Due to the uncertainty of safety for travel to Turkey, a decision was made by the USADSS Board to not attend the 2024 Trisomy Games as a team.
This is a very unfortunate situation for our organization as we were planning to attend and for our athletes who have been looking forward to and training for this opportunity. Discussion has started of possibly hosting a LCM swim event stateside.
More information coming soon.
International Competitions for Swimmers with Down Syndrome
There are three international organizations that offer world championships for athletes with Down syndrome for the sport of swimming.
USA Down Syndrome Swimming selects the USA national team for 1 of them, the Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation (DSISO). This is a bridge organization for swimmers who want to compete at a high level, but are not yet achieving para motivational times.
1. The Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation (DSISO) offers merit-based regional and world championships specifically for athletes with Trisomy 21 and a separate classification for mosaic Trisomy 21.
USADSS is the National Sports Organization (NSO) for DSISO. The USADSS National Team Coaching Staff selects the National Team. To learn about past teams, go to our history page.
2. Virtus Sport offers international competition for athletes with intellectual impairment in several sports and the USA National Sports Organisation (NSO) is Athletes Without Limits (AWL). Qualifying times are more challenging.
Virtus competitions are split into classifications that consider an athlete’s medical condition and their physical, sensory and cognitive attributes to group them into classes.
The Virtus II-2 classification is for “Intellectual impairment with a significant other impairment”. This includes swimmers with a formal diagnosis of Down syndrome. For safety, athletes must not have symptomatic Atlantoaxial Instability (AAI).
3. Special Olympics is for athletes who are intellectually impaired. It has local, state, national, and international competitions, and each state and country have established selection criteria for a national team. Special Olympics does not have a specific classification for athletes with Down syndrome, and national and international competitions are based on a state-by-state lottery system.
Rowdy Gaines gives shout out to national team before the European open in 2019.
USA Down Syndrome National Swimming Team competed at the DSISO European Open in 2019.
USA Down Syndrome National Swimming Team competed at the 2018 World Championship in Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation (DSISO) offers championships specific to swimmers with Down syndrome
The Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation (DSISO) was established in 2002 to organize regional and world championships specific to swimmers with Down syndrome. Currently, 50+ countries are affiliated with DSISO and compete for regional and world records.
All DSISO competitions are in either Short Course Meters (SCM) or Long Course Meters (SCM). International record times and time standards are in meters, not yards.
DSISO is allowing qualifying times to be achieved at sanctioned Short Course Yard events.
USA Down Syndrome Swimming is America’s National Sports Organization for DSISO.
USA Down Syndrome Swimming was formed to benefit swimmers with Down syndrome in their pursuit of competitive swimming, and to support their elite participation in national and international competition.
In the months prior to a championship, USA Down Syndrome Swimming (USADSS) selects a National Swimming and Artistic Swimming Team to attend Regional and World Championships. To be selected, a swimmer must be 13 years old by the first day of competition, achieve at least one "A" minimum qualifying time (MQT), at a sanctioned meet and meet other selection criteria.
The athletes who qualify for international competition inspire us every day in their journey toward personal growth and inclusion. USA Down Syndrome Swimming is proud to be a part of such an amazing collection of T21 Swim Warriors! Contact us to learn more about applying to be on the USA Down Syndrome National Swimming Team at: join@usadss.org.
Coach
Rick Klatt
USADSS Technical Advisor
Grasy Noriega
USADSS Technical Advisor
Virtus
offers multiple high performance sport championships offered for athletes who have intellectual impairment. (Including swimmers with Down syndrome.)
Virtus was formed (as INAS) in 1986 and has grown to a membership of more than 80 nations across the world. These cover Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, North America and Oceania. Virtus promotes inclusion of people with intellectual impairments in society and are a member of the International Paralympic Committee. For more information visit the history of World Intellectual Impairment Sport page.
Every four years Virtus hosts the “Global Games” – the world’s largest elite sports event for athletes with an intellectual impairment. Recently, a category (II2) for athletes with Down syndrome was been created. For more information visit the Global Games page.
Athletes Without Limits is America’s National Sports Organization for Virtus.
The Mission of Athletes Without Limits is to create opportunities, supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; so that they can develop and maintain healthy lifestyles and reach their highest potential in sport and in life. Many T21 Swim Warriors are registered with both Athletes Without Limits and USA Down Syndrome Swimming.
AWL offers opportunities to compete at swimming competitions within the USA. They are also a powerhouse organization that also fields a USA National Team at Virtus championships. Minimum qualifying standards, and other criteria apply. To learn more, go to: https://www.athleteswithoutlimits.org/swimming
2020 US Masters Swimming Magazine Article
Check out this article about the awesome vision of AWL’s Barry and Julie Holman back in 2009. They were pioneers in incorporating athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities into mainstream sporting events.
https://www.facebook.com/AthletesWithoutLimits/photos/pcb.10158161973824520/10158161959489520/
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Many people with disabilities, including T21 Swim Warriors, begin competing in Special Olympics swim meets. It is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries.[2] Special Olympics competitions are held every day, all around the world—including local, national and regional competitions, adding up to more than 100,000 events a year.
Other International Competition Helpful Links
SU-DS promotes sport worldwide for athletes with Down syndrome to the highest levels of sporting excellence.
Join us in our Global movement to include Artistic Swimming (Formerly Synchronized Swimming) as an 'Adaptable Sport.'
