San Antonio – Special Olympics Texas’ (SOTX) 50^th Annual Summer Games will be making the move to San Antonio and hosted by Morgan’s Wonderland and held at area venues from May 2, 2019 - May 5, 2019. All events are free and open to the public. The four-day event is SOTX’s largest competition of the year, featuring close to 3,000 athletes from all around the state of Texas. Tim Martin (SOTX President & CEO) announced this extraordinary news today at a joint press conference.

In 1969 Special Olympics Texas held its first competition, and in 2019, the 50^th Annual Summer Games will be heading to San Antonio – Inclusion City USA. The act represents the dawn of the Inclusion Revolution—Special Olympics’ mission to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities (ID) worldwide and create inclusive communities. The event is being presented by The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation.

Moving to a more centralized location, as well as lowering the eligible age for competition to 8 years old opens the door for even more athletes to compete than in previous years. These athletes have been training for their sport for a minimum of 12 weeks, while also participating at an area-level competition. Competitors will participate in one of five sports: Athletics (track & field), Cycling, Gymnastics, Soccer or Tennis. They will be supported by more than 800 coaches and 3,000 volunteers.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m. at Toyota Field. The festivities will be co-emceed by a local community leader and a San Antonio area SOTX athlete and Global Messenger.

All athletes will parade into the stadium with their teams and will be formally introduced to the crowd before the torch – Flame of Hope – is passed and the cauldron is lit, signifying the official start of the 2019 Summer Games. Our special guest will declare the Games officially open. The Guardians of the Flame will be members of Texas law enforcement agencies, and the torch bearers will be athletes from five Texas regions.

Volunteers will serve in numerous capacities, including: as officials, scorekeepers, athlete escorts, award presenters and administrative support services. We will have a considerable amount of volunteer opportunities that weekend. You will be able to volunteer by either going to sotx.org/summergames or contacting our Director of Volunteer Services (volunteer@sotx.org). The four-day event is open to the public, and Fans in the Stands are needed to cheer on the athletes.

Entities involved in staging the event include Special Olympics Texas, Morgan’s Wonderland, CRIT, the North East Independent School District (NEISD), Spurs Sports and Entertainment/San Antonio FC, and Visit San Antonio.

About Special Olympics Texas

Special Olympics Texas provides opportunities for more than 58,800 Texas children and adults with intellectual disabilities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship.  For more information, visit http://www.sotx.org/.

About Morgan’s Wonderland

Non-profit Morgan’s Wonderland, which is completely wheelchair-accessible, is the world’s first theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment.   For more information, visit www.MorgansWonderland.com.