2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games

14th Special Olympics World Summer Games

Host city	Los Angeles, United States
Motto	Reach Up L.A.[1]
Nations participating	177
Athletes participating	6,500
Events	in 25 sports
Opening ceremony	July 25, 2015
Closing ceremony	August 2, 2015
Officially opened by	Michelle Obama
Athlete's Oath	Jamaal Charles
Torch lighter	Rafer Johnson and Destiny Sanchez
Main venue	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Website	www.la2015.org

The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games were a multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities held in Los Angeles, United States from July 25 to August 2, 2015, in the tradition of the Special Olympics movement.

Athletes entering the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for closing ceremonies on August 2, 2015.

These Games, hosting around 6,500 athletes from 177 countries,^[1] marked the first time in sixteen years that the biennial Special Olympics World Summer Games have been hosted by the United States, and the second hosted by Los Angeles since 1972. The medal tally was led by the United States followed by China and India respectively^[2]

Background

The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games were awarded to Los Angeles on September 15, 2011, beating a bid by South Africa. The city's bid was backed by Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, who had backed the city's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics (which were ultimately awarded to Rio de Janeiro). Villaraigosa however, felt "prouder" that the city would host the Special Olympics. Patrick McClenahan, chief of the organizing committee, had encountered representatives of Special Olympics International at the Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run, a local event benefitting Special Olympics Southern California, who suggested that the city bid for 2015. The bid quickly garnered support, with his committee having grown to 20 members, including athletes and Mayor Villaraigosa, only two weeks later. Amongst other receptions held during a visit by the selection committee to Los Angeles, a group of Special Olympics athletes participating in the World Summer Games in Athens were honored between quarters at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game that the committee were attending, resulting in an ovation from fans in attendance.^[3][4]

Of the bid, McClenahan stated that "In a city full of movie stars and sports stars, the athletes are going to be the stars of the show. "L.A. will create the world stage where the athletes can perform, show their skills and courage and determination and sportsmanship and as a result of that people come in contact with them and their perceptions change that leads to an awareness that leads to more inclusion and acceptance into the community."^[3][4]

The Games

Venues

These Games were primarily held on the campuses of the University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles; USC hosted athletics (Katherine B. Loker Track & Field Stadium), aquatics (Uytengsu Aquatics Center), and basketball (Galen Center) events, while UCLA hosted 5-a-side football (Intramural Fields) 11-a-side football (Drake Stadium and the North Athletic Field), badminton, gymnastics, judo, softball, tennis (Los Angeles Tennis Center) and volleyball (Pauley Pavilion). Other venues in Los Angeles were used, such as the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Lucky Strike Lanes for bowling, the Balboa Sports Center in Encino for 7-a-side football, the Los Angeles Municipal Courses, Griffith Park for golf. The city of Long Beach hosted competition in kayaking, the marathon, volleyball, and demonstration sports.^[5][6]

The use of USC and UCLA was based on their abilities to provide accommodations for the large number of athletes that participated in the Games, as well as their existing sports facilities. To minimize travel time and reduce the Games' impact on local traffic, a centralized athlete's village was not used. Athletes were instead assigned facilities at either UCLA or USC based on the sports they were to participate in.^[5]

Downtown

• Los Angeles Convention Center
  • Halls E & F: Handball^[7]
  • South Hall: Badminton, Bocce, Roller Skating, Table Tennis^[7]
• Lucky Strike LA Live: Bowling^[8]

Encino

• Balboa Sports Center: Football (Soccer) 7-a-side^[9]

Griffith Park

• Los Angeles Equestrian Center: Equestrian^[10]
• Wilson and Harding Golf Course^[11]

Long Beach

• Alamitos Beach: Beach Volleyball (opening ceremony), Half Marathon, Open Water Swimming (demonstration), Triathlon (demonstration)^[12]
• Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier: Sailing^[13]
• Long Beach Marine Stadium: Kayak^[14]

UCLA

• Drake Stadium: Football (Soccer) 11-A-Side 11,700^[15]
• Easton Stadium: Softball 1,300 seats^[16]
• Intramural Field: Football (Soccer) 5-A-Side^[17]
• John Wooden Recreation Center: Gymnastics (Artistic and Rhythmic)^[18]
• Los Angeles Tennis Center: Tennis 5,800 seats^[19]
• North Athletic Field: Football (Soccer) 11-a-side^[20]
• Pauley Pavilion: Volleyball 13,800 seats^[21]
• Student Activities Center: Judo^[22]

USC

• Galen Center: Basketball 10,258 seats^[23]
• Loker Stadium/ Cromwell Field: Athletics 1,900 seats^[24]
• Uytengsu Aquatics Center: Aquatics: 1,640^[25]

Sports

Aquatics Athletics Badminton Basketball Bocce Bowling Cricket Cycling Equestrian Football (soccer) Five-a-side football Seven-a-side football Golf Gymnastics

Handball Judo Kayaking Marathon Powerlifting Roller skating Sailing Softball Table tennis Tennis Volleyball

Demonstration events in beach soccer, beach volleyball, open water swimming, and triathlon were also held.

Participating nations

Delegations to the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games[26]

Afghanistan  Albania  Algeria  American Samoa  Argentina  Armenia  Aruba  Australia  Austria  Azerbaijan  Bahamas  Bahrain  Bangladesh  Barbados  Belarus  Belgium  Belize  Benin  Bhutan  Bolivia  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Botswana  Brazil  Brunei  Bulgaria  Burkina Faso  Cambodia  Canada  Cayman Islands  Chile  China  Chinese Taipei  Colombia  Costa Rica  Croatia  Cuba  Curacao  Cyprus  Czech Republic  DR Congo  Denmark  Dominica  Dominican Republic  Ecuador  Egypt  El Salvador  Estonia  Faroe Islands  Fiji  Finland  France  Georgia  Germany  Ghana  Gibraltar  Great Britain  Greece  Guatemala  Guyana  Honduras  Hong Kong  Hungary  Haiti  Iceland  India  Indonesia  Iran  Iraq  Ireland  Isle of Man  Israel  Italy  Ivory Coast  Jamaica  Japan  Jordan  Kazakhstan  Kenya  South Korea  Kosovo  Kyrgyzstan  Laos  Latvia  Lebanon  Libya  Liechtenstein  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Macau  Macedonia  Malawi  Malaysia  Mali  Malta  Mauritius  Mexico  Moldova  Monaco  Mongolia  Montenegro  Morocco  Myanmar  Namibia    Nepal  Netherlands  New Zealand  Nicaragua  Nigeria  Norway  Pakistan  Palestine  Panama  Papua New Guinea  Paraguay  Peru  Philippines  Poland  Portugal  Puerto Rico  Qatar  Romania  Russia  Rwanda  Samoa  San Marino  Saudi Arabia  Senegal  Serbia  Seychelles  Singapore  Slovakia  Slovenia  South Africa  Spain  Sri Lanka  St. Kitts and Nevis  St. Lucia  St. Vincent and the Grenadines  Suriname  Swaziland  Sweden   Switzerland  Syria  Tajikistan  Tanzania  Thailand  Timor Leste  Togo  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Tunisia  Turkey  Turkmenistan  Uganda  Ukraine  United Arab Emirates  United States  Uruguay  US Virgin Islands  Uzbekistan  Venezuela  Vietnam  Zambia  Zimbabwe

Ceremonies

The opening ceremony of the Games were held on July 25, 2015 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The ceremony featured performances by J Balvin, Becky G, Siedah Garrett, Stevie Wonder, and Avril Lavinge. A pre-recorded message by President Barack Obama was played, while First Lady Michelle Obama gave a speech in-person. The Special Olympics' Flame of Hope was used by Rafer Johnson (who lit the same cauldron at the 1984 Summer Olympics) and Special Olympian Destiny Sanchez to light the stadium's Olympic cauldron.^[1]

References

1. Plaschke, Bill. "Special Olympics opening ceremony is out of this world". The Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0kew0UXiTI
3. ""In a city full of stars" Special Olympians will stand out in Los Angeles in 2015". GamesBids.com. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
4. "Los Angeles to host 2015 Special Olympics Summer Games". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
5. "All Venues". LA2015.org. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
6. "L.A. nimble, ready to host Special Olympics World Games". ESPN.com. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
7. "Convention Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
8. "Lucky Strike LA Live - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
9. "Balboa Sports Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
10. "Los Angeles Equestrian Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
11. "Wilson & Harding Golf Courses - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
12. "Alamitos Beach - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
13. "Belmont Pier - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
14. "Marine Stadium - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
15. "Drake Stadium - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
16. "Easton Stadium - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
17. "Intramural Field - Detail". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
18. "John Wooden Center- Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
19. "Los Angeles Tennis Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
20. "North Athletic Field - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
21. "Pauley Pavilion - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
22. "Student Activities Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
23. "Galen Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
24. "Galen Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
25. "Uytengsu Aquatics Center - Details". www.la2015.org. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
26. "Delegations". 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved 22 July 2015.