UCO to Host 24th Annual Endeavor Games, June 8-11

The University of Central Oklahoma will host the 24th annual Endeavor Games, an opportunity for athletes with physical disabilities to participate in various sporting events on a competitive level, June 8-11, on Central’s campus and throughout the Edmond, Oklahoma, community.

The UCO Endeavor Games is the nation’s largest multisport, multi-disability event. The 2023 games include 11 sports — air rifle, archery, cycling, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair softball and wheelchair tennis.

“We are thrilled to welcome more than 250 athletes to Central’s campus for this amazing event,” said Cassidhe Walker, coordinator for adaptive sports and events at Central.

“We look forward to another great year of community, sportsmanship and fierce competition.”

The games will open Thursday, June 8, with a day of sports clinics and camps for aspiring athletes. Competition kicks off Friday, June 9, with powerlifting and wheelchair basketball in the morning; air rifle shooting throughout the day; and, an evening of swimming at the Edmond Mitch Park YMCA, 2901 Marilyn Williams Drive.

Saturday’s events feature track and field at Edmond North High School, 215 W. Danforth Road, followed by a goalball tournament and sitting volleyball on Central’s campus. The games conclude Sunday, June 11, with wheelchair softball at the Hamilton Field House parking lot, located on Central’s campus, and indoor archery and table tennis at the UCO Wellness Center.

Additionally, Johnnie Williams, U.S. Army veteran and Paralympian, will be inducted into the Endeavor Games Hall of Fame at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 10, at the UCO Nigh University Center, Grand Ballroom.

Competitions will be held at seven sites across UCO and Edmond. All events are free and open to the public.

Central is an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site and is the host training site for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Sitting Volleyball teams.

To view a complete schedule of events for the 2023 UCO Endeavor Games, visit http://www.endeavorgames. com/edmond.

For more information about UCO Endeavor Games, contact Leigha Pemberton, assistant director of partnerships and events at UCO, at lpemberton@uco. edu or 405-974-3160.