The Special Olympics are coming to Minneapolis. Here's what you need to know
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Starting next week, Minneapolis will be the center of the action for the Special Olympics for six days.
More than 3,000 athletes and 1,500 coaches will engage in 16 Special Olympics team and individual sports in Minnesota, starting on Saturday, June 20 and running through Friday, June 26. The event is expected to bring in 75,000 fans and will have 10,000 volunteers.
Which sports will be part of the Games?
There are 16 sports that will be part of the Games. Most will be played at the University of Minnesota, but a few will be at unique locations.
Athletics - University of Minnesota, Track and Field Stadium
Basketball - University of Minnesota, Recreation and Wellness Center
Bocce - University of Minnesota, Larson Performance Center
Bowling - Lucky Strike, Blaine
Competitive Cheer - University of Minnesota, Ridder Arena
Cornhole - University of Minnesota, Field House
Flag Football - National Sports Center, Blaine
Golf - National Sports Center, Blaine
Gymnastics - University of Minnesota, Maturi Pavilion
Pickleball - National Sports Center, Blaine
Powerlifting - University of Minnesota, Northrop
Soccer - National Sports Center, Blaine
Softball - National Sports Center, Blaine
Swimming - University of Minnesota Jean K. Freeman, Aquatic Center
Tennis - University of Minnesota, Baseline Tennis Center
Volleyball - University of Minnesota, 3M Arena at Mariucci
Find the full schedule at the Special Olympics website.
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Can I attend the Opening and Closing ceremonies?
Yep! The Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony both require tickets, but the Closing Ceremony is free.
This year’s Opening Ceremony to the Special Olympics games will be at Huntington Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota on Saturday, June 20.
The ceremony features performances by Demi Lovato and Jon Batiste. It will also feature the Parade of Athletes and lighting the games cauldron.
The doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $36, and you can buy them at the Gophers Sports website.
For the Closing Ceremonies, you can get tickets online or at Huntington Bank Stadium. The event will feature live performances, speeches and a passing of the torch ceremony to recognize the next USA Games in 2030. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m.
How can I watch the games?
All the game events are free and open to the public.
If you can’t watch in person, ESPN will stream a range of sports on the ESPN+ streaming app. Throughout the week, ESPN says it will stream 48 hours of live competition, including athletics, swimming, powerlifting and flag football.
The Opening Ceremony will also be featured on ESPN+ and Disney+, with the ceremony coverage stream beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Event locations and fan zones
The Games’ events will be hosted at locations around the University of Minnesota campus, but events will also be held at the National Sports Center in Blaine, along with special event programing at Allianz Field in St. Paul and at the Mall of America.
Along with watching the events, special fan zones will be set up at all three locations. These zones provide daily programming, evening festivities and more. Each fan zone is free to visit.
The Thrivent Fan Fest will be in the maroon lot outside Huntington Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. The fan fest will feature the Sanford Health Center Stage with live music every day at 2, 4 and 7 p.m., and family friendly programing. Concessions, merchandise, activity stations and more will be featured at the location as well.
The Fredrickson Fan Zone will be at Field 58 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. On Monday and Wednesday, children of all abilities between the ages of 2 and 7 can participate in the Young Athletes Festival. Learn more about the family-friendly event to introduce children to sports here.
The MDI Fan Zone will be hosted at the Huntington Bank Rotunda at the Mall of America in Bloomington, and will feature merchandise, activity stations, a history wall and more. On Tuesday, a Young Athletes Festival for children of all abilities between 2 and 7 years old in conjunction with the mall’s Toddler Tuesday event.
How to volunteer
There’s still time to volunteer to help put on the Special Olympics. Roles range from helping in dining halls and volunteer services to assisting with scoring or race events in a wide range of sports.
Find roles that are available at the Special Olympics volunteering website. Keep in mind that if you’re interested in registering a large group of volunteers (10 or more) to work together, you’ll want to follow different instructions found on the volunteering website.
