Move United Junior Nationals

The Move United Junior Nationals (formerly the National Junior Disability Championships and the Adaptive Sports USA Junior Nationals) is an annual multi-sport event organized by Move United (formerly Adaptive Sports USA) for junior athletes between the ages of 6 and 22 who have disabilities, with sports including para-athletics.

Several Paralympic athletes started out as competitors at the NJDC.

The 2019 Junior Nationals were hosted from July 14–19, by Eden Prairie, Minnesota, at the Eden Prairie High School campus. The 2020 event was to be hosted in Denver, Colorado but was cancelled and deferred to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Events

Junior disabled athlete Joey Chiavaroli, at the 2004 NJDC in Mesa, Arizona

The event was founded in 1984 by Wheelchair & Ambulatory Sports, USA and was first held in July 1984.

Similar to the Olympic Games, the Junior Nationals are held every year in a different host city in the United States through a bidding process.

Participant Eligibility Requirements

All participating athletes must be at least 23 years or younger to participate. In 2020 the games were canceled and deferred to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Junior Nationals returned the following year 2021 the decision was made to allow athletes, 23 years of age that would have aged out of Junior Nationals in 2020 to compete.

Athletes must have a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment that is classifiable under the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Classification System.

Athletes must also achieve required qualifying standards prior to the Junior Nationals registration deadline.

Qualifying Events

List of Move United Sanctioned Competition, an NGB or High School Athletic Association sanctioned event the qualifies for the Junior Nationals that are held throughout the United States of America.

Past host cities