There are four main levels of events within Special Olympics; local, regional, national and international.
By participating in a competition at one level, athletes earn the right to be considered for advancement to higher levels of competition within Special Olympics.
Local and Regional Events
Ribbon and Certificate Days
Ribbon and Certificate Days are the most common kind of competition for athletes involved in Special Olympics New Zealand. They are called Ribbon or Certificate Days because athletes are awarded ribbons/certificates for first to eighth place. Ribbon and Certificate days are also known as Tier 1 competitions. They usually take place on a single day.
Regional Events
Regional Games are sports competitions for athletes from within a region. Regional Games are usually held over two days and involve an overnight stay but some sports may only require one day of competition.
Regional Games are typically centred on one sport but sometimes offer more than one sport. Regional Events are also known as Tier 2 competitions. In the lead-up to National Games, athletes must participate in Ribbon Days and Regional Games.
Have-a-go Days
Have-a-go Days give athletes a chance try out a sport and see if they like it before signing up. Have-a-go Days are just for fun.
National Games
Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games and National Winter Games are each held every four years, these are multi-day sports competitions. Athletes gather from around the country to compete in a variety of season-specific sports.
National Games are held on a residential basis. For some athletes, going to National Games is the first time they’ve travelled away from home. In the lead-up to World Games, athletes must participate in National Games to be considered for selection.
2023 National Winter Games
The 2023 National Winter Games are set to take place at the stunning Cardrona Alpine Resort from August 15th-19th, with athletes competing in Intermediate and Advanced Alpine skiing and Intermediate snowboarding events.
2021 National Summer Games
The 2021 National Summer Games, which were held in December 2022 after begin postponed for 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, brought over 1,000 athletes and coaches, and 600 volunteers, to Hamilton for five days of ceremonies and competition across 10 sports in eight venues.
Check out our National Summer Games website for all the results
International Games
Special Olympics World Summer Games and World Winter Games are each held every four years. Special Olympics World Games are multi-day sports competitions that gather athletes from around the world. Competition is available in a variety of season-specific sports.​
World Games are held on a residential basis and offer other activities in addition to sports such as Healthy Athletes, Host Town Programme and Athlete Congress.​
Sometimes there are additional opportunities for athletes from New Zealand to travel to other international events such as the Trans-Tasman Games and Asia Pacific Games.
2023 Berlin World Summer Games
New Zealand’s team of 39 athletes represented the county tremendously at the 2023 World Summer Games in Berlin, winning five Gold Medals, 17 Silvers and 12 Bronzes across the eight days on inspiring competition.
Visit the official website at www.berlin2023.org
2022 World Winter Games – Cancelled
With sadness, Special Olympics International has announced that they will not be holding the World Winter Games in Kazan, Russia.