Nashville to Bid for Special Olympics 2030 Host City

Special Olympics Tennessee will submit a bid to host the national games in Nashville in 2030, a spokesperson for the organization confirmed to Scene sister publication the Nashville Post. 

If chosen, Music City would host an estimated 4,500 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities from around the country and require 10,000 volunteers for the weeklong event, which is presented every four years. The Special Olympics USA Games were held at Disney World in Orlando in 2022, during which the event hosted more than 5,500 athletes representing all 50 states, as well as 125,000 spectators, according to the event website. The University of Minnesota is set to host the 2026 games. 

Justin Bradford, director of marketing and communications for Special Olympics Tennessee, says the organization must submit its final bid by Oct. 1, and expects to find out if Nashville was chosen during the first quarter of 2025. He says that if Nashville wins the bid, the Special Olympics will hire local staff on a contract basis to prepare for the games, and their first task will be to raise $1 million in startup funds. 

“Nashville is proven to be an inclusive city, wanting to bring in people from all walks of life,” Bradford says. “It is centrally located. ... Being such a short distance driving and flying with direct flights makes it easy to access for athletes. Nashville has proven it can host big events, but to have it mean something that's even greater to the community by serving Special Olympics athletes — it's something that I know the city would love to see.” 

Twenty-year Special Olympics athlete James Clark echoed the sentiment during the public comment period at Tuesday's Metro Council meeting. 

“It’s an important part of my life,” Clark said. “I love competition and meeting new people. Nashville is known for its hospitality. We’ve hosted the NFL Draft and NASCAR and even several thousand bachelorette parties. I think it’s time for us to open our arms to the athletes with disabilities and their coaches and teammates.” 

Local and state government are seemingly on board. District 19 Metro Councilmember Jacob Kupin brought a resolution in support of the bid, which saw widespread support including from District 34 Councilmember Sandy Ewing, whose son has participated in the games, and District 23 Councilmember Thom Druffel, who has served as a tennis coach for Special Olympics Tennessee. In the state legislature, a joint resolution in support of the bid sponsored by Rep. Tandy Darby (R-Greenfield) passed unanimously and was signed by Gov. Bill Lee earlier this month. 

Bradford says a goal of the organization is to leave an impact on the host city.

“There's legacy pieces that come along with the bid as well — how we want to have a longstanding effect not just on the city, but on the state,” Bradford says. “That can be anything from physical legacy pieces to accessibility access pieces to health and wellness.”

Special Olympics Tennessee is set to host its yearly summer games at Lipscomb University and Centennial Sportsplex on May 17 and 18. 

The Special Olympics were founded in 1968, formed out of Camp Shriver, founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The Special Olympics World Games are held every two years, with the 2023 games held in Berlin.  

This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.