More than 60 athletes from Boone, Campbell, Grant, Kenton and Pendleton Counties will compete in the Special Olympics Kentucky Area 7 Track and Field Meet on Saturday, April 27, at Lloyd High School in Erlanger.

The event gets underway with Opening Ceremonies, including the parade of athletes, at 9:45 a.m. The competition begins at 10.

This is the third of four weekends of the Special Olympics Area Track and Field season, which concludes May 11 in Louisville.

The Area 7 Track and Field Meet is one of eight regional meets held statewide this year. In all, more than 900 athletes with intellectual disabilities throughout the state are expected to participate in area track and field competitions this year. Every athlete who participates in the Area 7 Track and Field Meet automatically qualifies to compete in the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games to be held June 2-4 at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.

The Special Olympics Kentucky track and field season is made possible by the support of our Year-Round Partners Jersey Mike’s, Texas Roadhouse and Toyota.

Special Olympics – track (NKyTribune file photo)

For more information about the Area 7 Track and Field Meet or about the Special Olympics track and field program, contact Special Olympics Vice President of Field and Outreach Services Kim Satterwhite at 502-695-8222 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 55th Anniversary of the global movement in 2023.