Bedford Park Welcomes Special Olympics Illinois to Indoor Training

October 2022 – Bedford Park, IL -- Special Olympics Illinois and the Village of Bedford Park are pleased to announce that beginning in October 2022 the Wintrust Sports Complex will be the “Official Indoor Training and Competition Site” for Special Olympics Illinois.

“This partnership allows Special Olympics Illinois to utilize the Wintrust Sports Complex for year-round training and competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities in the Chicagoland area,” announced Dave Breen, Special Olympic Illinois President and CEO.

“The need is greater by the day to increase Special Olympic programming in Chicago and its outlying suburbs,” said Breen. “Our gratitude goes out to the Village of Bedford Park officials and the Wintrust Sports Complex for recognizing this need and opening the doors to our hundreds of athletes.”

The Wintrust Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports tourism and entertainment facility open to elite athletes as well as local families. The modern, spacious venue is versatile enough to host large youth sports tournaments, trade shows and local family events and programming. It also features a large Bar & Restaurant, Family Arcade, Laser Tag Zone and E-Sports Lounge.

Village of Bedford Park President David Brady helped facilitate discussions with local Special Olympic Illinois’ regional directors that led to this partnership announcement.

“Bedford Park’s opportunity to host such vital programming is a blessing for all involved,” said President Brady. “The Wintrust Sports Complex has harvested good business and good will and we continue to believe in building a better future for our kids and for our community.”

Beginning with a focus on Special Olympics’ indoor sports, sessions at the Wintrust Sports Complex will include practice and competitions in floor hockey, basketball, volleyball, and Unified Sports basketball. “Our community members will embrace the significance of Unified Sports, which will inspire even greater support for Special Olympic Illinois programming,” said President Brady. “We are all thrilled for the opportunity to host Illinois Special Olympic athletes this coming year.”

Special Olympics Illinois’ mission includes growing its “inclusive” efforts throughout Chicagoland in coordination with Special Olympics North America Unified Champion City Schools (UCCS), which brings a focused approach to amplify the essential elements of Unified Champion Schools (UCS) within city school districts. UCS utilizes three interconnected components for social inclusion in schools:

• Special Olympics Unified Sports® (joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team)
• Inclusive Youth Leadership (when young people of all abilities are given opportunities to be leaders in their schools and communities)
• Whole-school engagement (creates a school climate that fosters understanding and respect for all and can influence how students think and act within and beyond the school)

Currently, less than 10% of current Chicago schools are offering Unified programming. Special Olympics Illinois plans to implement the UCCS initiative by engaging in new collaborations while expanding on the success of existing partnerships.

In addition to hosting training and championship competition, the Wintrust Sports Complex will also host MedFest, which provides approximately 1,000 free annual sports physicals to the competing athletes. Since its inception, MedFest has directly helped Special Olympics reach almost 22,000 athletes in the Chicagoland Area.

About Special Olympics Illinois

Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit sports organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports for more than 23,100 athletes with intellectual disabilities and 13,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. It strives to be a global leader in shaping a culture where people with and without intellectual disabilities are fully integrated into the community by providing year round opportunities in competitive sports, health education, leadership and personal development. If you are interested in being a part of Special Olympics Illinois and its vision, contact your local region, call our headquarters at 800-394-0562 or visit our website at www.soill.org. Follow Special Olympics Illinois on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Special Olympics Illinois is the only entity in Illinois accredited by Special Olympics, Inc. and authorized by license to use the Special OlympicsTM trademark and logo. Any other entity that identifies itself as a “Special Olympics” organization in Illinois is not accredited by Special Olympics, Inc.

About Wintrust Sports Complex at Bedford Park, IL

The Village of Bedford Park is an Illinois Home Rule community located on the southwestern border of Chicago city limits. The Village is near Chicago’s Midway Airport and is minutes from downtown Chicago. As part of a diversified economic development plan, the Village has developed a vibrant and successful retail and hotel district, in addition to its large industrial base. The Village has exceptional infrastructure, transportation, and public services capable of attracting new growth opportunities, and is constantly upgrading its ability to serve its residents and businesses. In the years to come the Village of Bedford Park intends to continue to maintain and improve on its reputation as a solid business leader. The Wintrust Sports Complex is located at 5499 West 65th Street, Bedford Park, IL. Hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, contact: Joe Ronovsky, Chief Business Officer – Village of Bedford Park at 708-295-4209