Rebecca Jarvis to host 2026 Special Olympics opening ceremony in Minneapolis

Rebecca Jarvis hosted the opening ceremony for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games at Huntington Bank Stadium, putting Minneapolis at the center of a week built around nearly 3,000 athletes from all 50 states. The Games stretched across Minnesota’s Twin Cities from June 20-26, with competition at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine, and organizers expected about 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans to fill the region around them.

Special Olympics says the event is designed to celebrate inclusivity, change perceptions and show how sport can transform lives. That purpose was reflected in the athlete profiles surrounding the Games, including Lani, a rhythmic gymnastics medalist whose doctors once told her mother she would never achieve anything. Her path pointed to the work that sits behind every podium appearance, including coaching, family persistence and years of access to training.

Minnesota’s role as host also underscored the depth of the local network that keeps Special Olympics running. Special Olympics Minnesota was founded in 1973, serves more than 7,800 athletes, relies on 7,324 volunteer coaches and stages 92 competitions each year. Nationally, Special Olympics says it supports more than 5 million athletes, unified partners, coaches and volunteers worldwide, a scale that depends on local schools, volunteers and community partners as much as on the marquee event itself.

ESPN said its Opening Ceremony coverage began Saturday, June 20, and streamed on ESPN+ and Disney+, with ABC’s Preview Show set for Sunday, June 21, at noon ET. ESPN also said Kevin Connors and Jen Lada hosted the ceremony, with performances by Jon Batiste and Demi Lovato. The Minneapolis Games followed Orlando’s 2022 USA Games, where more than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean competed before 125,000 spectators, a recent benchmark for the movement’s reach and public visibility.