January 12, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Competition to Conclude in Special Olympics World Games

The Special Olympics World Games is the largest event to come to Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympics, and it is the first time since 1999 that the games have been hosted by the United States.
The Special Olympics World Games is the largest event to come to Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympics, and it is the first time since 1999 that the games have been hosted by the United States.

Competition will conclude today in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games with medal events in 14 sports, including 12 basketball games at Galen Center and a 13.1-mile half-marathon on the streets of Long Beach.

There will be competitions in five sports at both the Los Angeles Convention Center and UCLA.

Badminton, the Italian sport of bocce, team handball, powerlifting and table tennis will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Soccer and softball games, tennis and volleyball matches will be played at UCLA, along with competition in gymnastics.

Baseball Hall of Fame member Tommy Lasorda will be among those presenting awards in softball.

There will also be swimming and track and field at USC; equestrian events at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Griffith Park and sailing off Belmont Pier in Long Beach.

Admission is free to all events.

The closing ceremony will be held Sunday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Kenyans Susan Gatwiri and Alex Komen both won their second gold medals of the Games on Friday. Gatwiri won the 5,000 meters in 18 minutes, 51.43 seconds and Komen won his 5,000 race in 16:27.89.

Gatwiri and Komen had both earlier won gold medals in the 3,000.

The men’s basketball gold medal winners Friday were Great Britain, Israel, Spain, South Korea, United Arab Emirates. Spain also won a gold medal in women’s basketball.

Friday’s cycling gold medalists included 16-year-old Braian Do Carmo of Uruguay and Alexander Arguedas of Costa Rica.

Uruguay defeated Ecuador, 4-1, Friday to win the gold medal in 11-a-side soccer at UCLA.

“Special Olympics changed my life,” Ecuador coach Esteban Navarrette said. “I started volunteering and fell in love with it and then they hired me.

“After that I saw how the Special Olympics really changes people and the players. It’s practically changed everybody who is involved.

“The athletes come from families where they are constantly told they can’t do this, they can’t do that. But after joining the Special Olympics, it shows the families what they can do.”

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