More than 1,300 athletes and coaches took to Long Beach over the weekend to participate in the 2025 iteration of the Southern California Special Olympics. The festivities kicked off on Friday, June 6, with the Special Olympics opening ceremony at Cal State Long Beach’s Walter Pyramid. After that, the games took place on Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8. Athletes competed for medals and ribbons in five different sports, including track and field, basketball, bocce, flag football and swimming. This year’s games also featured unified sports competitions, brining together athletes both with and without disabilities. “Summer Games goes beyond the competitions. It’s a team effort from the community,” said SOSC President and CEO Kelly Pond. “The support for our athletes inspires and motivates all people.” The Summer Games event also featured Healthy Athletes — a program that offers participants free health screenings from volunteer health care professionals — and a Young Athletes area, which offered kids a chance to work on fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and get a taste of what it would be like to participate in the Special Olympics some day.