Paintsville, Ky. – The Special Olympics Kentucky Area 3&9 Track and Field Meet returned to Johnson Central High School in Paintsville on Saturday, April 11. The Area 3&9 Meet included more than 150 athletes from Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Fleming, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, Perry, and Rowan Counties. The event got underway with Opening Ceremonies at 9:45 a.m., and competition began at 10:00 a.m.
This was the first of three weekends of the Special Olympics Area Track and Field season, which will conclude May 9 in Louisville.
The Area 3&9 Track and Field Meet was one of eight regional meets held statewide this year. In all, more than 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities throughout the state were expected to participate in area track and field competitions this year.
Participants in the Area 3&9 Track and Field Meet competed for the opportunity to advance to the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games, which will be held June 5–7 at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.
The Special Olympics Kentucky track and field season was made possible by the support of Year-Round Partners Jersey Mike’s, Texas Roadhouse, and Toyota.
For more information about the Area 3&9 Track and Field Meet or the Special Olympics track and field program, contact Special Olympics Kentucky Sports Program Manager Kathy Marshall at 502-695-8222 or via email at kmarshall@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 through the Healthy Athletes Initiative. Special Olympics Kentucky began as a one-day event in Louisville in 1970 and has expanded to serve nearly 11,000 athletes statewide annually. Special Olympics celebrated the 55th anniversary of the global movement in 2023.
