Nearly 450 Special Olympics Kentucky athletes on 40 teams will take to the hardwood at Sports of All Sorts in Florence February 21-22, for the 2026 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 14-15. Of the 40 teams competing in 10 divisions at the Region 2 Tournament, 10 will earn automatic berths in the State Tournament.
Games will get underway on four courts at 9 am. Championship games will begin starting as early as 11 am. The Tournament’s final game of the day will start at 5 pm. Teams will return on Sunday for a total of four games starting and 9 and 10 am. All four Sunday games will be championship games. 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. 7-8 in Bowling Green and Elizabethtown.
Basketball is one of the most popular Special Olympics Kentucky sports offerings in the state. This year, more than 1,350 athletes are competing on 124 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 is the world’s largest program of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Participation in competitive events is open to all individuals eight years of age or older. Training and competition in local, area, state, and national programs is offered year-round in Kentucky in 15 sports. In addition to its traditional sports competitions, Special Olympics also offers early childhood programming through the Young Athletes Program and medical screenings though the Healthy Athletes Initiative. Special Olympics Kentucky began as a one-day event in Louisville in 1970 and has expanded to serve more than 10,800 athletes statewide annually.