Examination of Health-Related Physical Fitness in Special Olympic Athletes and Partners at the 2022 Unified Cup.

Unified Sports within Special Olympics aims to promote inclusion, where athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities train and compete together with partners who do not have a disability. However, little is known about the health-related physical fitness (HrPF) of these athletes and partners. The primary objective of this study was to describe the HrPF of participants in the 2022 Unified Cup. Measures of HrPF were collected during Healthy Athletes Screenings from 201 soccer players, including 106 athletes and 95 partners. Notable differences were observed between athletes and partners in calf flexibility, timed sit-to-stand, and partial sit-up measures of HrPF (p < .001). In addition, hamstring flexibility and seated push-up showed notable differences between genders (p < .001). This study adds to the literature by utilizing the Healthy Athletes Screenings database. Results should be considered by coaches and programmers when working with Unified athletes in competitive settings.