Hooah! Let the games begin!
This weekend, we welcomed hundreds of active-duty and veteran military service members and their families to Walt Disney World Resort to compete in the 2024 Department of Defense Warrior Games. During this annual competition, hundreds of wounded, ill and injured service men and women from every branch of the military showcase their exceptional physical skills and mental toughness in adaptive sporting events such as wheelchair basketball, cycling, indoor rowing and sitting volleyball, among others.
Disney’s dedication to military service members and veterans goes back more than a century and is reflected today as we proudly welcome these elite athletes and their families back to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex following an inspirational event in 2022.
The heroes welcome began Friday, as the athletes and their families celebrated into the evening at Magic Kingdom Park with a patriotic red, white and blue fireworks spectacular over Cinderella Castle.
The celebrations continued Saturday during the kick-off event at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex AdventHealth Arena with host ABC News correspondent Stephanie Ramos, who is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve. The festivities included a spectacular parade of athletes, a musical performance by American Sirens and a moving spoken word piece written and performed by Disney cast members.
Disney has a longstanding tradition of supporting those who serve in uniform by hiring, training and supporting military veterans. That tradition continues through Disney’s Heroes Work Here initiative and through Disney’s Veterans Institute, which has helped hundreds of companies across the country establish veteran-hiring programs of their own.
And this is just the beginning of an exciting week! Competition events, which are free and open to the public, will take place daily at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, through June 30. Find more details on these events at DoDWarriorGames.com. And stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more highlights throughout the event.
