Can someone with schizophrenia join the special olympics?

According to the Special Olympics website, criteria for inclusion are as follows:

To be eligible to participate in Special Olympics, you must be at least 8 years old and identified by an agency or professional as having one of the following conditions: intellectual disabilities, cognitive delays as measured by formal assessment, or significant learning or vocational problems due to cognitive delay that require or have required specially designed instruction. The Special Olympics Young Athletes™ program was created for children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 through 7.

I can see nothing prohibiting people with schizophrenia who are otherwise qualified from competing.

Article 2: Special Olympics Athletes:

“Article 2 provides that every person with an intellectual disability who is at least eight years of age is eligible to participate in Special Olympics, and that there is no maximum age limit for participation. It also highlights the Young Athletes program which introduces children from two to seven years old to the world of sport with the goal of preparing them for Special Olympics sports training and competition when they get older.

Participation in Special Olympics is open to all persons with intellectual disabilities who meet the age requirements of this Article, whether or not that person also has other mental or physical disabilities, so long as that person registers to participate. ”

If you have an intellectual disability you can join the Special Olympics but you have to have the disability, schizophrenia will not stop you.
But having schizophrenia will not get you into the Special Olympics.

I don’t think that would suffice as the only criteria if that’s what you’re asking.

I doubt it. Many people with schizophrenia are very smart. I don’t see schizophrenia as being mentally impaired or retarded (is that word still used?). It’s a mental illness sure, but can be mutually exclusive from intelligence or cognitive ability. Some people with schizophrenia do have cognitive dificiencies that might qualify, just like people without schizophrenia might qualify.

^^ mentally challenged is the term used these day.

Mentally challenged means low IQ now? Back in the day I heard people use the phrase mentally challenged like a joke. Like saying a person’s elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top, or he is not working with all 8 cylinders.

Actually, the appropriate term is developmentally disabled.

Schizophrenia is a mental illness, but not a developmental disability.