Coronavirus cancels April Special Olympics for York, Chester, Lancaster athletes
The threat of coronavirus has forced the cancellation of the Special Olympics spring games for York, Chester and Lancaster county athletes, officials said.
The Special Olympics has called off its Area 11 Spring Games that were scheduled for April 3 in Rock Hill at Manchester Meadows, said Katie Quinn, spokesperson for the City of Rock Hill.
The annual event held in Rock Hill usually hosts more than 1,000 athletes from area counties. Hundreds of volunteers assist at the annual games.
The games, along with the South Carolina state summer games, have been cancelled through the end of May, according to Special Olympics South Carolina.
In a statement, Special Olympics organizers said that the decision was made with advice from Special Olympics International, and health and safety experts.
“Out of an abundance of caution, Special Olympics South Carolina (SOSC) has made the decision to cancel all Special Olympics practices and competitions at the local and state levels through the month of May. This will include local Spring Games, other local tournaments/invitationals, State Summer Games and State Equestrian.
York, Lancaster, and Chester counties make up Area 11. Statewide there are 16 areas in South Carolina that each hold Spring Games in March, April or May.
“We do not make these decisions lightly,” Special Olympics officials said earlier in the week in a statement. “Canceling events has a huge impact on more than 30,000 children and adults in our program, as well as thousands of coaches, volunteers, Unified Partners and family members. Local area programs have already begun their practices for their sports and were looking forward to having these competitions. Our first priority is the safety of not only our athletes but our coaches, volunteers, family members and Special Olympics family in general.”
Special Olympics South Carolina offers 27 Olympic-style sports. More than 30,000 participants with intellectual disabilities compete in more than 500 events annually.
Area 11 has an active base. The area routinely hosts bowling, swimming and other events. The Clover area in particular boasts two participants — golfer Scott Rohrer and weightlifter Josh Myers — who represented the U.S. multiple times at world events.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
