CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Special Olympics Summer Games to return to Richmond next year

Richmond Register - 4/30/2020

Apr. 30--It's become a summer tradition in Madison County.

Athletes from across the state flocked to the campus of Eastern Kentucky University the first weekend in June for the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games.

The event has been held in Richmond for 25 consecutive years.

That streak will soon come to an end, unfortunately.

Special Olympics Kentucky announced earlier this month the 2020 Summer Games had been canceled because of the COVID-19 crisis.

The event was scheduled for June 5 through 7.

"It really was, honestly, heartbreaking to make that decision," said Mark Buerger, director of communications and external relations for Special Olympics Kentucky. "We were faced with no other really good options."

Many other organizations have had to make the same difficult decisions in recent weeks.

Special Olympics Kentucky officials were not only concerned about the problems with social distancing and restrictions on large gatherings, they were determined to protect the integrity of the competitions.

Athletes are required to train and compete in regional events leading up to the state games.

That hasn't been possible for almost the past two months.

"Once they weren't allowed to practice and then we weren't allowed to hold our spring qualifiers, there was no way we were going to be able to the hold Summer Games in a way that was responsible to the program and our athletes and the work they do on a daily basis," Buerger said.

There are more than 11,000 Special Olympics athletes in Kentucky, competing in 15 athletic activities.

"We have athletes from almost every county in the state," Buerger said.

That includes a very strong local contingent.

The Madison County Special Olympics has more than 100 athletes, ranging in age from 8 to 54, who compete year-round in six sports -- track and field, basketball, golf, softball, flag football and bowling.

Not all of those athletes compete in the annual Summer Games, but the event certainly has extra significance to those attached to the Madison County organization.

"We have a lot of volunteers who help out and participate any way they can at the Summer Games," said Jamie Moore of Madison County Special Olympics. "We are there a few days before when they start setting up and are there at the end to clean up. We are very much apart of the event."

Moore says she knows that the cancelation of the Summer Games and all other Special Olympic activities has been tough on everyone in the organization.

"I've had lot of athletes message me, asking me when we are going to get going again," Moore said. "Everyone wants to see their friends and get active again.

The Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games features around 1,400 athletes competing in five sports -- track and field, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer and bocce.

The organization holds many state-wide events in other sports, most notably bowling, but the trip to Richmond every year is something everyone looks forward to.

"It's the most exciting weekend of the year," Buerger said. "Richmond and EKU are the spiritual heart of our program. We've spent half of our program's existence there."

The Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games migrated around the Commonwealth for more than two decades, changing locations every two years.

Until the event found a permanent home at EKU.

"Our athletes, families and volunteers look forward to coming to Richmond every year, and there's good reason for that. It's because the city and the university have treated us so well for every one of those previous 25 years," said Trish Mazzoni, President/CEO, Special Olympics Kentucky. "Every trip to Richmond feels like coming home. We are deeply grateful for the city's annual welcome and hospitality. We will miss you all this year, and we can't wait to see you in 2021."

The games will return to Richmond.

The cancellation for this year, though, is disappointing to the athletes for many reasons.

They won't get to compete, of course, but they also won't get some of the added benefits of the program.

Each year, Special Olympics Kentucky plays host to a Healthy Athlete Wellness Village at the summer event, where athletes can go through six different screening services -- dental, vision, hearing, podiatry, flexibility and strong minds.

"We give away free glasses through our Opening Eyes Program," Buerger. "So, that's just something else that the athletes are going to miss out on."

The organization is already putting into place a way for the public to support the Special Olympics athletes in Kentucky.

A virtual summer games in is the works and more details will be available soon.

"People can sign up to be Champions for Special Olympics," Buerger said. "There's some really simple fundraisers for people to honor the athletes."

___

(c)2020 the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.)

Visit the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.) at richmondregister.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.