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1. Tier One – One-day local events 
2. Tier Two – Regional competitions  
3. Tier Three - National competitions 
4. Tier Four – International competitions  

There are four tiers of competitions with Special Olympics New Zealand. They’ve set it up like this to make sure that by the time you’re travelling around the world, you’ve had plenty of time to get comfortable.  

You start off participating in a local or ‘Tier One’ competition in your chosen sport and can work your way up to Tier Four – that’s where you represent New Zealand at international Special Olympics competition.   

Maybe you just want to take part in local and regional Special Olympics events. That’s totally cool. Find what works for you. The main thing is that you’re getting involved and having fun!    

Tier One – One-day local events 

Ka pai! This is where your Special Olympics journey begins. You or your support person can register your name with your nearest Special Olympics club. 

As part of this, you’ll pick your sport (or sports), train, and then take part in your first Tier One competition.  

Tier One competitions  happen the most often. They focus on one sport and usually take place over a single day. For instance, it might be a full day of bocce or basketball. Your club might host a Tier One event, or you might travel to another city or town in the same region you live in for the day.   

Requirements to take part 

After registering with your local club, Special Olympics New Zealand recommends that you have at least 10 hours of training before participating in your first Tier One event. That way you’ll never be competing in something you’re not ready for.   

 

Tier Two – Regional competitions  

Tier Two competitions bring together clubs from your region and like with Tier One, Tier Two competitions focus on one sport. Tier Two events are usually held over two days. You may travel to a different city or town for the event, which means you stay overnight.  

There are five different Special Olympics regions: 

• Upper North Island – covering from Northland down to South Auckland.  

• Central North Island – covering the wider Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas.  

• Lower North Island – from Gisborne and Taranaki down to Wellington.  

• Upper South Island – from the top of the South Island down through the West Coast and Canterbury.  

• Lower South Island – South Canterbury down to Southland 

Some clubs that host Tier Two events like to organise an overnight stay for their own athletes at a local campground or some other location. That way you still get the experience of staying away from home with your teammates. 

As well as playing sport together, Tier Two events usually include social activities where you get to mingle and have fun with athletes from the other teams. This is a great way to meet new people with similar interests as you. 

Requirements to take part 

You can participate in a Tier Two competition after you have competed in a Tier One event in the same sport. For example, if you played in a Tier One basketball competition, you’re good to compete in a Tier Two basketball event.   

You’ll also need to be ready to stay overnight somewhere new. Not everyone is and that’s okay! If it’s your first time having an overnight trip in a new place with new people, know that there will be other people there who know what that feels like! 

 

Tier Three - National competitions 

The Tier Three competitions are called the ‘National Summer Games’ and ‘National Winter Games’. These awesome national events are each held every four years and bring together athletes from across New Zealand.  

Tier Three events include a range of sports that are played in that season. For example, the National Summer Games has sports like athletics, football, and swimming. The National Winter Games has snow sports, like skiing and snowboarding.   

These national competitions are big events, held over three or four days in a host city. The host city is normally one with a university with student halls of residence that are used as the Athletes’ Village.  If you end up going to a national competition, you’ll need to pack enough clothes and supplies for a few nights away from home.  

The National Games also include an opening ceremony, social events and activities, and the Healthy Athletes programme.  

Requirements to take part 

To participate in a Tier Three competition, you must have competed in a Tier Two competition in the same sport within the national games qualification period. 

 

Tier Four – International competitions  

The Tier Four competitions are the global versions of what we do in New Zealand, the Special Olympics World Summer Games and World Winter Games. Like ours, they run every four years and  athletes and volunteers from all around the world take part! 

Like Tier Three events, Tier Four competitions include a range of season-specific sports. Unless the games are being held in the country you live in, the main difference with the World’s is that you get the amazing experience of travelling overseas! 

Requirements to take part 

To be eligible for a Tier Four competition, you must have competed in a Tier Three event in the same sport.  

Special Olympics clubs get to nominate athletes who they believe will represent New Zealand well at the World Games. The New Zealand team management will then select athletes from these nominations. When selecting athletes, they consider: 

• an athlete's sporting ability and experience in their specific sport 

• how independent an athlete is and if they’re ready to travel overseas without their family for support 

• an athlete's health and readiness for international competition 

• an athlete's previous involvement in Special Olympics and past World Games experience. 

The team at Special Olympics New Zealand likes to give as many athletes as possible the opportunity to go to a World Games, so they give priority to athletes who have not been to one of these events before.