The fundamental difference which sets Special Olympics Manitoba competitions apart from those of other sports organizations is that athletes of all ability levels are encouraged to participate and every athlete is recognized for his of her performance. Competitions are structured so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar ability in equitable divisions.

Procedures for Divisioning

An athlete's ability is the primary factor in divisioning Special Olympics Manitoba competitions. The ability of an athlete of team is determined by an entry score from a prior competition, a time submitted by the coach, or is the result of a seeding round or preliminary event at the competition itself. Other factors which are significant in establishing competitive divisions are age and gender.

• Step One:
  Divide Athletes by Gender
  
  
• Step Two:
  Divide Athletes by Ability
  
  
• Step Three:
  Divide Athletes by Age (whenever the number of athletes entered is high enough to allow)

Ideally, competition is enhanced when all divisions accommodate at least three (3) and no more than eight (8) competitors or teams of similar ability.