Summer Games Return to EKU June 5
After a year that saw the first cancellation of the State Summer Games in our program’s history, the Games are set to return to Eastern Kentucky University in 2021! And while the Games will look a little different this year, they will still retain almost all of the elements that make the Summer Games the most important event on the Special Olympics Kentucky Calendar.
This year’s Games will be limited to one day — Saturday, June 5. To accommodate the one-day format some sports schedules will be altered from more traditional years. For example, swimming and track and field relays will not be held. All five Summer Games sports — track and field, swimming, soccer, bocce and rhythmic gymnastics — will be held that day. There will still be an Olympic Town area complete with Healthy Athletes activities. Opening Ceremonies will be brief and held at each event venue. There will be no closing ceremonies.
The Games WILL include Olympic Town and the Healthy Athletes Wellness Village. Olympic Town is a festival-style area where athletes can enjoy games and activities when they aren’t competing. The Healthy Athletes Wellness Village will once again offer athletes free screenings at different venues including Opening Eyes (vision), Healthy Hearing, Health Promotions (diet and healthy lifestyle instruction) and Strong Minds (mental health and coming mechanisms).
Look for a pre-Games hype video on the Special Olympics Kentucky Facebook page and YouTube page on Wednesday, June 2.
As many as 600 athletes are expected to take part.
See Photos from the 2021 State Summer Games
Volunteers are being sought to help operate the Games. For volunteer opportunities, contact Kelli Firquin at 800-633-7403 or [email protected].
2021 Volunteer Orientation Video
This is the 10th consecutive year that Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives has served as the Platinum Sponsor for the Games. Touchstone Energy is the largest single supporter of the State Summer Games. In addition, Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy has signed on as the official water sponsor for the year for Special Olympics Kentucky. In that role they will provide all of the bottled water for volunteers and each athlete, coach and volunteer lunch will have a bottle of water provided by Touchstone.
This will be the sixth year that Chick-fil-A Central Kentucky stores are teaming up to provide all lunches for athletes, coaches and volunteers on the day of the Games.
For information about the 2021 Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games, contact Special Olympics Kentucky President/CEOÂ Trish Mazzoni at 502-695-8222 or via e-mail at [email protected].
The 2021 Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games are made possible through the generosity of platinum sponsor Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, Special Olympics Kentucky year-round partners Texas Roadhouse and Toyota; Gold Olympic Town sponsor Chick-fil-A; Gold Sponsors AECOM, Eastern Kentucky University, the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Kentucky and Walmart; Silver Sponsors Richmond Tourism and Southland Dairy Farmers; Bronze Sponsors Golden Corral, Don Jacobs Honda-BMW-Volkswagen, Greentree Forest Products, Lockheed Martin, Penske Truck Rental and People’s Bank and games sponsors the City of Richmond, Dever Golf Cars, and Positively Java.
