Hancock County’s Kevin Rates Selected to Team Kentucky for 2026 Special Olympics USA Games

Hawesville athlete Kevin Rates has, once again, been selected to represent Team Kentucky in the Special Olympics USA Games! The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games are next June in Minneapolis Minn., and Kevin will be part of an Owensboro-based flag football team that will be competing.
Kevin, 42, is the son of proud parents Leon & Peggy Rates, and also competed in 2022 in Orlando. That year he won a silver medal in the shot put and then ran an electric third leg of the 4×100-meter relay to secure the gold medal for Team Kentucky in a race that was streamed live on ESPN+.
He has been involved in Special Olympics since 2003, but took a 13-year break before returning in 2016. Kevin also competes in track, basketball, softball and bowling, and is a graduate of the Special Olympics Kentucky Athlete Leadership Program, serving as an Athlete Ambassador for the program.
Special Olympics Kentucky will send 37 athletes, eight Unified partners, 18 coaches, two caddies and one adult mentor to the Games. Kentucky athletes will compete in artistic gymnastics, bocce, bowling, flag football, golf, swimming, track and field and – for the second consecutive USA Games – Unified basketball. Athletes representing 20 different counties are on the rosters, including the first athletes ever to represent Garrard, Muhlenberg, Spencer and Washington counties. In addition to the sports events, Team Kentucky will include a trio participating in the Youth Leadership Experience for the third time.
The team was announced in a video presentation on Special Olympics Kentucky’s Facebook page (fb.com/sokentucky) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/sokyvideo). The announcement also included a complete rebranding of Team Kentucky with a new team logo and a uniform design reveal that featured Special Olympics Kentucky athletes.
“We’re so excited to have the opportunity to send such an outstanding group to the USA Games,” said Special Olympics Kentucky CEO Angie Cruse-Tinch. “The USA Games gives our athletes a unique opportunity to show their abilities on a national stage as well as to make friends from across the country. I’m personally excited to experience the USA Games for the first time and cheer on this great group. We’re also looking forward to the new look for Team Kentucky and seeing these athletes take the field in uniforms that truly represent our entire state.”
The total cost of sending Team Kentucky to the 2026 USA Games is expected to approach $100,000. For information about how you can help sponsor the team or to donate, contact Angie Cruse-Tinch at 502-695-8222 or [email protected].
For more information about Team Kentucky or about the USA Games, contact Special Olympics Kentucky Director of Communications and External Relations Mark Buerger at 502-695-8222 or [email protected].
The 2026 USA Games are the sixth such games in Special Olympics history. Past USA Games were held in 2006 in Ames, Iowa; 2010 in Lincoln, Neb.; in 2014 in New Jersey; 2018 in Seattle, Wash., and 2022 in Orlando, Fla.
The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games will take place from June 20th-26th, 2026. They will include more than 3,000 athletes and 1,500 coaches representing all 50 states. The event will be supported by a dedicated team of 10,000 volunteers.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest program of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Participation in competitive events is open to all individuals eight years of age or older. Training and competition in local, area, state and national programs is offered year-round in Kentucky in 15 sports. In addition to its traditional sports competitions, Special Olympics also offers early childhood programming through the Young Athletes Program and medical screenings though the Healthy Athletes Initiative. Special Olympics Kentucky began as a one-day event in Louisville in 1970 and has expanded to serve more than 11,300 athletes statewide annually. Special Olympics celebrated the 55th Anniversary of the global movement in 2023.