There will be competitions for athletes of all ages at the Special Olympics West Virginia Summer Games June 8-10 at West Virginia University.

More than 600 athletes will be participating in events ranging from track and field to kayaking, said John Kahl, events director for Special Olympics.

“We have a wide variety of events to accommodate a growing number of participants,”said Kahl, who works in information technology at WVU Hospitals.

Track and field eventswhich include running, long jump and shot putdraw the largest number of athletes, Kahl said. Those competitions will be staged at the WVU track.

Bocce, an outdoor game similar to bowling, is a close second in terms of popularity, attracting older athletes who still want to participate. Bocce will be played in the field behind the Shell Building.

“Traditionally, track and field draw the younger kids and bocce pulls in a lot of the older participants,”Kahl said.

Kayaking, which made its debut as a Special Olympics event at last years games, is returning to the Monongahela River this year with more participants. Kayakers will shove off from the Star City wharf.

Other events growing in popularity are softball, which will be played at Anker Fields, and cycling, which will start at the Creative Arts Center parking lot.

Remaining events include aquatics, tennis and developmental track and field.

Kahl said there is a competitive element to the games, but the athletesmain objective is to have fun.

“They have a blast,”he said.”Its a big social event for a lot of them. They all come to compete, but it is also a time for them to see old friends as well as make new ones.”