Bareilles to Perform at Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies
When the Special Olympics USA Games arrive to Walt Disney World next month, a host of coaches, spectators and fans will decend on the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and surrounding facilities to celebrate this year’s designated Special Olympics athletes.
Alongside them will be Grammy Award-winning songwriter Sara Bareilles. The Games announced yesterday that the Tony Award nominee will perform at the events opening ceremonies on June 5th at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
⭐️ JUST ANNOUNCED ⭐️
USA Games Opening Ceremony will feature a performance by Grammy-award winning artist, @SaraBareilles ! Don’t miss this incredible event and purchase your tickets now – https://t.co/RFaP9OIjas #ShineAsOne pic.twitter.com/Ni4xUMdYZc— Special Olympics USA Games (@2022USAGames) May 11, 2022
Running from the 5th through the 12th, this year’s games bring together “more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean, 20,000 volunteers and 125,000 spectators during one of the coutnry’s most cherished sproting events,” according to the event website.
Bareilles Shares Games Excitement
“I AM SO HONORED!!!!!!!!!!!! COUNTING THE DAYS!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏” Bareilles said in a Tweet yesterday announcing her role in the ceremonies.
I AM SO HONORED!!!!!!!!!!!! COUNTING THE DAYS!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 https://t.co/ESxp69O1Xz
— Sara Bareilles (@SaraBareilles) May 11, 2022
Doors open for the ceremonies at 8 a.m. with the festivities scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Following the ceremony, sporting events kick off at a range of facilities in the Orlando area.
Credit: Disney
Facilities Hosting This Year’s Special Athletes
Aside from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Exploria Stadium, Disney’s Coronado Springs will host athletes and their families. Boardwalk Bowl Entertainment Center, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Lucky’s Lake, the Rosen Aquatic Center, the USTA National Campus, the Lake Minneola Waterfront Park, Orange County National Golf Center, and the Osceola Heritage Park will all be used for events.
With just 24 days to go before this year’s competitions begin, organizers continue to put the finishing touches in place to ensure this year’s Special Olympic USA Games are a memorable celebration that allow the athletes to showcase their skills. Produced by the Walt Disney Company, the week’s events assuredly prove that we all “shine as one,” the mantra of this year’s games.
Image Credit: @2022USAGames/Twitter
