Special Olympics Illinois State Basketball Championships at Illinois State University and at Illinois Wesleyan University, in Bloomington/Normal, have been cancelled this weekend.
In addition, the Unified State Basketball Championships, in conjunction with the IHSA State Championships, in Peoria have been cancelled this weekend as well. It is our goal to keep the safety of our athletes foremost in everything that we do. With the large number of players and others at each of these competitions, we felt it was necessary to make this difficult decision.
NOTE: There are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) with any Special Olympics Illinois athlete.
We are currently evaluating the status of scheduled events beyond this weekend, and we will issue guidance regarding those events later this week.
The most disturbing thing about cancelling the events is the disappointment to all involved who worked so hard to prepare for the tournaments. Unfortunately, neither the 2020 State Basketball Championships nor the Unified State Basketball Championships will be rescheduled. Some of the factors that make it difficult or impossible to reschedule this event are:
Facility – We do not own our competition facilities, and therefore, we cannot guarantee that a facility will be open on another date. We are fortunate to have many good partners when it comes to facilities, and the facilities we use are in high demand and often require booking many months in advance. The facilities we had planned to use this weekend at ISU and IWU are prime example of facilities that are in high demand.
Volunteers – For an event of this size, it takes many volunteers to help run the event. It’s unlikely that many key volunteers and game officials are available on another date.
In conducting 18 sports and nearly 300 events, it is inevitable that some events will need to be rescheduled, postponed, or cancelled. It is extremely disappointing to all, especially the athletes. However, with regard to State Basketball and Unified State Basketball, rescheduling isn’t feasible.
