University hosting Union County Special Olympics Spring Games this month

On April 14 and 15, hundreds of athletes and over 1,000 family members and spectators will converge on Wingate University for the largest event of the year for the Union County IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities) community.

Wingate is hosting the Special Olympics of Union County's Spring Games for the first time. The event will take place at Irwin Belk Track and Graham Gill Field, next to Irwin Belk football stadium. Just over 600 athletes are expected to participate, with elementary-age children competing on April 14 and middle- and high-school students participating on April 15.

"This is two days for kids who don't get the traditional kind of sporting engagement," says Michelle Lancaster, vice president for strategic initiatives. "They can go out and compete and have a good time."

Athletes compete in a variety of primarily track and field events, such as long jump, softball throw and running races.

Union County's Special Olympics event started in the 1970s, when total attendance (athletes, buddies, volunteers and spectators) for the one-day event ran to about 200. Officials expect more than 2,000 people at Wingate April 14-15.

Wingate has been involved in the Special Olympics before, hosting an area event in the mid-1980s that included athletes from Union, Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. The University was also the site of the opening ceremony for the Union County event in 1999.

The University will host the Spring Games for the next three years. It's a natural partnership, especially considering Wingate's recent commitments to the IDD community. In August of 2024, the first cohort of Julia's Learning enrolled at Wingate. Julia's Learning students live on campus, take classes and even work on campus for two years, with the goal of giving them the skills to live independently.

Wingate also has close ties to Union Diversified Industries, which employs IDD men and women. For the past three years, Wingate has hosted a UDI baseball game during the One Day, One Dog Day of Giving and Service, with Wingate students assisting and cheering on UDI athletes. Wingate students also participate in "unified" competitions alongside athletes from UDI.

"I think it's becoming part of the foundation of who we are," says Dr. Melanie Keel, director of Julia's Learning.

Keel says that holding the event at Wingate elevates the competition in many participants' eyes.

"It really ups the ante, I think," she says. "A lot of the athletes are very excited to come to a college campus."

Union County's Special Olympics Spring Game is an entirely volunteer-run event. Volunteer spots are still available for anyone who wants to help out. Potential volunteers are subject to a background check. Deadline to register is April 10.

April 3, 2026