Nearly 450 Special Olympics Kentucky athletes on 38 teams will take to the hardwood at Sports of All Sorts in Florence on Saturday, February 22, for the 2025 Special Olympics Kentucky Region 2 Basketball Tournament.
Each of the teams will be looking to punch their tickets to the organization’s State Basketball Tournament, which will be held in Louisville March 8-9. Of the 38 teams competing in 10 divisions at the Region 2 Tournament, 11 will earn automatic berths in the State Tournament. This is the largest Region 2 Basketball Tournament in Special Olympics Kentucky history.
Games will get underway on four courts at 9 a.m., with one division championship game in the Tournament’s opening time slot. Other championship games will begin starting as early as noon. The Tournament’s final game of the day will start at 6 p.m. There will be 17 Northern Kentucky teams competing in the tournament. They will be joined by teams from Frankfort, Georgetown, Lexington, Richmond, and Winchester.
The Region 2 Tournament is one of three Regional Basketball Tournaments Special Olympics Kentucky holds in advance of the State Basketball Tournament. The others were held Feb. 1-2 in Bowling Green and Elizabethtown.
Basketball is one of the most popular Special Olympics Kentucky sports offerings in the state. This year, almost 1,300 athletes competing on 116 teams statewide. Both the athlete and team numbers are program records. Teams compete throughout the state in leagues and invitational and regional tournaments, all leading up to the State Basketball Tournament in March. Regional Tournaments determine which teams advance to the State Tournament.
Teams that do not qualify for the State Tournament have the option of participating in the Team Skills Competition, which is also held in Louisville in conjunction with the State Tournament.
The Region 2 Basketball Tournament is made possible by the support of Special Olympics Kentucky Year-Round Partners Jersey Mike’s Subs, Texas Roadhouse, and Toyota Motor Corporation.
Special Olympics Kentucky