With their hearts set on gold, Special Olympics Florida athletes are bracing for tough competition as they advance to this year’s national games.
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More than 200 Team Florida athletes, unified partners and coaches took off from Orlando International Airport on Friday for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis, Minn. Over 3,000 athletes from across the nation will compete in 16 different sports, including volleyball, swimming, gymnastics and bowling.
Clad in neon pink, the sports teams paraded into the airport while a group of Special Olympics Florida volunteers, family members and fans cheered their arrival, touting signs that read, “Go for the gold!”
“This is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of our athletes,” said Meghan McLean, president and CEO of Special Olympics Florida. “It’s really a celebration of what people with intellectual disabilities can do when given the opportunity.”
The Special Olympics, founded to give athletes with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to compete, became a global sports movement in the late 1960s. USA games take place every four years, the last of which was hosted in Orlando in 2022.
The teams include unified partners, or people without intellectual disabilities, who are joined up with athletes in what are called Unified Sports.
“Going to USA games and representing Team Florida is one of the biggest accomplishments I think I could have, because it’s an honor to represent your state and go out there and showcase your skills,” said athlete Maryann Gonzalez, who will compete in golf with her unified partner.
The 61-year-old Lake County resident has been involved in competitive sports for more than five decades. She was the first athlete to be inducted into the Special Olympics Florida Hall of Fame and helped jumpstart the USA Games in the early 2000s, she said.
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Beyond athletics, Gonzalez is also a Special Olympics Florida coach, staff member and health messenger. She emphasized the importance of the program’s health services, which helped her resolve foot pain on the golf course.
“That just shows what Special Olympics offers to the athletes outside of playing sports,” she said.
Athletes ran through the crowd, greeted with high fives. Logan Walters, a member of Team Florida’s unified soccer team, said competing on a national stage is a “cool moment” — but also a lot of pressure.
“A few of us were nominated to be here, and I was fortunate to be one of them,” the 19-year-old said. “My goal is to bring back gold for not just my team but the whole state of Florida.”
Justin Layne, a 28-year-old Lee County resident, waved a shimmery blue pom-pom and cheered the passing teams. Having friends and family with special needs motivated him to attend the send-off, he said.
“I know these athletes work hard,” Layne said. “I’m just happy to be here and show my support, put a smile on their face.”
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The USA Games will be held from June 20 to 26.