic Ontario members shall conduct themselves in conformity with the traditions of Special Olympics Ontario and in such manner that they bring credit , honour  and a positive image to themselves, their teammates, and Special Olympics Ontario.

7000-202 Voting on Sport Rule Changes

7000-202: VOTING ON SPORT RULE CHANGES Review Date: February 2021                 Effective Date: June 2021 Rule changes in all Special Olympics Ontario official sports will take place in the year following their respective National Games. The rules will then be in effect until the following National Games for that sport.

7000-203 Sport Development and Sport Classification

7000-203 SPORT DEVELOPMENT AND SPORT CLASSIFICATION Review Date: February 2021                Effective Date: February 2021 Special Olympics Ontario has two classes of Sports. Sports are considered Official and Recognized. Official Sports are an official sport of Special Olympics Canada and Special Olympics International Special Olympics Ontario provides support in development and providing training, and competition opportunities.

7000-204 Out of Province Competitions

7000-204 SPORT: OUT-OF-PROVINCE COMPETITION Review Date: February 2021                     Effective Date: February 2021 Any Special Olympics athletes, coaches or volunteers wishing to travel out of the Province while representing Special Olympics Ontario must first obtain endorsement from Special Olympics Ontario.  A request for approval form must be received by the Sport & Competition Team at least 45 days prior to the planned departure.* In recognizing the beneficial experience by participants traveling to events outside of Ontario, Special Olympics Ontario has developed guidelines for groups interested in such opportunities.  

7000-205 Athlete Participation in Outside Communities

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.

7000-206 Conference Competitions

7000-206 SPORT: SPORT CONFERENCE COMPETITIONS AND PROVINCIAL QUALIFIERS Review Date: February 2021                Effective Date: February 2021 Sport Conference Competitions Athletes must be a minimum of 8 years of age to attend a Sport Conference competition / Provincial Qualifier. Sport Conference Competitions are open to all athletes who are actively training in the sport to be contested at the competition.  

7000-207 Tournament Committees and Conditions of Competition

7000-207 SPORT: TOURNAMENT COMMITTEES AND CONDITIONS OF COMPETITION Review Date: February 2021            Effective Date: February 2021 Due to geography and the high cost of transportation, most Special Olympics Ontario events are held in a tournament format, which would ordinarily involve three or more clubs gathering for a one day competition.  

7000-208 Maximum Performance Rule

7000-208 Maximum Performance Rule (MPR) Review Date: February 2021                    Effective Date: January 2022 Special Olympics Canada has implemented the Pan Canadian Policies for all chapters.  The Pan Canadian Divisioning Policy includes the Maximum Performance Rule. PAN CANADIAN DIVISIONING POLICY The Maximum performance rule can only be implemented at Provincial Games and higher level competitions.

7000-209 Coach Ratios

7000-209 Coach Ratios Review Date: February 2021               Effective Date: February 2021 Coach Ratios The following Athlete to Coach ratios will apply for all of the sports listed below the stated ratios. 5:1 Athlete/Coach Ratio Basketball (10:3 for major games) Curling (5:2 for major games) 5 Pin Bowling  Floor Hockey Soccer (10:3 for major games) Softball Bocce 4:1 Athlete/Coach Ratio Powerlifting Rhythmic Gymnastics Swimming (Lifeguards can not be counted in the ratio) Track & Field 10 Pin Bowling Golf 3:1 Athlete/Coach Ratio Alpine Skiing Figure Skating Nordic Skiing Snowshoeing Speed Skating The above ratios are minimum athlete to coach requirements for not only Conference competitions, Provincial and National Games, but for all Special Olympics Ontario competitions and practices.

7000-210 Competition and Provincial Games Registration Fees

7000-210 Competition and Provincial Games Registration Fees Review Date: February 2021         Effective Date: February 2021 Competition Registration Fees ( Invitationals, Conferences, Provincial Qualifiers) Competition Registration Fees Invitational Competitions:  Max $25 per athlete* Conference Competitions: Max $25 per athlete* Provincial Qualifiers: Max $25 per athlete* *For all sports except Golf.

7000-212 Two Year Eligibility Cycle

7000-212 Two Year Eligibility Cycle Review Date:    February 2021             Effective Date:  February 2021 Individual Sports Year One (the season before the Provincial Qualifiers) Athletes must be registered to the sport by the season specific eligibility deadline (January 1st for winter sports, February 1st for spring sports and July 1st for summer sports) Athlete must attend at least one (1) invitational or district competition in Ontario during this sport season The athlete’s results from any competitions they attend must be submitted to Special Olympics Ontario Year Two (the season of the Provincial Qualifier) The athlete must attend their designated Provincial Qualifier The Provincial Qualifier results must be submitted to Special Olympics Ontario Team Sports Year One (the season before the Provincial Qualifiers) The team roster on the Database must include all eligible athletes by the season specific eligibility deadline (January 1st for winter sports, February 1st for Spring Sports and July 1st for summer sports) *Please note that the minimum and maximum roster sizes do not need to be followed at this stage The athletes that will be competing at the Provincial Qualifier on the team must attend a minimum of one (1) invitational or district competition in Ontario together, as a team, during this season (Competitive Roster) The competitive roster of the team and the results from all competitions the team attends must be submitted to Special Olympics Ontario Year Two (the season of the Provincial Qualifier) The Head Coach must declare the competitive roster for the Provincial Qualifiers from the list of eligible athletes in Year one.

7000-211 Concussion Protocol and Guidelines

7000-211 Concussion Protocol and Guidelines Review Date: February 2021     Effective Date: February 2021 Special Olympics Canada has implemented the Pan Canadian Policies for all chapters. PAN CANADIAN CONCUSSION POLICY Ontario is legislated by Rowan’s Law for all concussion related injuries.  Please refer to the ROWAN’S LAW page for complete information.

7000-213 Forfeit Policy

7000-213 Forfeit Policy Review Date:    February 2021          Effective Date:  June 2021 A forfeit occurs when a team is unable (or refueses) to meet the basic standards for playing the games (ie unable to meet minimum roster size, insufficient athlete:coach ratio, etc) either before the game begins or as a result of actions that happen during the match.

7000-214 Policy Review, Creation and Adoption Process

7000-214 Policy Review, Creation and Adoption Process Review Date:    February 2021        Effective Date:  June 2021 Policy Review All SOO official policies will be open for review at the beginning of each calendar year. The review period will be one month long and will allow all stakeholders to provide feedback and suggestions regarding current policies.