Law Enforcement Torch Run “Final Leg” Team Announced for 2018 Special Olympics USA Games

47 Law Enforcement Officers and 6 Special Olympics Athletes to Carry Special Olympics Flame of Hope Throughout Washington State in Support of USA Games in Seattle

SEATTLE – December 5, 2017 – Before competition begins next July at the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle, an elite group of law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes will escort the Special Olympics Flame of Hope on a journey across Washington state. From June 27 through July 1, 47 law enforcement officers representing 47 states, along with six Special Olympics athletes, will make up the prestigious “Final Leg” team for the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games Law Enforcement Torch Run® (LETR).

Since the first Special Olympics USA Games in 2006, law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes from across the United States have carried the Flame of Hope in the LETR Final Leg to usher the start of the national competition.

In 2018, the LETR Final Leg team will conduct multiple runs and ceremonies in cities, towns and communities across Washington state to raise awareness for Special Olympics and generate excitement for the 2018 USA Games. The 2018 Final Leg culminates on July 1 when the LETR team escorts the Flame of Hope into the Opening Ceremony at Husky Stadium at the University of Washington in Seattle.

For more information on the LETR Final Leg team, please visit http://www.letr-finalleg.org/. The schedule of events and ceremonies for the 2018 USA Games LETR Final Leg will be announced in Spring 2018.

About The Law Enforcement Torch Run

 The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is the largest public awareness vehicle and grassroots fundraiser for Special Olympics. Known honorably as “Guardians of the Flame,” law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes carry the Flame of Hope into the Opening Ceremony of local competitions, and into Special Olympics state, provincial, national, regional and world games. Annually, more than 97,000 dedicated and compassionate law enforcement members carry the Flame of Hope, symbolizing courage and the celebration of diversity that unites communities around the globe. In 2016, law enforcement volunteers raised $56.6 million for Special Olympics programs around the world and eclipsed $675 million since the inception of the LETR in 1981.

About the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games

The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games will be held in Seattle, Washington July 1-6, 2018. More than 4,000 participants representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, along with the support of tens of thousands of volunteers and spectators, will compete in 14 Olympic-type team and individual sports. The 2018 Special Olympics USA Games will celebrate the Special Olympics movement and its 50th anniversary; promote the ideals of acceptance and inclusion through sport; and showcase athletes from throughout the U.S. and the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities. The 2018 USA Games will also highlight Special Olympics’ work in sport, education, health and community-building.

For more information on the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, please visit www.SpecialOlympicsUSAGames.org and follow on Facebook (@SpecialOlympicsUSAGames), Twitter (@2018USAGames) and Instagram (@SpecialOlympicsUSAGames).

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