Kadena Special Olympics scheduled for Nov. 5

  • Published
  • By 18th Wing Public Affairs
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  The 12th Annual Kadena Special Olympics, a sporting event dedicated to enriching the lives of special-needs individuals, is scheduled to kick off at Kadena's Risner Fitness Complex at 9:45 a.m. Nov. 5. Base commuters should take note that there will be limited traffic flow in and around the Risner Fitness Complex Saturday.

More than 870 athletes are expected to participate in a variety of events including 200 and 300 meter races, tennis skills, floor hockey, soccer skills and ground golf. More than 440 special-needs artists from around Okinawa will also host an art exhibit at the Risner Gym throughout the day.

The main events schedule is:

*Times may vary
9:45 a.m. - Opening Ceremony at the Main Stadium Field
11 a.m. - Lunch at the Tent Areas
11:30 a.m. - 30m and 200m Dashes at the Risner Track
Noon - Wheelchair Softball Throw at the Four Diamonds
12:30 p.m. - Wheelchair 50m Dash at Tennis Court Area
12:30 p.m. - Tennis skills at Tennis Court
12:30 p.m. - Floor Hockey individual skills practice at Gymnasium
12:30 p.m. - 50m and 100m Dashes at the Risner Track
1 p.m. - Wheelchair Beanbag Drop at the Tennis Courts
1 p.m. - Ground Golf at the Four Diamonds
1 p.m. - Soccer Skills at the Four Diamonds
1 p.m. - Softball Throw at the Four Diamonds
1 p.m. - Frisbee Toss at the Four Diamonds
1 p.m. - Basketball Skills at the Risner Basketball Courts
1 p.m. - 400m Dash and 400m Relay at the Risner Track
1:30 p.m. - Standing Long Jump at the Risner Track
3 p.m. - Closing Ceremony at the Main Stadium

There will also be entertainment during the games to include wheel chair dancing, Eisa dancing, Taiko drumming, Hawaiian Hula dancing, and acoustic music bands performances.

David L. Lenox, Special Olympics vice president, will come to Kadena Special Olympics for the first time. Also, Lt. Gen. Burton M. Field, commander, U.S. Forces Japan and commander, 5th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, Yokota Air Base, Japan, will also be in attendance. Field is the senior U.S. military representative in Japan and commander of U.S. Air Force units in Japan.

Event organizers are expecting about 5,000 people to attend Saturday's festivities including nearly 2,000 American volunteers and 500 local national interpreters, along with senior officials from the Government of Japan, Okinawa Prefectural Government, local communities and the U.S. military. Base residents are encouraged to attend the event and cheer on the athletes.

Kadena Special Olympics began in 2000 with approximately 400 athletes and 600 volunteers as an 18th Wing community goodwill initiative to strengthen U.S.-Okinawa relationships. Eleven years later, the event has grown exponentially to what it is today.