ESPN to Produce 48 Hours of Live Coverage Including Kentucky Athletes
In addition to following Team Kentucky’s progress at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games on our social medial platforms (Facebook, X and Instagram), you can watch select events and competition LIVE during the Games on ESPN+. ESPN will produce 48 of live broadcasts from Minneapolis, including the Opening Ceremonies and select competitions.
The broadcasts kick off on Saturday night at 7:30 (ET) with the Opening Ceremonies from Huntington Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota. The scheduled two-and-a-half hour event will include the parade of athletes, performances by Demi Lovato and Jon Batiste, the entrance of the Flame of Hope and the lighting of the Special Olympics cauldron. The Opening Ceremonies will also stream on Disney+.
There will be a USA Games preview show that will air on Sunday at noon (ET) on ABC before competition begins on Tuesday.
From Tuesday through Friday you will be able to watch Team Kentucky track & field athletes and swimmers, as ESPN+ will stream both events. You can find specific event times for Kentucky athletes on the USA Games App. Broadcasts will include past Olympic athletes Dan O’Brien on track and field and Rowdy Gaines on swimming.
In addition to track and swimming, ESPN+ will also carry powerlifting and the Unified 5v5 Flag Football Gold Medal Game, which will not include Kentucky athletes.
Finally, ABC will air a “Best of” the USA Games show on July 25 at noon (ET).
You can find broadcast times for each day of the Games here.
ESPN’s relationship with Special Olympics spans more than 42 years. Since 2013, that relationship has deepened, with ESPN serving as the official media partner for Special Olympics World Games and USA Games events in Los Angeles (2015), Austria (2017), Seattle (2018), Abu Dhabi (2019), Orlando (2022), Berlin (2023), and Turin (2025), as well as the 50th Anniversary of Special Olympics.
Additionally, ESPN and Special Olympics have a long-standing alliance to use the power of sports to promote social inclusion and acceptance through support and sponsorship of Special Olympics Unified Sports® programming. Unified Sports® programming, dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competitive experiences, brings together people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Inspired by the principle that training and playing together fosters friendship and understanding, Unified Sports® participation has grown significantly. Since 2013, ESPN has been the Global Presenting Sponsor of Unified Sports®, resulting in a 111% increase in Unified participants globally, now reaching over 1.8 million participants.
For more information about Team Kentucky’s participation in the USA Games and ESPN’s coverage, contact Mark Buerger at mbuerger@soky.org or 502-695-8222.