basketball

ILLINOIS (WAND) - The Special Olympics Illinois State Basketball Championships have been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. 

Special Olympics Illinois officials made the announcement on the organization's Facebook page. They said the Unified State Basketball Championships, in conjunction with the IHSA State Championships, are also canceled. 

The championships for Special Olympics were scheduled to be held at Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University in the Bloomington/Normal area. 

Officials said there are no confirmed coronavirus cases involving Special Olympics athletes. 

"It is our goal to keep the safety of our athletes foremost in everything that we do," the organization said. "With the large number of players and others at each of these competitions, we felt it was necessary to make this difficult decision."

Special Olympics leaders are continuing to evaluate the status of events past the weekend of March 14-15. The organization's coronavirus guidelines can be found at this link.Â