Discover Ames
Search
Favorites
Favorites
Favorites

Special Olympics Iowa Summer Games

The Summer Games are Special Olympics Iowa’s largest event of the year, with more than 2,500 athletes, 1,200 coaches and 2,000 volunteers converging on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. The three-day event begins with the Torch Run Final Leg bringing the Flame of Hope from downtown Des Moines to Hilton Coliseum for the Opening Ceremony.

Also featured at the games is an Olympic Festival, which is an area for athletes to relax between competitions and interact with sponsors and partners. Healthy Athletes screenings are provided to athletes by healthcare professionals for eyesight, dental, hearing, overall health and fitness, and more.

Dates: May 21-23, 2026
Location: Ames
All entries Due: April 24, 2026

 

Date

May 21 - 23 2026

Location

Iowa State campus

Category

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Discover Ames
Visitor's Guide
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

I’m ready to help!

MELISSA MUSCHICK

Director of Partner and Community Engagement

 

Still have questions

Email
Phone

Connecting
with Iowa State University

Volleyball
  • Collaboration with ISU Athletics
  • Engaging at student-focused events like EIS (Experience Iowa State) and Orientation
  • Partnering with key ISU departments to connect with students and families
  • Providing resources to incoming freshman through an annual mailing

Promoting
Ames Nationwide

  • National coverage; RV There Yet and ISU Guide to the Game
  • 1.5M+ social media impressions across multiple platforms
  • Creating and distributing 25K+ Visitor Guides and 30K+ Ames Insiders
  • Working with local and national influencers to promote Ames

Investing
in Our Community

  • Awarding $100K+ in Community Grants each year to support local events
  • Outreach to youth through career fairs and presentations
  • Educating local businesses and leaders on how we can help and what we do
  • Coordinating and leading Hotel & Attraction Council to keep them informed and up to date

Growing
Events & Opportunities

  • Bringing major events that draw tens of thousands of people to our community including Boys State Basketball and Campustown Showdown
  • Attending national trade shows and conferences to find new opportunities of events to bring to Ames
  • Providing top-tier service before, during and after each event

Advocating
for Our Community

  • Funding feasibility studies for local projects
  • Helping advance tourism developments like CyTown and The LINC
  • Advocating for tourism with elected officials- Local & State
  • Driving converstations on a new Fieldhouse in Ames
  • Collaborating with Ames Alliance, iTIP, City of Ames, ISU & Visit Boone County

[user_favorites]

Skip to content