Athletes are expected to abide by the rules of the competition, to display sportsmanship, to respect the property and person of all others involved in Special Olympics and to comply with the guidelines of the organization. Parents, coaches, athletes, and staff members also have codes of conduct to which they must adhere. Your verbal and physical behavior needs to reflect a positive and constructive attitude toward Special Olympians, their training and competition. The Special Olympics coach and spectator is one who has succeeded in tempering his/her own competitive urges and desires for success to ensure the fairest and most positive competitive experience by all persons involved in the event. The coach is responsible for the conduct of the athletes, their families, and spectators at a Special Olympics event. The coach and local coordinator are the sole representatives responsible for dealing with the Games Committee and Sports Officials.
Any athlete that has been convicted of a violent (act against another person) crime must report this offense to the Special Olympics office. This is not cause for dismissal from Special Olympics. Based on the nature of the incident and the time since it occurred you may be required to have staff/parent accompany you to Special Olympics training and competition. This is required to maintain a safe and successful experience for all athletes. Each case shall be reviewed on an individual basis, and the final decision rests solely with the coordinator.
Athletes that have a history or pattern of violent outbursts at Special Olympics will be required to have staff/ parent with them at all training and competition until such time the outbursts are no longer an issue. Each case shall be reviewed on an individual basis. In the case of an athlete with an active behavior plan, Special Olympics must be made aware of the basic plan. With all our coaches being volunteers, we are not able to keep information on the plan, but it will assist us in helping each individual athlete achieve success in Special Olympics and beyond.
Special Olympics must be notified in advance of any behavior issue that could affect the success of all athletes on a trip. This includes, but is not limited to: fire starting, stealing, sexual inappropriateness, etc. Advance knowledge of such issues will help to continue the opportunities of such trips for athletes with these issues.
Special Olympics athletes shall respect the person and property of everyone involved in Special Olympics. This includes appropriate behavior, language, sportsmanship, etc. The athlete shall be verbally warned when behavior or language is not acceptable. There will be immediate dismissal from a team for the season for acts of physical aggression that result in injury. For all other offenses, any disciplinary action will be at the sole discretion of the Special Olympics Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities Coordinator.