Northern California’s Elite Special Olympics Athletes to Compete in Summer Games at UC Davis

PLEASANT HILL, California – With pride, respect and gold medals on the line, more than 650 Special Olympics athletes and 250 volunteer coaches will descend on UC Davis this Friday through Sunday for the annual Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games. On the morning of Friday, June 26, law enforcement officers will run the Flame of Hope from Beale’s Point in Folsom to Davis, pausing at the State Capitol Building in Sacramento at 10 a.m. for a special ceremony. The athletes’ weekend takes place on the UC Davis campus and begins with Opening Ceremonies on Friday, June 26 and continues with competitions in aquatics, bocce, tennis or track & field.

The media and public are encouraged to view the Law Enforcement Torch Run and corresponding presentation at 10 a.m. on Friday morning as well as all of the Summer Games events. An agenda forFriday’s ceremony and Torch Run route can be found at www.SONC.org/About-Us/Press. The Summer Games Opening Ceremonies and competitions are all held on the UC Davis campus and are open to the public with no charge for admission.

Opening Ceremonies will also introduce new President & CEO David Solo as he takes the helm from Rick Collett, who is retiring after 20 years with Special Olympics. Community members as well ashundreds of Summer Games sponsors’ employees will represent each sponsoring corporation and will be on hand throughout the weekend to volunteer in roles such as staging, escorts, timers and fans in the stands. Additionally, known as Special Smiles, dental hygienists and dentists will provide Special Olympics athletes with complementary dental screenings, oral healthcare tips and tools.

What:            Law Enforcement Torch Run & Special Olympics Northern California Summer Games

Who:             Over 900 athletes and coaches along with 1,200 corporate and community volunteers and law enforcement  personnel

5:30 a.m. – Torch Runners Depart Beale’s Point en Route to Sacramento Capitol

10 a.m. – Law Enforcement Presentation on Sacramento Capitol West Steps 11 a.m. – Torch Runners Depart Capitol West Steps for UC Davis

7:00 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies at Aggie Soccer Stadium, UC Davis campus

7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. – Track & Field at Toomey Field

8:00 a.m.-1:0 p.m. – Bocce at A Street Field

8:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Tennis at Welch Tennis Center

9 a.m.-3 p.m. – Aquatics at Schaal Aquatic Center

8:00 a.m.-1 p.m. – Bocce at A Street Field

8:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Tennis at Welch Tennis Center 9 a.m.-2 p.m. – Aquatics at Schaal Aquatic Center

Admission: Free

Counties: Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino Coast, Monterey, Napa, Placer/Nevada, Sacramento/Yolo, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo,Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne and Yuba/Sutter/Colusa

Photos:        www.Flickr.com/SONorCal (Credit klc fotos)

Sponsors:   Chevron, Flyers Energy, LETR, Finish Line, Kaiser Permanente, Adobe, Coca-Cola, Durham School Services, and Enterprise Holdings

Special Olympics Northern California is a free year-round sports training and competition program for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. There are 17,777 athletes who compete in 156 competitions throughout the region in 11 sports. Included in that figure are 7,160 special education student-athletes who have Special Olympics in the classroom through our Schools Partnership Program. Special Olympics requires the extraordinary support and time of 17,140 volunteers and volunteer coaches. Financial support comes almost exclusively from individuals, organizations, corporations, andfoundations. For more information on Special Olympics Northern California, visit www.SONC.org or join us at www.Facebook.com/SONorCal and www.Twitter.com/SONorCal.