From Special Olympics Ohio
More than 1,000 athletes across Ohio are preparing for Special Olympics Ohio’s 2023 Indoor Winter Games presented by Marathon Petroleum. As the organization’s second largest state-level annual tournament, Winter Games will be held March 3-5 at Bowling Green State University. The event will include basketball, basketball skills, competitive cheerleading, and swimming tournaments for athletes as well as Unified Sports® and Healthy Athletes® programs.
The athletes, Unified partners and coaches will participate in traditional and Unified Sports competitions at the Indoor Winter Games. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) on the same team and is inspired by a simple idea: training and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding. These experiences are not only challenging and exciting, but also improve the attitudes and behaviors among all young people, both with and without ID.
“Special Olympics Ohio is thrilled to be back at Bowling Green State University for our 2023 Indoor Winter Games, presented by Marathon Petroleum. We are so appreciative of the support from local partners, Visit BG and the university, as well as the warm welcome back from the Bowling Green community. This event is the highlight of the year for many of our athletes as they show off their hard work and training in preparing for this state-level competition. We invite everyone to come witness the spirit, passion and dedication of our athletes. You will be inspired,” said Jessica Stewart, Special Olympics Ohio’s president and CEO.
In addition to sports competitions, athletes will have access to free health screenings and education through the Healthy Athletes program. Healthy Athletes is not only a program for athletes, but it is also a program for healthcare students and professionals to increase their knowledge of best practices in caring for and communicating with people with ID.
