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!

Who is this application for?
This application form is for US athletes with Intellectual Impairments seeking eligibility confirmation from Virtus International, which is needed to compete at any (or all!) of the following:

  • 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).
  • Paralympic Classification for Intellectual Impairment
    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.
  • 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
  • Project Inspire Soccer Teams (Welcome!)
  • USRowing & World Rowing (PR-3 II Intellectual Impairments)
  • US Para Karate (Intellectual Disability & Down Syndrome)
  • World Taekwondo 
  • Other Events if they say Virtus eligibility or Paralympic Classification is required.

Review Timeline
Once you submit your application our National Eligibility Psychologist will review everything and we’ll email you (typically within 2 weeks) to let you know if your application is ready to send to the Virtus Eligibility Committee for their confirmation. Virtus 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 4-8 weeks.

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 II1 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.

5 Steps to Apply:

  1. Download Eligibility Application & Instructions PDF and gather items needed for evidence using the table on page 2 of the application.
  2. Send us an email via our  Contact Us form to request a secure link to upload your application and supporting documents directly to our Eligibility Dropbox.
  3. Athletes Without Limits US Eligibility Psychologist will review your application to make sure it has everything needed — we’ll email you an update and an invoice to pay the one-time application fee of $175 (or $75 for provisional eligibility for youth age 15 under). This typically takes @1-3 weeks depending on the information provided.
  4. We will then submit your completed application to the Virtus Eligibility Committee for confirmation. Virtus notes their review can take as long as 12 weeks — though we typically hear back from them within 4-8 weeks.
  5. 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.

 We look forward to working with you!