The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games Organizing Committee announced that Amazon will be presenting sponsor of the 2018 USA Games Closing Ceremony in the company’s hometown of Seattle.
In July 2018, more than 4,000 Special Olympics athletes, coaches and representatives from across the U.S., along with tens of thousands of volunteers and spectators, will gather in Seattle for six days of national-caliber competition in 14 individual and team sports.
The 2018 USA Games kick off with the Opening Ceremony at Husky Stadium on Sunday, July 1, and culminate on Friday, July 6, with the Closing Ceremony, which will be held at the iconic Lake Union Park in Seattle and will be free and open to the public.
“We are excited to partner with the Special Olympics USA Games and welcome more than 4,000 athletes and coaches to South Lake Union,” said Jeff Wilke, CEO Amazon Worldwide Consumer. “Special Olympics embraces diversity and inclusion – values that Amazon shares. It’s an honor to support the USA Games, athletes, coaches and families who have traveled from all over the country to compete in Seattle.”
“Producing an event of this magnitude requires grassroots support as well as corporate partners like Amazon who are passionate about supporting the community and message of inclusion,” said Beth Knox, president and CEO of the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games. “From unique experiences benefiting the athletes and sponsoring the Closing Ceremony, to engaging their employees as volunteers, we appreciate Amazon’s wide-spectrum commitment to the Special Olympics movement.”
The Closing Ceremony will include ceremonial elements such as lowering the Special Olympics flag, extinguishing the Special Olympics flame and announcing the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games host city. The ceremony will also feature musical performances and a festival-like atmosphere to celebrate the athletes’ achievements and give Seattleites a chance to bid farewell to the athletes before they return to their home states. The Closing Ceremony is designed to inspire attendees to continue demonstrating acts of inclusion throughout their communities long after the 2018 USA Games have concluded.
Knox added, “The Closing Ceremony celebrates the end of the 2018 USA Games, but more importantly, it signals the beginning of a new era of inclusiveness in Seattle and beyond.”
Amazon joins other 2018 Special Olympics USA Games partners including Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, ESPN, The Coca-Cola Company, Bank of America, KPMG, Starbucks, Brooks Running Company, The Boeing Company and Alaska Airlines.
