Orlando City's Exploria Stadium will host the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics USA Games in 2022, with the city of Orlando hosting the event from June 5 to 12.
The 2022 edition of the quadrennial event will also serve as an expansion of the tournament. Usually, the Special Olympics USA Games host the best athletes in summer sports from the United States, but in 2022 the Games will host athletes from 15 other countries in North America and South America. The games will be broadcast across the networks of ESPN and ABC.
"We are so excited to be able to partner with such an important and impactful organization in the Special Olympics,” Orlando City CEO Alex Leitao said in a club statement. “We can think of no better place to kick off an event that will showcase some of the best athletes in the United States. Our organizations have been working together for a while, building toward today’s announcement, and I’m confident our work leading into next year will make 2022 the biggest and best Opening Ceremony to date."
The Games has a number of famous ambassadors, including two World Cup winners in former Orlando City captain and Brazil international Kaka and current Orlando Pride and US women's national team defender Ali Krieger. Austin FC minority owner Matthew McConaughey is also one of the event's ambassadors.
