Over 300 athletes compete in Buncombe Special Olympics spring games despite rain

Rain did not stop more than 300 athletes from filling T.C. Roberson High School for the first day of the Buncombe County Special Olympics Spring Games, where competitors from across the county took part in softball, long jump and wheelchair races despite the wet weather.

Athletes ages 6 through adult showed up for the event, underscoring how deeply the games reach into Buncombe County families, schools and recreation programs. The spring meet has repeatedly been staged at T.C. Roberson over the years, making the Asheville campus a familiar hub for a countywide tradition built around participation, not just results.

The games sit inside Special Olympics’ broader year-round model of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Buncombe County Parks & Recreation says its mission is to improve quality of life through recreational facilities, social interaction and programming that encourages health and wellness, a fit that helps explain why the county and its partners keep returning to the school fields year after year.

Support from the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office and parks staff helped keep the event moving even as the rain fell. The scale of participation also stood out against past spring games, when more than 600 local athletes were reported taking part and the program opened with a Law Enforcement Torch Run, a reminder that the event has grown into one of the county’s most visible displays of disability sports infrastructure and community commitment.