BEE CAVE/LAKEWAY – Special Olympics Texas’ (SOTX) 2022 Winter Games will be held February 18-20  and hosted for the first time in the cities of Bee Cave and Lakeway, officials and partners announced today.

The three-day gathering, which is free and open to the public, will be SOTX’s first large-scale event since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s expected to attract thousands of athletes, Unified partners, families, and volunteers from all around the state of Texas.

"We are very thankful for the opportunity to bring our athletes to the cities of Lakeway and Bee Cave in February," said SOTX CEO Tim Martin. "We encourage everyone to come out and meet the athletes and their families-- you will never feel so welcome, even in your own home city!"

Winter Games highlights will include Powerlifting, Volleyball, Cycling, Golf (Invitational) and the all-new Floorball.  Additionally, FUNdamental sports (formerly MATP) will be offered. FUNdamental sports offers athletes ages 2 and older, who because of their physical and/or developmental abilities cannot compete in traditional competitions, the opportunity to work on foundational motor skills to prepare them for possible competition in official SOTX events in the future. They will be supported by more than a hundred coaches.

Mayor Kara King noted that the city of Bee Cave shares in the same values of Inclusion and acceptance for all as Special Olympics Texas. The conference also heard from Mayor Thomas Kilgore of Lakeway, who reiterated that hosting the Special Olympics Texas 2022 Winter Games in the Hill Country was one of the easiest decisions the cities have made.  The games also will be presented by H-E-B, Energy Transfer, Children’s Rehabilitation Institute of TeletónUSA, Southwest Dairy Farmers, Whataburger and the North East Independent School District of San Antonio.  Statewide SOTX annual sponsors are the Law Enforcement Torch Run, H-E-B Tournament of Champions, Food Town, the Knights of Columbus, the City of Richardson Corporate Challenge, Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and Toyota.

The Winter Games is still in need of volunteers who will serve as officials, scorekeepers, award presenters and more.  For information on volunteer opportunities, visit www.sotx.org/winter-games-volunteer. 

For more information and full event schedule, visit www.sotx.org/winter-games .