Journey That Began in 2019 Will Finish in Turin

Morehead athlete DesaRae Nickell has officially been selected as part of the Special Olympics USA Team that will compete at the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games next year in Turin, Italy. The announcement of the official delegation was made by Special Olympics USA on August 20. Nickell will compete in Alpine Skiing at the Games.

Nickell has been a Special Olympics Athlete for 14 years and has competed in Alpine Skiing for 12. In addition to skiing, she competes in track and field and has competed in soccer and basketball. She also serves as an Athlete Ambassador, representing the program at events around the state including participating in a presentation for the State Legislature.

The official selection marks the end of a long wait for Nickell to have the opportunity to compete on the world stage. She was first nominated to join the Special Olympics USA team in 2019 for the 2021 Games, which were to be held in Sweden. Organization issues and then COVID forced those games to be moved both to Kazan, Russia, and to 2022. Nickell was again set to join Special Olympics USA for those Games, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced their cancellation and a delay until 2024.

Nickell recently participated in the Special Olympics USA Team Trials in Salt Lake City, Utah, April. The Trials were the final part of the selection process for Team USA and were the first official Special Olympics USA event she had had the opportunity to participate in.

“What I look forward to most about World Games is being able to represent Special Olympics Kentucky and the USA,” she said. “I can’t wait to walk into the stadium wearing the colors of USA. I’m going to continue to train hard with the goal of medaling.”

Special Olympics USA will send a 160-person delegation to the World Games, which will include athletes, Unified partners, coaches and support staff.

“We’re thrilled for DesaRae to finally have the opportunity to represent the state as part of Special Olympics USA,” said Special Olympics Kentucky President and CEO Trish Mazzoni. “She has worked very hard for this opportunity, and we can’t wait to see what she does in Turin.”

The Special Olympics World Winter Games Turin 2025 will take place from March 8 -16, 2025, gathering over 1,500 athletes from 103 countries to compete in eight winter sports and showcase the determination of people with intellectual disabilities and the power of inclusion through sport. World Winter Games events will be held in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy.

ESPN’s television networks and digital platforms will bring extensive coverage to sports fans and supporters of the Special Olympics movement around the world. As the official global broadcast partner of Special Olympics, ESPN will deliver live and recorded highlights on its family of TV channels, the ESPN+ streaming service, ESPN3, ESPN.com and the ESPN App.

To follow Special Olympics USA, visit specialolympicsusa.org, join the email list, and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Hashtag: #Cheer4USA

For more information about the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games or how you can help Nickell raise the money needed to compete, contact Trish Mazzoni at [email protected] or 502-695-8222.