Apply for Eligibility

Welcome – we’re so glad you found us!
Athletes Without Limits (the USA Member of Virtus) is here to help you navigate eligibility and opportunities so you can reach your highest level in your Sport!

Eligibility FAQ:

Click on the headings below to reveal more details.

• Eligibility Pathways (Virtus vs. Paralympic):

   

  Virtus & Athletes Without Limits Events: Eligibility groups offered depend on whether the event is hosted by us Athletes Without Limits and our parent organization Virtus, where we offer three competition groups (Virtus II1, II2 and II3) for athletes with a variety of Intellectual Impairments across a wide variety of sports. Here’s what’s unique about AWL & Virtus events:

  • All Athletes with Autism are eligible for Athletes Without Limits and Virtus events in either the II1 or II3 groups. 
  • Athletes with Down Syndrome compete in a separate group for fairer competition due to their additional physical impairments. 
  • Mosts sports and all events within each sport are offered. 
  • Athletes Without Limits confirms eligibility and organizes US National Teams competing at Virtus Events.

  Paralympic & Adaptive Events (which follow Paralympic classification) are primarily for people with physical and visual impairments. A few sports (Swimming, Table Tennis and Track & Field) offer an additional “Intellectual Impairment” class for athletes who meet the IQ, Adaptive Behavior and Age of Onset criteria for a formal diagnosis of Intellectual Disability, Mild, Moderate or Severe (Virtus II1 & II2 athletes are eligible for Paralympic classification while Virtus II3 athletes are not). Athletes Without Limits role in Adaptive events hosted by other organizations is to confirm eligibility for these events, which athletes can then pursue on their own.



• Criteria for Athletes Without Limits & Virtus Sports & Events:

  VIRTUS SPORTS: BASKETBALL, CYCLING, JUDO, KARATE, ROWING, SKIING, SWIMMING, TABLE TENNIS, TAEKWONDO, TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY/HALF MARATHON
  

  AWL & Virtus Events II1 Competition Group – Formal diagnosis of Intellectual Disability, Mild, Moderate or Severe

  1)  IQ of 75 or lower on WAIS, WISC or Stanford Binet (test must be within last 5 years for high level events)
  2)  At least one domain of 70 or lower on ABAS, Vineland or AAMR Adaptive Behavior (test must be within last 5 years for high level events)
  3)  Onset before age 22

  AWL & Virtus Events II2 Competition Group – Intellectual Disability and Down Syndrome (or similar additional impairment)

  1)  Cytogenetic Report showing Trisomy 21 or Translocation as type of Down Syndrome
  2)  AAI Neck Scan
  3)  Virtus AAI Release Form signed by Doctor

  AWL & Virtus Events II3 Competition Group – Autism Open 

  1)  For Athletes with Autism who don’t meet the criteria for Virtus II1 Intellectual Disability or Paralympic Classification
  2)  Requires a formal Diagnosis of Autism using one of the following Virtus-accepted Autism assessments:

  • ADOS/ADOS2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) *Recommended for US Athletes
  • ADR-I (Autistic Diagnostic Interview – Revised)
  • ASRS (Autism Spectrum Rating Scales
  • CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale)
  • DISCO (Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders Framework)
  • GARS (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale)
  • RIMLAND (Autism Diagnostic Instrument)
  • AAA (Adult Asperger Assessment)
  • Indian Scale for the Assessment of Autism (ISAA) for ages 2-9 only
  • In some cases where the above tools have not been used but specific comprehensive evidence has been gathered by a multi-disciplinary team and mapped against either the ICD 11 or DSM 5 frameworks this may be acceptable at the discretion of the eligibility panel.
  



• Criteria for Paralympic Classification in Swim S14, Table Tennis 11, Track & Field T20

  Virtus advocates for the inclusion of athletes with Intellectual Impairment and so far three sports of the Paralympics were opened in 2012: Swim Class S14, Track & Field Class T20, Table Tennis Class 11.

  U.S. Paralympics partners with  Athletes Without Limits (USA Virtus Member) to confirm Virtus eligibility for US National Paralympic Classification.
  

  Some other Adaptive events like Move United, Boston Marathon and Adaptive Golf also use Paralympic classes at their events. 

  To be eligible to pursue U.S. Paralympic events and Teams athletes must meet the Virtus II1 Criteria and have a formal diagnosis of Intellectual Disability, Mild, Moderate or Severe which is:

  1)  IQ of 75 or lower on WAIS, WISC or Stanford Binet (test must be within last 5 years for higher level events*)

  2) At least one domain of 70 or lower on ABAS, Vineland or AAMR Adaptive Behavior (test must be within last 5 years for higher level events*)

  3) Onset before age 22.

  *Athletes with Down Syndrome applying for Paralympic Classification can have IQ and Adaptive assessments older than 5 years if they also provide their cytogenetic report.

  **Athletes with Autism are eligible for Para/Adaptive Events if they also meet the criteria for Intellectual Disability above (@60% of those with Autism have accompanying Intellectual Disability).



• Criteria for Adaptive Golf & WR4GD Pass

  Adaptive Golf is the only sport that Virtus does not offer at our own events (and is not offered by US Paralympics). Instead, high-level events are managed by EDGA’s WR4GD Player Pass system which requires Virtus eligibility. Athletes Without Limits assists athletes with this first step (Virtus Eligibility) so they can apply to EDGA for a WR4GD World Player Pass.

  There are some EDGA events open to all three Virtus groups II1, II2 & II3 internationally, while the USGA and other US events have chosen to follow Paralympic Eligibility (sometimes referred to as Paralympic Class G15 in golf).  To be eligible for the U.S. Adaptive Open Golf Championships (and similar) players must meet the Virtus II1 IQ, Adaptive and Onset Criteria below and have a formal diagnosis of Intellectual Disability, Mild, Moderate or Severe which is:

  1)  IQ of 75 or lower on WAIS WISC or Stanford Binet (test must be within last 5 years for higher level events*)

  2) At least one domain of 70 or lower on ABAS, Vineland or AAMR Adaptive Behavior (test must be within last 5 years for higher level events*)

  3) Onset before age 22.

  *Athletes with Down Syndrome applying for the U.S. Adaptive Open can have IQ and Adaptive assessments older than 5 years ago if they also provide their cytogenetic report.

  **Athletes with Autism are eligible for U.S. Adaptive Open if they also meet the criteria for Intellectual Disability above (@60% of those with Autism have accompanying Intellectual Disability).



• Who is this application for?

  This application form is for US athletes with Intellectual Impairments seeking eligibility confirmation from Virtus International, which is needed for Virtus, Paralympic or other events such as:

  1. Athletes Without Limits & Virtus Events
     These are high-performance events where athletes with Intellectual & Disability, Down syndrome and Autism (including our unique competition group for High Functioning Autism) compete in three competition groups (Virtus II1, Virtus II2 and Virtus II3)
  2. Paralympic Classification for Intellectual Impairment
  3. Athletes who meet the three criteria for Virtus II-1 Intellectual Disability (IQ 75 or lower and significant limitations in at least one domain area on an Adaptive Behavior assessment) are also able to pursue Paralympic Classification in select sports including for US Para Swimming, US Para Track & Field, USATT Table Tennis, Boston Marathon or other events requiring Paralympic Classification like Move United, State High School Swim Meets, etc.
  4. Golfers seeking a WR4GD World Player Pass
     Virtus Eligibility is required to get your EDGA World Player pass which is needed for major Championships including the U.S. Adaptive Open. Most US Adaptive events require Virtus II1 /Para eligibility for those who meet the IQ and Adapative Behavior criteria for Intellectual Disabilty, Mild, Moderate or Severe.
  5. USRowing & World Rowing (PR-3 II Intellectual Impairments)
  6. US Para Karate (Intellectual Disability & Down Syndrome)
  7. World Taekwondo
  8. Other Events if they say Virtus eligibility or Paralympic Classification is required.
  9. Welcome Project Inspire Soccer Teams – apply online through our Soccer Page!)



• Review Timeline

  Once you submit your application our National Eligibility Psychologist will review everything and we’ll email you (typically within 3-6 weeks) to let you know if your application has enough information for provisional National Eligibility, and if any additional or new assessments are  needed to send to the Virtus Eligibility Committee for their confirmation.

  Note that in 2025 we’ve received 3 times as many applications as previous years and are working to expand our volunteer capacity for reviewing more applications so appreciate your patience as we do! Please reach out to us if you’ve not heard back and you have an event deadline approaching. 

  Virtus International confirmation timelines vary depending on the application itself and the total number of applications in their queue — they note up to 12 weeks though we typically hear back in 6-8 weeks.

  Once we hear back from Virtus we’ll send you an email and will post the athletes name to our National Eligibility List.
  • If you are in a sport with Paralympic opportunities we will let the USOPC know you can be added to their National Paralympic Classification Database. (Swimming S14, Track & Field T20/F20 or Table Tennis Class 11).
  • If you are seeking a WR4GD Pass for Golf we’ll also email EDGA once your eligibility is confirmed to let them know they can issue your pass.

• New E-Sign AAI Clearance Form for Athletes with Down Syndrome

  Our AAI Clearance Page now offers both a PDF version or an Online E-Sign hipaa-friendly form you can send your Doctor:  https://www.athleteswithoutlimits.org/eligibility/aai-physician-form

• Guidelines for Psychologists Giving New Assessments

  It’s possible some athletes may need to schedule new IQ and/or Adaptive Behavior Assessment with their local Psychologist in order to meet full Virtus or Paralympic Eligibility documentation requirements — you can give them a copy of our Detailed Virtus Guidelines & Report Template for Psychologists.

• Questions

  We’ve tried to provide explanatory information throughout the application but if you have any trouble, please use our Contact Us form to reach out.