What You Should Know About Special Olympics World Games
The Special Olympics World Games are making historical past in Los Angeles. The metropolis is formally opening its host doorways as we speak and welcoming nationwide delegations from greater than 165 nations.
The occasion — kicking off on July 25 — would be the single largest occasion in Los Angeles because the 1984 Olympics, with extra that 7,000 athletes supported by greater than 500,000 spectators.
Opening Ceremony
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — host to the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games — is serving as the location for the star-studded opening ceremony on July 25. First woman Michelle Obama will attend the occasion the place Stevie Wonder, Avril Lavigne, Cody Simpson and others are scheduled to carry out and kick off the video games. VIP appearances are additionally anticipated by Jimmy Kimmel, Eva Longoria and Michael Phelps.
The World Games boast 7,000 athletes competing in 25 sports activities — simply shy of the 28 that athletes compete in for the Summer Olympics. Spectators will see sports activities just like the summer time video games, like volleyball, tennis and gymnastics. But the World Games athletes are competing in sports activities — like bocce, bowling and curler skating — that you simply gained’t see in the summertime or winter video games. The prime three athletes will hit the rostrum for his or her gold, silver, or bronze medals, respectively, and athletes putting fourth by means of eighth shall be acknowledged with ribbons.
Los Angeles Venues
The athletes all convene on the Opening Ceremony on the Coliseum, then unfold out throughout Los Angeles to 27 venues, spanning the town, from USC and UCLA to Long Beach and LA Live. Most notably, USC’s Galen Center will host all of the basketball video games and UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion shall be referred to as house for all of the volleyball video games.
Jeff Golden/Getty Images | PHOTO: General view of the newly renovated UCLA Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Calif., Dec. 30, 2013.
Not Just About Sports
Outside of the a whole lot of sporting occasions, the World Games is placing on two festivals — one at USC’s Alumni Park and the opposite at UCLA’s Wilson Plaza. Like the remainder of the sporting occasions, they’re free and open to the general public. In addition to attending stay music performances and cultural occasions, guests have the prospect to ship encouraging messages to the competing athletes.
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post by way of Getty Images | PHOTO: One of the groups of 25 pull a aircraft in the course of the Dulles Day Festival and Plane Pull on the Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va., Sept. 14, 2013.
Powered by Volunteers
The World Games has a full roster of 30,000 volunteers for the 9 days of occasions. These volunteers are serving shifts to make the video games attainable and offering the whole lot from medical providers to rides to the venues for the athletes. There’s even a “Fans in the Stands” program to ensure every occasion has supporters cheering on the athletes.
Vladimir Rys/Getty Images | PHOTO: Volunteers dance a standard Greek dance Syrtaki after the athletics competitors of the Athens 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece, June 30, 2011.