The Special Olympics is officially coming to Northern Kentucky.
The Florence location of Sports of All Sorts will host 250 Special Olympics athletes for the 2022 Special Olympics Kentucky Region 2 basketball tournament. The tournament will feature 21 teams competing for a spot at the Special Olympic state basketball tournament, which will be held in Louisville from March 11 to 13. Nine of the 21 teams competing will earn automatic berths to the state tournament.
Games will kick off at 9 a.m. The championship games for certain divisions will begin as early as 11 a.m. The final game of the tournament will start at 1 p.m. In total, 14 teams from Northern Kentucky will be competing in the tournament. Teams from Frankfort, Lexington and Richmond will also be in the mix.
There are three regional basketball tournaments Special Olympics Kentucky holds in advance of the state tournament. The two other tournaments will be in Benton and Elizabethtown.
This is the first Special Olympics Kentucky regional tournament held since 2020. Last year’s basketball season was limited to skills events to limit overall exposure to COVID-19.
This year there are slated to be over 875 athletes competing on 78 teams statewide. Basketball is one of the most popular sports offered by Special Olympics Kentucky. Teams compete throughout the state in leagues and invitational and regional tournaments, all leading up to the State Basketball Tournament in March.
Regional Tournaments determine which 35 teams advance to the State Tournament. Teams that do not qualify for the State Tournament have the option of participating in the Team Skills Competition, which is also held in Louisville in conjunction with the State Tournament.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest program of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Participation in competitive events is open to all individuals eight years or older. Training and competition in local, area, state, and national programs is offered year-round in Kentucky in 15 sports. In addition to its traditional sports competitions, Special Olympics also offers early childhood programming through the Young Athletes Program and medical screenings though the Healthy Athletes Initiative. Special Olympics Kentucky began as a one-day event in Louisville in 1970 and has expanded to serve more than 10,200 athletes statewide annually.
For more information about the Special Olympics Kentucky Regional Basketball Tournament, contact Mark Staggs, tournament director, at 859-831-7575 or Hunter Brislin, Special Olympics Kentucky Director of Team Sports at 502-695-8222 or hbrislin@soky.org.
