Paintsville, Ky. – After being cancelled a year ago due to the pandemic, the Special Olympics Kentucky Area 3&9 Track and Field Meet will return to Johnson Central High School in Paintsville on Saturday, April 24. The Area 3&9 Meet includes more than 80 athletes from Carter, Floyd, Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin and Rowan Counties. The event will get underway with Opening Ceremonies at 9:45 a.m. Competition begins at 10:00.
This is the third of four weekends of the Special Olympics Area Track and Field season, which concludes May 8 in Louisville.
The Area 3&9 Track and Field Meet is one of eight regional meets held statewide his year. In all, more than 500 athletes with intellectual disabilities throughout the state are expected to participate in area track and field competitions this year. And while athlete counts are lower than in most years, we are excited to be able to hold competitions this year.
Participants in the Spring Games automatically qualify to compete in the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games to be held June 5 at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.
For more information about the Area 3&9 Track and Field Meet or about the Special Olympics track and field program, contact Special Olympics Vice President of Field and Athlete Services Kim Satterwhite at 800-633-7403 or via e-mail at ksatterwhite@soky.org.
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 of age 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 11,300 athletes statewide annually. Special Olympics celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the global movement in 2018.
