The Special Olympics World Games got their official start Thursday when the Flame of Hope was ignited in the shadow of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The flame now begins a 73-day journey to Los Angeles, where it will light the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Games on July 25.
Special Olympics athletes Theano Dilaveraki of Greece and Brett Laza of the United States, who are both expected to compete in L.A., received the torch from 2015 Special Olympics World Games president and CEO Patrick McClenahan during Thursday's ceremony.
After a transatlantic flight to Washington D.C., the Flame of Hope will light three torches that will begin the cross-country Unified Relay Across America on May 26. Special Olympics athletes and members of law enforcement will carry the flame while running, walking and cycling through all 50 states.
URAA participants are looking to share the Special Olympics' message of acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities. Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, hosts of ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike, will be co-captains in the URAA, and ESPN president John Skipper is also expected to participate.
The 2015 Special Olympics World Games are expected to include 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches representing 177 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and 500,000 spectators. McClenahan said the Games will be "the largest event Los Angeles has hosted since the [1984 Summer Olympics], the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world this year, and, we believe, one of the most inspirational events of all time."
Robin Roberts, co-host of ABC's "Good Morning America," and SportsCenter anchors Lindsay Czarniak and Kevin Negandhi will host the opening ceremony of the World Games (9 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN), which run through Aug. 2.