User:OJDrucker/sandbox/SOUG 2022 Mockup

Special Olympics USA Games is an event held once every four years in the United States, offering athletes from across the nation to compete in summer sports, including many of the 32 Olympic-type sports Special Olympics recognizes globally. Special Olympics is a sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the United States. It is part of the global Special Olympics movement. Special Olympics was founded in 1968 with the main goal to accept and welcome individuals as they are. Special Olympics provides year-round training in Olympic based sports and is based in 192 countries.

Special Olympics USA Games
The Special Olympics USA Games is a national Special Olympics event held every four years in the United States.

2006 Special Olympics USA Games
The first, quadrennial, USA National Games were held July 1–8, 2006, in Ames, Iowa. The city of Ames and Iowa State University hosted over 3,000 athletes from all 50 states in 13 sports, including aquatics, basketball, bocce, bowling, golf, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Over 8,000 volunteers were needed to make this event run smoothly. Actor Tom Arnold, originally from Iowa, was the Master of Ceremonies for the Opening Ceremonies, and several other celebrities were at the event as well, including NFL quarterback Kurt Warner and actor Brandon Routh, both also Iowans.

2010 Special Olympics USA Games
Lincoln, Nebraska hosted the Games, July 18–23.

2014 Special Olympics USA Games
The 2014 Special Olympics USA Games were held from June 14–21 in New Jersey. The Opening Ceremony was held at Prudential Center in Newark. Competition was held at venues throughout Mercer County including The College of New Jersey in the Trenton suburb of Ewing, Rider University, Princeton University and Mercer County Park. The budget for the event exceeded $15M. The Games Founding Partners included 21st Century Fox, Barnabas Health, HESS, KPMG, NJSEA, Prudential, PSE&G, ShopRite, Toys"R"Us and WWE.

Baseball was introduced as a sport at the USA Games for the first time, with four teams – from Alabama, Delaware, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. The gold– and bronze–medal games were played in Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton.

The triathlon was held for the first time.

2018 Special Olympics USA Games
The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games were held in Seattle, Washington from July 1–6, 2018. The USA Games featured more than 4,000 athletes competing in 14 different sports. The Opening Ceremony took place on July 1 at Husky Stadium and included a 2,000-person choir and musical performances from Ann Wilson and Charlie Puth. The sporting events were held primarily on the University of Washington campus and in various venues around the region.

2022 Special Olympics USA Games
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games are scheduled for Orlando, Florida, from June 5 to 12. More than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean are expected to compete in 19 different team and individual sports and more than 30 events, making it the biggest Special Olympics USA Games ever, with 50% more participants than previous Games. It is also expected to be the largest humanitarian event in Florida's history. The event is expected to bring over 100,000 spectators and $69 million in economic impact.

The 2022 Games will occur at a variety of venues, including the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and the USTA. Exploria Stadium will host the opening ceremonies, which Disney Live Entertainment will produce. Jersey Mike's Subs is the presenting sponsor of the 2022 Games, Walt Disney World is the host, and ESPN is the global broadcast partner. These will be the first Special Olympics USA Games to feature their own engagement app, funded by a grant from Amazon Web Services.

The 2022 Games' official motto is "Shine as One". Thirty athletes and celebrities are serving as ambassadors for the Games, including Ali Krieger, Ellen DeGeneres, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Tiffany Haddish. Triathlete Chris Nikic, a Special Olympics Champion Ambassador, is among those planning to compete in the Games.

For the first time, the cauldron to hold the Flame of Hope at the Games' opening ceremony was designed by community artist submissions. The organizing committee selected Donald Gialanella, a resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, to design the cauldron. Gialanella is a public artist and metal worker who has Parkinson's disease. He also created the Salvador Dalí Museum's "mustache".