National Games get underway as teams arrive in Medicine Hat
The wait is over for athletes from across the country as all 12 Provincial and Territorial Teams have arrived in Medicine Hat for the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games Medicine Hat 2026.
More than 1,700 athletes, coaches and mission staff made their way to the host city over the past two days, filling airports and buses with team colours and cheers ahead of five days of competition across 10 summer sports.
For many athletes, arriving in Medicine Hat is the culmination of months — and often years — of training and competition to earn their place at National Games.
It’s my first time in Alberta — I find it really exciting. We’ve worked so hard to get here from two years ago getting our gold medals at Provincial Games, I absolutely love basketball and I love my teammates and coaches like they’re my family.
For others, simply getting here required a little extra perseverance.
Team BC was among those faced with a longer journey after wildfire-related flight cancellations disrupted travel plans for parts of the delegation. Despite the unexpected delays, the team remained optimistic and, now reunited with their teammates and fellow competitors in Medicine Hat, is ready for the week ahead.
It was a very long day because of the smoke in Kelowna. But our great mission staff got us all connected to a bus, It was a long way but I’m glad to be here. I’m honoured to be part of Team BC and I’m really excited to start off the basketball divisioning tomorrow.
There was little time to waste once teams arrived.
Softball and ten-pin bowling got an early start Monday with divisioning to establish balanced competition groupings for the week ahead, while athletes in other sports took part in training sessions and had their first opportunity to get familiar with the venues where they will compete.
The first day also brought plenty of reunions, as athletes, coaches and mission staff reconnected with familiar faces from past competitions and began forming new friendships with teammates and competitors from across the country.
With more than 40,000 Special Olympics athletes participating in communities across Canada, those connections can stretch thousands of kilometres — between athletes who may compete against one another this week but stay connected long after everyone heads home.
Teams also made their way through Healthy Athletes, where free health screenings will be available between competition throughout Games week.
Athletes can access Special Smiles (dentistry), Health Promotion (nutrition, hydration and overall wellness), Healthy Hearing (audiology), FUNfitness (physiotherapy), Fit Feet (podiatry) and Opening Eyes (optometry), along with a new pilot discipline making its debut at these Games: Women’s Health and Bra Fitting.
Our athletes were over the moon to take part in the women’s health education, particularly the bra fitting session, It’s an important and often overlooked part of sport performance, but what really stood out to me was seeing athletes walk out of that session with more confidence.
Healthy Athletes has become an important part of the Games experience, helping identify health needs and connect athletes with care and equipment that can make a tangible difference in sport and everyday life.
The impact of those screenings can be immediate. Athletes may leave Healthy Athletes with prescription glasses or sport goggles that change how they see the field of play, hearing aids that help them better connect with coaches and teammates, or, through the new Women’s Health pilot, a professionally fitted sports bra that can make a meaningful difference in comfort, confidence and performance.
And while the teams have now completed their journeys to Medicine Hat, the Flame of Hope is still on its way.
Special Olympics athletes and law enforcement members are travelling the final kilometres of the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg after carrying the Flame through communities across Alberta in the lead-up to the Games.
As the Flame of Hope makes its way across Alberta, it continues to do what it has always done — bring people together, inspire inclusion and remind us what is possible when everyone has the opportunity to shine,
On Tuesday, the Flame will arrive at its final destination, entering Opening Ceremony and lighting the cauldron to officially open the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games Medicine Hat 2026.
After a first day of divisioning, training, health screenings, team bonding and reunions, all 13 teams will come together Tuesday night for the first time at Opening Ceremony.
Then, five days of National Games competition begin.