Construction and Improvements Force Some Venues to Relocate in 2026

Everyone who heads to Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond June 5-7 for the State Summer Games will notice some big changes to some event locations. As EKU continues to make improvements to the campus, construction will once again impact this year’s events.

The biggest change from the last few years will feel familiar to anyone who has been coming to the Games for a longer time. With the Powell Plaza unavailable this year, Olympic Town will return to its original location in the Alumni Coliseum Parking Lot. Nothing about Olympic Town will change however. It will still have all the fun games, giveaways and great food from our friends at Walmart. Also, the space will allow the Southland Dairy trailer and live cow (and free ice cream) to return to Olympic Town from its location near Law Enforcement Lane. The Closing Ceremonies and Victory Dance will also move to the Alumni Coliseum Lot (in case of inclement weather, both Closing and the Dance will return to the Student Rec Center.

While Olympic Town is moving, Healthy Athletes is not. It will remain on the second floor of the Powell Building. It will, however, have expanded hours, running from 9 am-3 pm this year so that more athletes have the opportunity to attend.

We know that splitting Olympic Town and Healthy Athletes could cause issues with athletes trying to get to both. For that reason, in addition to the expanded Healthy Athletes hours, we have changed the Summer Games Shuttle route for this year. There will still be stops at the soccer and bocce venues and at the entrance to Commonwealth Parking Lot for the track. We are adding stops in the Alumni Coliseum lot for Olympic Town and at the Powell Building for Healthy Athletes and the Operations Center. This will lengthen the time that the shuttle takes to complete its look, so keep that in mind when moving around campus.

Speaking of bocce, changes to the Intramural Fields will move the bocce competition back one field. Bocce will go from the front Intramural Field to the middle field. One soccer field will remain on the farthest intramural field.

No  competitive event schedules will change.

While these changes are unavoidable, we know they will cause a disruption for athletes and spectators. We are working hard to limit the inconvenience and make it as easy as possible to get around campus.

If you have any questions about the changes or how they may affect your delegation, contact Holly Vincent at hvincent@soky.org or 502-695-8222.