Disney Live Entertainment to produce opening ceremony for Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Special Olympics USA Games are set for this summer in Central Florida, and it’s going to be bigger than originally thought.

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It was announced Tuesday that Disney Live Entertainment will be producing the opening ceremony for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.

“We’re just excited that the games are around the corner and we’ll actually get a chance to celebrate the athletes,” said Jason Robinson with Disney Live Entertainment.

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About 60 delegates from nearly every state and 11 Caribbean nations were at ESPN Wide World of Sports Tuesday for the special announcement.

More than 5,000 athletes are expected to compete in 19 different sports this summer, making it the biggest Special Olympics USA games ever.

Sixty years ago, Walt Disney helped produce the opening ceremonies for the 1960 Winter Olympics.

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Robinson said the event will honor the tradition of the games and the athletes.

The production team at Walt Disney World has been working on the Special Olympics USA Games Opening Ceremonies for about a year.

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VIDEO: Orlando man helps train Special Olympics athletes to meet their goals Dan Grieb is a real estate agent in Orlando who works with special olympics athletes in his spare time. (Joe Kepner, WFTV.com/WFTV)

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