Mar 11, 2020 4 min read

Just one week after the state winter games in York were canceled due to coronavirus threats, local athletes were disappointed again Tuesday when they learned that Saturday’s Special Olympics tournaments at Washington & Jefferson College were also canceled.

According to a message posted on the Special Olympics Pennsylvania website by President and CEO Matthew Aaron, the organization will be “suspending all sport training and competition activities and other activations involving our athletes” until March 31, when organizers plan to reevaluate the coronavirus situation.

“The athletes are disappointed, but they truly understand that the Special Olympics Pennsylvania has their health and best interest at heart,” said Washington-Greene Special Olympics manager Jody Knight. “When they reevaluate March 31, hopefully we’re in a better place and we can move forward.”

In the post, Aaron said the suspension is “due to recent developments tied to the global spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), including a case tied to a U.S. Special Olympics athlete, and the heightened risks for people with intellectual disabilities and the elderly.”

“This decision was made carefully based on advice received from Special Olympics Inc. after they consulted with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reviewed the latest guidance from the World Health Organization,” Aaron wrote in the post.

The opening ceremonies for Saturday’s event at W&J were to begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by swimming competitions and basketball games lasting through the afternoon, according to Knight. It would have been their third annual “invitational” competition at W&J, she said, with athletes participating from Allegheny, Lawrence, Westmoreland, and Washington and Greene counties.

“It shows the community that we have a partner with W&J and that they’re committed to help these athletes grow,” she said. “The athletes get excited for this because it gives them another chance to have a tournament.”

Knight said the invitational tournament was an opportunity for athletes to compete before the Western Spring Sectionals at Carnegie Mellon University, which is scheduled for April 25. Anyone who qualifies at spring sectionals by winning gold, Knight said, moves on to the summer games in June at Penn State University.

“Without these tournaments, they wouldn’t necessarily have any competition until CMU,” she said.

Saturday’s tournament would have included all skill levels of swimming and game play, Knight said. Families typically come out to watch, but she had been hoping they’d attract more community members to attend and support local athletes.

“I think a lot of people have a stereotype in their minds for the Special Olympics,” Knight said. “If they would come out and see what we’re all about, I think it’d be an eye opener for them.”

The cancelation comes less than a week after Special Olympics Pennsylvania canceled the 2020 Indoor Winter Games in York. Knight said she was on a bus with Washington and Greene athletes on their way to the games when she got the phone call to return home.

“We had made it to Bedford when they canceled,” Knight said. “The athletes were disappointed, but they understood what was going on. It’s just for the safety of everyone.”

Aaron wrote in his posted message that fundraising events that don’t include athletes could still continue if not in affected areas of Delaware, Monroe, and Montgomery counties. He said that because the coronavirus is a “rapidly evolving situation,” the organization could update these protocols at any time.

“Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this constantly changing environment and strive to make the best possible decisions with the safety and well-being of our athletes and all constituents at the forefront,” he wrote.