(ATR) Los Angeles will host the Special Olympics in the summer of 2015.
The Special Olympics International Board announced Wednesday that the southern California city will be the staging grounds for more than 7,000 athletes representing 170 countries and 21 Olympic-type sports.
The World Summer Games are expected to bring more than a half-million people to the city.
"Bringing our World Games to a city as powerful and prominent on the world stage as Los Angeles will allow our Special Olympics athletes to showcase their talents and demonstrate to the world the best in sports," said Timothy Shriver, chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics.
The Special Olympics are held every two years, alternating between Winter and Summer Games. Held in Athens, the most recent Summer Games ended in July.
The last time the U.S. hosted the event was 16 years ago in 1999 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
On Thursday, a memorandum of agreement was signed at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles by Shriver and Los Angeles bid committee chairman Patrick McClenahan, who will now become the president and CEO of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Organizing Committee.
McClenahan said the city will provide a platform to promote the inclusion of people with mental disabilities.
"In a city full of movie stars and all-stars, our Special Olympics athletes will be the stars of this show as they demonstrate their skills, courage and joy," he said.
"Los Angeles will provide the world stage necessary to create the awareness that leads to increased acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities throughout SouthernCalifornia, the nation and the world."
Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also attended the event and expressed his excitement over the decision.
"We are thrilled and honored to be selected as the international city to host the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games and look forward to showcasing the remarkable skills and inspiring passion of Special Olympics athletes," he said.
Other athletes and officials spoke at the signing,including Loretta Claiborne, Special Olympics athlete spokesperson and member of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors Games Committee; Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG, the owner of the Staples Center; C.L. Max Nikias, president of the University of Southern California; Don Knabe, Los Angeles County supervisor; and Olympian Rafer Johnson, who founded the Special Olympics Southern California.
The Special Olympics movement was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities.
In July 1968, the first Games were held in Chicago with 1,000 athletes from the U.S. and Canada competing in track and field and swimming events. The movement has evolved into a large sporting event with nearly 7,000 athletes from around the world attending.
The next Winter Games will take place in PyeongChang from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6 of 2013.
Written by Ann Cantrell.
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