The Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games, an annual event in Bloomington-Normal, is a culmination of athletics, family-oriented events and fun. The seven-sport event will take place Friday and Saturday at venues throughout the Twin Cities.
What makes the event like no other is its emphasis on inclusion of everyone and building irreplaceable bonds through a large sum of people from all walks of life, organizers said. This year's games will feature 3,450 athletes and unified partners, 1,250 coaches and 1,200 volunteers.
Brian McWhorter, 41, of Normal, will be competing in powerlifting. He finds joy in his craft on the mat but also from the success of everyone.
“I love… to see all the people that can achieve their goals, as well as how much they’ve trained over the years,” McWhorter said.
McWhorter will be rooting for his fellow athletes, but is also dedicated to his three lifts — deadlift, bench press and squats — shown through his specific goals. He hopes to hit 380 pounds on deadlift, 210 pounds on bench press and 220-230 on squats.
McWhorter will be celebrating regardless of the outcome, especially since his birthday coincides with opening day.
“[It’s] pretty cool, I’m thrilled,” McWhorter said.
Allyson Meyer, 34, from Bloomington, competes in track and field, softball and bocce year-round. During the Summer Games, Meyer will be participating in track.
She emphasizes the organization's dedication in cultivating a space where athletes can play a variety of sports and find joy in them. In the case of Meyer, there are so many options that she can’t pick a favorite.
“I like my favorite sports,” Meyer said. “My favorite sports are a lot of sports.”
But much like McWhorter, Meyer is hoping for success from all athletes and is specifically excited to compete with her friends and teammates.
“Year after year it’s been an honor trying to train to do our best, trying to reach our goals as best we can and to accomplish those for next year,” McWhorter said.
Special Olympics Illinois prioritizes fun events as well, said Tim Ryan, a Special Olympics Illinois board member and volunteer of over 20 years.
“They work year round for this event every summer and they put in a lot of hard work. So all the events leading up to it, the events all over the weekend, really just mean the most to the athletes,” Ryan said.
The events include Wednesday’s painting of the Children’s Discovery Museum, Friday’s opening ceremony and a culminating victory dance in Uptown Normal on Saturday night.
“These events are what make Special Olympics athletes happy and it's so awesome to be able to share in that,” said Nate Henry, director of sports and competition.
Law enforcement torch run
The opening ceremony at Hancock Stadium on Friday features the lighting of a cauldron, which is lit by members of the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run. Officers run a total of 1,500 miles to bring the torch to Bloomington-Normal, including 116.3 miles in the final leg through three days from Gillespie to Bloomington-Normal.
Michelle Mayer, senior director of marketing and communications for Special Olympics Illinois, is grateful for the awareness the torch run raises.
“They're a great partner of ours. They have been established in Illinois since 1986, so this is their 40th anniversary supporting us,” Mayer said. “They raise about $5 million for us annually.”
The athletic events begin Friday at 10:30 a.m. and include artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, swimming, powerlifting, track and field and unified cornhole.
Unified cornhole replaced bocce and will be in its inaugural year for the 2026 Summer Games. The event will feature an athlete with an intellectual disability competing alongside someone without one, Mayer said.
“[I’m] really excited to see all those fans, supporters, family members and all those people, because Special Olympics Illinois is, of course, about our athletes, but it's about them belonging in the community," Mayer said. "So it's really exciting to see all those people come together."
