The gist
The Special Olympics of Texas Winter Games 2024 is expected to be larger than previous years, said Chad Eason, Special Olympics senior director of competition and games. The 2023 Special Olympics Texas Winter Games had 1,200 participants, while the 2022 Winter Games—the first to be held after the height of the pandemic—had only 600.
“Each year has been getting bigger and bigger, which is exciting news and a good problem for us to have,” Eason said.
Eason said he expects for 2024 to be the biggest event in Lakeway and Bee Cave yet, with an anticipated 1,500 athletes participating from across Texas as well as athletes from Arkansas, Arizona and 32 delegates from Special Olympics Mexico.
What else?
The city of Lakeway approved $300,000 in hotel occupancy tax, or HOT, funding, while the city of Bee Cave approved $100,000 in HOT tax funding for the 2024 Winter Games.
Bee Cave Mayor Kara King said the city is proud to continue hosting the statewide athletes.
“This is the third year we have co-hosted and sponsored the games, along with the city of Lakeway, and we have always had incredible support from our residents, who fill the stands and help in any way they can,” King said. “We hope the community will continue to come out and cheer on these athletes in their Winter Games."
Lakeway Mayor Thomas Kilgore said he is delighted that the Special Olympics Texas Winter Games are returning to Lakeway.
“The spirit of the athletes, and our community’s support for the games makes me extremely proud of this initiative,” Kilgore said.
Get involved
Eason said one of the best things about hosting the event in Lakeway and Bee Cave is how many members of the community volunteer.
“We do not have to struggle to recruit the volunteers and to fill our volunteer shifts like we do in some of our other major city and state competitions,” Eason said.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the Special Olympics Winter Games 2024 can visit www.sotx.org/become-a-volunteer to register.
