The celebration has begun in southeast Alberta.
The 2026 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Medicine Hat have officially kicked off, bringing together athletes from every province in a gathering celebrating unity and inclusion.
Over 1,700 participants and 1,500 volunteers have gathered for the games that run from August 11-15.
The Governor General of Canada, Louise Arbour, says the games carry a spirit of solidarity, ambition and resilience. She credits the games with carrying an “invisible part of the Canadian spirit.”