Special Olympics North America to Host Regional Athlete Congress for the First Time

Special Olympics North America will gather athletes from Canada, the Caribbean and the United States March 8 – 13, 2026, at the Special Olympics Michigan headquarters for the first-ever Special Olympics North America (SONA) Athlete Congress to discuss topics currently affecting athletes throughout the local programming space. This event serves as a stepping stone to set the agenda for the 2027 Global Athlete Congress, which will be held in Chile.

The objective of the SONA Athlete Congress is to gather information on issues that impact local programming, train participants in personal and professional development skills, as well as the necessary problem-solving skills. Participants will also select the attendees who will represent SONA at the 2027 Global Athlete Congress.

“Special Olympics Michigan is honored to host the North America Athlete Congress at the Unified Sports and Inclusion Center,” Tim Hileman, CEO of Special Olympics Michigan, said. “The weeklong event will shine a spotlight on the strength, courage, and vision of our athlete leaders. Special Olympics Michigan is thrilled to help their voices be amplified and celebrated.”

The 27 athletes in attendance will represent two distinct groups of athlete leaders: the advancing delegates and the non-advancing delegates. Among the advancing group, 15 athlete leaders and their mentors will be members of one of the three sub-regional Athlete Leadership Councils (U.S., Canada, or Caribbean). During the SONA Congress, all attendees will help select 10 finalists to be considered by SONA staff to represent the Region by attending the Global Athlete Congress in Chile 2027.

Non-advancing delegates and their mentors were selected through an application process following nomination by their Special Olympics Program.

Special Olympics Kansas athlete Josh Alters represents the advancing athletes and said, “It means to me I can share my opinions on topics with other Programs and athletes from other states and countries.”

“The type of impact is to make changes in our communities or Programs and to make this world a better place,” he continued.

The list of Special Olympics athletes attending the 2026 Special Olympics North America Athlete Congress is provided below.