RALEIGH – The 2025 Special Olympics North Carolina (SONC) Summer Games concluded June 1 in the Raleigh area, ending a weekend of competition for nearly 1,500 Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners, individuals without intellectual disabilities, from across the state competing in athletics, basketball, bowling, gymnastics, powerlifting, swimming and volleyball. As SONC’s largest state-level competition, athletes competed at various venues in Raleigh, Cary, Holly Springs and Morrisville.
To ensure fair competition, the athletes were placed in competition divisions based on age, gender and ability level. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the top three finishers in each division, followed by fourth through eighth-place ribbons.
Athletes competing in the 2025 SONC Summer Games represented the following counties/agencies: Alamance, Alleghany, Avery, Beaufort/Hyde, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Carteret, Caswell Developmental Center, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Gaston, Guilford, Harnett, Iredell, Johnston, Lake Norman, Lee, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Moore, Murdoch Center, New Hanover, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Person, Pitt, Qualla Boundary, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, Wake, Watauga, Wayne and Wilkes.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run® for Special Olympics North Carolina (NC LETR) Final Leg of the Torch Run Relay opened the 2025 SONC Summer Games during the Opening Ceremony on Friday, May 30 at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of North Carolina State University at 7:30 p.m. During the Opening Ceremony, law enforcement officials presented the Circle of Honor and light the cauldron, signifying the official opening of the Games. Featured performers during the ceremony included the Special Theatre Arts of Raleigh (STAR) and Cirque de Vol.
As Special Olympics athletes are not asked to pay for any of the cost associated with their participation, an event of this size requires a vast amount of resources, including the support of nearly 1,200 volunteers. SONC extends its gratitude to the many individual volunteers, groups, individual sponsors and corporate sponsors that made this event such a success.
