Special Olympics South Carolina’s Fall Games kick off in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Special Olympics South Carolina prepared to host athletes from across the state on Friday.

The annual fall games will take place on Saturday, Sept. 23. Eight different events including flag football and bocce lead up to the evening’s victory celebration.

Many of the competitions will take place at Coastal Carolina University, but their weekend headquarters are at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Kara Harmon, Director of Communications for Special Olympics South Carolina, said the games will happen rain or shine.

“These athletes have been training for a long time,” Harmon said. “They’re ready to get out there and do their best.”

The weekend’s focus is on sports, health and education. The athletes trained for 8 weeks and competed at the local level ahead of the event.

“They get so excited since they’ve worked so hard and they get to show that they’re capable of,” Harmon said. “It’s really just fun to share kind of a small piece of that success.”

Athletes as young as 8 years old may participate, and there is no age cut-off.

The Special Olympics is one of many events the organization hosts throughout the year.

Registration for the games starts Saturday at 2:30 p.m., for more information visit their website.

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