One year away: Special Olympics to be held in Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. - We are one year away from the Special Olympics USA Games. They will be held in Orlando for the first time from June 5 to June 12 of 2022.
The OCA Eagles Special Olympics Team from Orange County just found out they will get to compete.
MORE NEWS: Construction workers rescued after being trapped 40-feet in air around live wires
"I never knew," OCA Eagles member Cesar Aponte said. "I was so surprised."
The Special Olympics organization held an event to help them count down to the games.
The USA Games will bring together 5,500 athletes and coaches from all over the country and the Caribbean. Plus, 125,000 people are expected to attend.
TRENDING: Major internet outage brings down Amazon, Reddit, Twitch and more
"We’ll need over 10,000 volunteers to make this event happen," Special Olympics Florida President and CEO Sherry Wheelock said. "It’s a full week of activities."
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer also proclaimed this week as the "2022 Special Olympics USA Games ‘Shine AS One’ Week" because the goal of the games is to highlight the athletes.
"This is going to be a national stage for them to showcase their abilities so people can see that they do have ways to be great contributors in our community," Wheelock said.
Watch FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.