Rebecca Jarvis to host 2026 Special Olympics opening ceremony in Minneapolis

Rebecca Jarvis brought the human side of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games into focus as Minneapolis opened its turn on the national stage. The ABC News correspondent, who hosted the opening ceremony, highlighted athletes whose stories now sit at the center of a week that is as much about access and visibility as it is about medals.

The ceremony took place at Huntington Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota, launching Games that run June 20 through June 26 across Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Competition is split between the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine, giving the event a footprint that stretches beyond one arena and into the region’s sports infrastructure.

Special Olympics said nearly 3,000 athletes and 1,500 coaches from all 50 states are taking part in 16 Olympic-type team and individual sports. Its results site lists 2,881 competing athletes. The organization also said the Games will bring 10,000 volunteers and 75,000 fans to Minnesota, numbers that show how large the event has become and how much community support it requires to function.

That scale matters because Special Olympics has long framed the USA Games as more than a showcase. The organization says the event is meant to promote inclusivity and change perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities, and it describes the movement as one that can transform lives, communities and the wider world. With more than 5 million athletes, unified partners, coaches and volunteers around the globe, the Minneapolis Games sit inside a much larger system of participation and recognition.

Media coverage is also part of that system. ESPN said it will stream 48 hours of live competition on ESPN+ through the ESPN App, while ABC has scheduled preview and review programming around the Games. ABC’s preview show is set for Sunday, June 21, at noon ET. For athletes who have too often been pushed to the margins of American sports coverage, the reach of those broadcasts will help determine whether this moment becomes a passing spotlight or a sign of deeper commitment.

Minneapolis now stands as the latest test of whether inclusion is built into the country’s sports culture, not just celebrated at its edges. The Games’ stadiums, broadcasts, volunteers and fans will measure that commitment in public, one competition and one athlete story at a time.