Orlando, Florida (May 10, 2022) – Today, the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs, announced tickets are now on sale for the event’s Opening Ceremony, which will take place at Exploria Stadium on Sunday, June 5 at 8:00 a.m. EST. With less than one month to go before more than 5,500 Special Olympics athletes, Unified partners and coaches from around the country and the Caribbean arrive in Orlando, Florida to compete in the largest USA Games in Special Olympics history, the Opening Ceremony will be the first opportunity for the community to take part in the excitement, goodwill and spirit of the USA Games. The USA Games Opening Ceremony will be the event for families, fans, and supporters to take part in the celebration and fun. Tickets are just $55 each and are available online at 2022USAGames.org and Ticketmaster.
Hosted by journalist and national television personality T.J. Holmes, the one-of-a-kind Opening Ceremony is being produced by Disney Live Entertainment and will include more than 500 performers, plus a special live performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Sara Bareilles. In addition, Special Olympics athlete Shawn Hinz, joined by Disney’s Voices of Liberty, will sing a solo during “America the Beautiful.” ESPN, the global broadcast partner of Special Olympics and the USA Games, will air the Ceremony at noon EST on ABC and on WatchESPN and ESPN the app.
“The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games truly is an incredible opportunity to come together in the spirit of inclusion and to celebrate remarkable ability and teamwork,” said Joe Dzaluk, President and CEO, 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. “The Opening Ceremony is the perfect time to support the USA Games, extraordinary athletes from around the country and our Orlando community as we host the largest USA Games in history. I invite everyone to join us at Exploria Stadium for this once-in-a-lifetime event.”
“I am honored to take part in the Opening Ceremony,” shared Sara Bareilles, “Music unites and inspires, and that is what Special Olympics does every day. To be a part of the USA Games and perform for the athletes and their families as they begin this amazing week is a true gift.”
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games, presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs, will take place June 5 – 12 in Orlando, Florida with most of the events taking place at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. To purchase tickets to the 2022 USA Games Opening Ceremony, learn about volunteering for the Games and to make plans to attend competition events, visit 2022SpecialOlympicsUSAGames.org, and follow along with the latest news about the week-long event on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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About the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games
The 2022 Special Olympics USA Games are scheduled for June 5-12, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Jersey Mike’s Subs is the Presenting Partner and Walt Disney World Resort is the Official Host. During this magical week, more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean will travel to Florida to unite in one of the country’s most cherished sporting events. The USA Games is hosted once every four years and showcases 19 Olympic-style team and individual sports and 30 events throughout the week including forums and VIP receptions. 2022usagames.org
About Sara Bareilles
GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, songwriter, actress, author, and philanthropist Sara Bareilles consistently affirms herself as a modern renaissance woman. To date, she has received two Tony® Award nominations, three Primetime EMMY® Award nominations, and seven GRAMMY® Award nominations, garnering a 2020 GRAMMY® in the category of “Best American Roots Performance” for “Saint Honesty.” Her catalog consists of the platinum-selling Little Voice [2007], gold-selling #1 album Kaleidoscope Heart [2010], gold-selling Blessed Unrest [2013], and the T Bone Burnett-produced Amidst The Chaos [2019]—which marked her fifth consecutive Top 10 debut on the Billboard Top 200. On Broadway, she composed music and lyrics for Waitress, electrifying the stage as the lead in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and making her grand return in 2021. As an author, she penned the New York Times bestseller Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song. In terms of film and television, she contributed original music and executive produced the 10-episode musical drama series Little Voice, teaming up with Jessie Nelson, J.J. Abrams, and Apple. She currently co-stars in the critically acclaimed Peacock phenomenon Girls5Eva set to return for its second season in 2022. Not to mention, she has actively supported organizations such as Save The Music Foundation and T.J. Martell Foundation, among others. With more music, theater, and television on the horizon, Sara Bareilles continues to influence, impact, and inspire audiences everywhere with everything she does.
About Disney Live Entertainment
Disney Live Entertainment creates, produces, and delivers remarkable, innovative, and engaging entertainment experiences – from the intimate to the spectacular – at Disney theme parks and resort hotels, on board our cruise ships, on Disney+ and at locations the world over. This diverse global team – representing a wide variety of disciplines and talents from technical directors, writers and lighting designers to choreographers, cosmetologists and music producers – brings magical worlds to life through technical expertise, performance excellence, incomparable ingenuity, unparalleled spectacle… and a dash of pixie dust.
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