By Blake Haas
BLOOMINGTON – The annual Special Olympics summer games are underway across the state, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes are competing virtually.
Dave Breen, President and CEO of Special Olympics Illinois said even though the Special Olympics are virtual, athletes are participating in a wide array of sports.
“Well, we wish we didn’t have to (compete virtually). But, things are starting to turn around, and we’ve got a whole week of activities going on here, and we’ve got everything from workouts to E-gaming to our athletes leading about health and nutrition. And we probably have the world’s largest craft activity that will be going on on Thursday, so we’re just doing a lot of things to resonate with a lot of different ages and family members.”
Breen, who spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller, said around 4,200 athletes and 2,500 volunteers would participate in the Summer Games in a typical year.
“Certainly next year, we want to have everybody out. You know, show the athletes and allow the athletes to show their ability to the community because that’s what it’s all about.”
The first in-person State Championship for Special Olympics is in August in Bloomington-Normal.
More information about registering to participate in the Summer Games can be found at support.specialolympics.org.
The Special Olympics run until June 24.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
