Special Olympics Plymouth and District

The Special Olympics Movement is the 'third arm' of the Olympics Organisation, along with the Olympics and Paralympics, and is dedicated to enhancing the lives of those with an Intellectual (Learning) Disability through training and competition in numerous sporting disciplines, in both summer and winter sports.

Sports on Offer:

Badminton

Badminton is played at Club every Wednesday, it is a very popular game and suitable for all levels of ability. So from the beginner to the more experienced we have great coaches and volunteers who run the Badminton every week and they would be pleased to welcome new players.

Boccia

Boccia is played at Club every Wednesday, it is a very popular game and suitable for all abilities, it is a Bowling style game involving a white Jack being thrown and then teams with either red or blue balls trying to get closest to the jack either by rolling it the closest or maybe by moving the opposition's balls out of the way. It is a game which has to be played seated so very suitable for those using a wheelchair and we also have ramps which can be used to assist those with more limited mobility.

Bowls

Short Mat Bowls is played at Club every Wednesday; it is a popular game and is just a slight variation to Indoor Bowls. We have two great Coaches who are very keen to welcome new members and teach them how to play. For those who wish to take Bowls more seriously we have an active competition programme and in the 2013 Bath National Summer Games the SOPD Bowls Team had medal success.

Football

Football is played at Club every Wednesday, during our rolling programme, Football takes its turn in being played for the whole session, but every week it is played for the last 30 minutes as it is so popular. In addition to the Club session we also have a Football Training Session every Sunday held at Plymstock School from 10 to 11am.

Golf

We have been very fortunate in forming a partnership with Boringdon Golf Club in Plympton and now have a thriving Golf contingent. We try and go out onto the Golf Course twice a month (weather permitting) and play a number of holes which has led to entering a few players into a competition.

Swimming

We have an active Swimming Club every Saturday from 12:15 to 1:15 at the Plymouth Life Centre where Coaching is provided. Swimming is a Special Olympic Sport and we have had good medal success in the past and are delighted to have held a Special Olympics Gala in October 2014 at the Plymouth Life Centre for anybody with an Intellectual (Learning) Disability aged 8 years up.

Guest Sports

We have a 12 week rolling programme which is a mix of different guest sports for our athletes to try e.g. Judo, Trampoline, Climbing Wall, Basketball, Tag Rugby, Hockey, Dodgeball, Volley Ball, Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), Table Tennis, Dance, Keep Fit and Football.