Eric Dompierre, a 19-year-old Michigan student-athlete with Down syndrome, will be allowed to participate on his high school’s football and basketball teams, the Michigan High School Athletic Association announced today.
Dompierre exceeds the MHSAA’s traditional age limit, which bars students who turn 19 before Sept. 1 from participating in school sports. (He turned 19 this past January.) However, the MHSAA approved a rule change earlier this year which allows the age limit to be waived under extremely limited circumstances.
Before the rule change, the MHSAA’s age limit was the only rule