The First State’s Special Olympics Summer Games take place this weekend.
The 52nd annual Special Olympics Delaware Summer Games in Newark run Friday and Saturday with an Opening Ceremony at the Bob Carpenter Center Friday afternoon at 4:15.
The Summer Games are Special Olympics Delaware’s largest sports event each year. More than 550 athletes and an additional 80 Unified Partners (peers without disabilities) from across the state compete in six sports — aquatics, bocce, powerlifting, softball, tennis, and track and field — at the University of Delaware’s athletic complex.
And Special Olympics Delaware's Jon Buzby says that level of participation is inspiring..
“One of the greatest things about this year’s summer games is we are welcoming back more athletes than we’ve had even pre-Covid," said Buzby. "So it just further hammers home the importance of Special Olympics, not only in their lives, but in the lives of their families. "
More than 130 coaches helped prep participating athletes over the past three months and Special Olympics Delaware relies on over 1,000 volunteers to make the event happen.
And Buzby says that support is also signifciant.
"What it brings to a Special Olympics athlete is people that not only support them in the training process, but when they come to competition, the folks, many whom they don’t even know, cheering them on, knowing they are giving their best whether they win the gold medal or not.”
Events take place thrughout the day Friday and Saturday at UD. More information on the Special Olympics Delaware Summer Games and the competiion schedule is available at the Special Olympics Delaware website.
