Contact: SOIA Director of Unified Sports Michelle Haney at 515-986-5520

Upper Iowa University will host a Special Olympics Iowa Unified Sports Day on Saturday, October 20. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Upper Iowa University Recreation & Athletic Center, 605 Washington Street in Fayette.

Event organizers expect 52 Special Olympics Iowa athletes and close to 98 college student volunteers to play and compete in sport-like activities. Activities will be geared for both younger and older athletes as well as those who use wheelchairs. 

“Rather than a day of competition, this is day to have fun with the Upper Iowa students,” said Special Olympics Iowa Director of Unified Sports Michelle Haney. “The athletes and students will participate in activities such as soccer skills, volleyball, basketball, bean bag toss, and arts and crafts to name a few.”

Principal Financial Group is the corporate sponsor.  Local sponsors include Aramark, the Knights of Columbus and Upper Iowa University.

Unified Sports is a program of Special Olympics International. It brings Special Olympics athletes and their teammates without intellectual disabilities together to practice and play on Unified Sports Teams. By having fun together in a variety of sports, Unified Sports athletes and partners improve their physical fitness, sharpen their skills, challenge the competition and help overcome prejudices about intellectual disability.

Special Olympics Iowa is a nonprofit organization serving Iowans with intellectual disabilities since 1968. SOIA provides year-round training and competitions in 23 Olympic-type sports for nearly 11,000 athletes and Unified Sports Partners representing each of Iowa’s 99 counties. For more information, please call 515-986-5520 or visit www.soiowa.org.

###