For one week in June, Special Olympics athletes from across the United States will gather in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. While the athletes will get most of the spotlight, and rightfully so, for their athletic achievements, there’s another distinct group of indivdiuals with intellectual disabilities coming to the USA Games.
Spread out amongst the 16 sports, you’ll be able to spot athletes in delegation and competition management and officiating roles. “Our goal is to have athletes active and involved in every aspect of the Games,” Victoria Russell, Director of Sports for USA Games, said. “Athletes are serving as delegation members (coaches and additional staff), in advisory roles, as volunteers, members of Sport Leadership Teams, and as officials.”
For Kristine Hughes, it’s all about growing and staying involved. A multi-sport athlete for Special Olympics North Carolina, she wanted to find a way to stay active with the movement, while also recognizing she’s aging, and her body can’t perform the way it used to.
“There’s a chance my sporting career is done, but I wanted to stay involved because I believe in athletes becoming leaders on and off the field,” Hughes said.
Hughes spends a large amount of her energy on older athletes because she understands there is a place for everyone to participate. She’s played sports for nearly 40 years at every level you could imagine. Understanding that representation is important, she works so hard to set the standard.
“Representation matters because athletes are the heart of the Special Olympics movement,” Russell said. “Athletes as Officials allows for qualified athletes to showcase their skills in a different way, but still on the competition floor.”
The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games Local Organizing Committee (LOC) knew the type of athlete they wanted. “We’ve recruited athletes who know their sport rules, are trained as officials, and will represent their state program at the national level,” Russell says. Without officials, sports at USA Games would not be able to happen, but it goes beyond the field of play in Minneapolis. “My hope is that competing athletes see opportunities for themselves to further engage in Special Olympics as an Official, a Technical Delegate, or a Sport Leadership Team member in their own home Programs or in future USA or World Games,” Russell explained.
Hughes will be an Assistant Technical Delegate (ATD) for volleyball at USA Games. “Assistant technical delegates help the technical delegate plan and run the volleyball venue or any other venue,” Hughes said.
She made sure to tell her venue team not to limit her and to challenge her in the role because she has larger goals she wants to achieve. “Once I learn how to be an ATD, I'd like to be a co-Technical Delegate."
“My goal in this position is not just for me,” Hughes said. “I want to see more athletes in these roles that want to be here, that want to do this because they know that they can continue past sports.”
Special Olympics always prides itself on being an athlete-led organization, so it’s important to put those words into action.
“I want to see more athletes in ATD [roles] or coming out and volunteering, be a subject matter expert, because a lot of these athletes know their sport really well and they can be very beneficial to helping plan a great event at the highest level, whether it's USA Games or World Games,” Hughes said with a spark in her voice.
She encourages athletes to get involved at the local level, so the number of athlete officials at the USA Games can continue to grow. Hughes suggests athletes work the local spring, fall or summer games and apply to roles that sound interesting, so they are able to grow, gain skills and set themselves up for larger, more important roles.
It’s all about building their resume and experience.
“They just need to know, though, that this is actual work. It's not a token role,” she said. “It's not something that we just say, ‘OK, you're an ATD now, but you're not going to do a lot.’ This is an actual role. I do have to work. I do have schedules and all that.”
And Russell knows that it sets the standard and sends a strong message to the community.
“As an organization, we should continue to strive to create and showcase athlete leadership opportunities both on and off the playing courts/fields,” Russell said. “Athletes can and should be represented in all areas of Special Olympics.”
The following individuals will serve as sport officials or Assistant Technical Delegates at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games:
- James Cavanaugh (Special Olympics Northern California) - Athletics Official
- Nicholas Donlan (Special Olympics Virginia) - Basketball Official
- Nichole Glover (Special Olympics Nebraska) - Bocce Official
- Michael Stephens (Special Olympics Pennsylvania) - Bowling Athlete Assistant Technical Delegate
- Vince Egan (Special Olympics Colorado) - Golf Official
- Lani DeMello (Special Olympics Georgia) - Gymnastics Official
- Shannon Laffey (Special Olympics Georgia) - Gymnastics Official
- Tonya Cornett (Special Olympics Kentucky) - Gymnastics Official
- Colleen Costello (Special Olympics Illinois) - Gymnastics Official
- Garrett Utz (Special Olympics Washington) - Soccer Official
- Hilary Kern (Special Olympics Texas) - Tennis Official
- Kristine Hughes (Special Olympics North Carolina) - Volleyball Athlete Assistant Technical Delegate
