WISCONSIN (NBC 26) — After nearly a year and a half of canceled or rescheduled events, Wisconsin Special Olympic athletes have officially returned to the field.
Officials with the organization say the return has been a long time coming.
This weekend, athletes are returning for the 2021 Region 2, 4, 5 district softball and bocce tournament.
Special Olympics Wisconsin is divided into seven regions. Each region is managed by both program and development staff and serves athletes in its assigned counties. Within each area, there are local programs that are divided into teams which are community, organization, school, or independent-based. Each team trains and competes in one or more seasonal sports throughout the year.
You can see those regions participating in this weekend’s event below. Regions 2, 4, and 5 make up North Central, the Fox Valley, and Northeastern areas of Wisconsin.
The games took place at Appleton Memorial Park. For more information on return to play during COVID-19, click here.
“Pretty good, got to play a little baseball or softball actually, get to sweat out in left field out there. It feels nice not having to deal with the COVID stuff anymore," said Aaron Brinkman, a Special Olympics athlete from Wausau.
Also happening today in the Greater Milwaukee area is an exciting Saturday night of baseball in Franklin, which is expected to help benefit the 9,000 athletes across the state that are part of Special Olympics Wisconsin.
