FOR CLARIFICATION ON DIVISION ONE AND DIVISION TWO ATHLETES, THE FOLLOWING RULES APPLY:
1. HIGH-INTENSITY TEAM SPORTS (BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL) ARE RESTRICTED TO DIVISION I ATHLETES.
2. DIVISION II ATHLETES MAY NOT COMPETE IN INDIVIDUAL SPORTS IN WHICH THROUGH ELIMINATION THEY MAY END UP COMPETING HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH A DIVISION I ATHLETE. THESE SPORTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
BADMINTON
BASKETBALL
TABLE TENNIS
TENNIS
VOLLEYBALL
DONOR FAMILIES AND LIVING DONOR FAMILIES WILL BE ABLE TO COMPETE JUST AS DIVISION I AND II, THEY WILL COMPETE AND MEDAL SEPARATELY. COMPETITION EVENTS WILL BE LIMITED TO: 5K RUN/WALK, BALLROOM DANCING, LYRICS FOR LIFE AND TRIVIA.
Conditions of Entry
The Transplant Games of America event includes a multi-sport age group, national athletic competition open to recipients and living donors of life supporting allographs (heart, intestine, kidney, liver, lung, and pancreas), corneal recipients, and cell transplants (bone marrow) from other individuals or species and tissue transplants.
Recipients must have been transplanted for at least nine months, with stable graft function, be medically fit and have trained in the events in which they have entered. Likewise, living donors must meet the same nine month waiting period from their donation, be medically fit, and have trained in the events in which they have entered. Previously transplanted kidney recipients who are back on dialysis may compete with medial approval of their physician, and all competitors must submit medically approved waivers signed by their physician in order to compete.
Living donors are eligible to compete in most individual events in their own division along with corneal, tissue, and bone marrow transplant recipients. International athletes are welcome to compete but will earn duplicate medals in an international division. Donor families may compete, but only in a select amount of event, as listed at the top of the page.
Age Groups
Athletes will compete by gender in the following age groups: 14-17, 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+. Children under 14 years of age will compete in designated children's events in the following age groups: 5 and under, 6-10, and 11-13. Age on the day of Opening Ceremonies will apply.
Volleyball, 3-on-3 basketball (adult and youth), relay events in track and swimming will be one open age category—i.e., no age classifications. All other events are age categorized. In doubles events that are age-categorized, if the members of a pair are in different age groups, the pair will be classified in the younger age group. If one of the players is under 18, the pair will play in the adult category.
PLEASE NOTE: TEAM SPORTS ARE RESTRICTED TO SOLID ORGAN RECIPIENTS
ONLY. DIVISION II AND DONOR FAMILY COMPETITORS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR TEAM SPORTS.
Medals
Medals are awarded to the top three competitors in each age group within the respected division. A competitor must be deemed to have competed according to the rules of his or her sport to earn a medal. Medals only count toward the Team Trophy if competitors are part of a team.
Entries
Age groups may be combined in the interests of competition and meet management, but medals will be awarded as per the age groups of the Games. All events may have a maximum number of competitors. Entries will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. When the maximum number is reached, no additional entries will be allowed. No sport entry changes will be made after the registration deadline, no exceptions.
Athletes will be allowed to enter a total of five sports but no more than one individual sport per day. However, team events (3-on-3 basketball and volleyball) do not count toward the five event limit, nor does the 5K Run/Walk. Generally there is not a cap on how many athletes can participate in each sport.
Athletes may choose 5 of the following sports: Badminton, Ballroom Dancing, Bowling, Cornhole, Cycling, Darts, Golf, Lyrics for Life, Pickleball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Track & Field, Trivia Challenge, Poker, Youth Olympiad (10 and under).
Competitors entered in team and relay events by their teams must be affirmatively medically cleared to participate in that sport.
Athletes are restricted to one individual sport per day and may not enter events that take place at the same time in different venues.
Failure of an athlete to appear at any event when called will result in the athlete being eliminated from that competition. There will be no appeal of any disqualification for failure to appear.
For events with more than one competitor, e.g., doubles and relays, each team must consist of members from the same team only.
For events with doubles competition in both same and mixed gender categories (e.g., tennis), competitors may enter one category, but not both.
Doubles partners must be finalized before the registration deadline. Competitors who have entered a doubles event and not supplied a partner will be dropped from the competition after the registration deadline. It is not permitted to change doubles partners after the deadline, except for in the case of medical necessity. Then, the new partner must be from the same team, must be medically cleared to compete in the event, and must not compete in more than five events as stated above. Doubles and team competitions are restricted to State TGA Teams. If you compete as a "Non Affiliate Team" participant, you are competing as an individual, therefore, you may not compete in team/doubles competitions.
Approved Medal Events for 2022:
5K Run/Walk (open to the public)
Badminton
Ballroom Dancing
Basketball
Bowling
Cornhole (Bean Bag Toss)
Cycling
Darts
Golf
Lyrics for Life
Pickleball
Swimming
Table Tennis
Tennis
Texas "Hold-em Poker"
Track & Field
Trivia Challenge
Virtual Triathlon
Volleyball
Youth Olympiad