Indoor Winter Games
2024 Indoor Winter Games
Special Olympics Pennsylvania is thrilled to bring its fourth annual Indoor Winter Games to York County March 1-2, 2025. The competition will kick off on Saturday, March 2, and will feature an Opening Ceremony, Unified sports events, and the lighting of the Flame of Hope torch with the help of local law enforcement.
This indoor competition follows SOPA’s Winter Games, which highlighted sports like alpine skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. Indoor Winter Games fulfills the second half of Olympic-style winter sports, showcasing the talents of athletes in sports including figure skating, speed skating, bowling, floor hockey and for the first time ever, floorball.
Floorball requires a stick and a plastic ball with holes, like a wiffle ball. The floorball competition will consist of three 20-minute periods – playing four field players and one goalie, making it a 5-versus-5 set up. Floorball is being introduced this year because it is a more accessible sport for all age levels.
In addition to this year’s competition, Olympic Village will be held on Saturday, March 1 at 4 p.m. at the York Expo Center and include 25 clinicians offering free dental exams and health screenings through the Healthy Athletes and Special Smiles Program.
Opening Ceremonies will begin later Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. at the York Expo Center as well. The ceremony will be combined with the event’s Victory Dance and Olympic Village. The Flame of Hope will be lit at the end of the ceremony, signifying the official start of the Games.
For anyone interested in attending Indoor Winter Games and wants to offer a helping hand, volunteer positions are still available! We are searching for individuals to help run competitions, awards, food distribution, scorekeeping, and more. For more information on becoming an Indoor Winter Games volunteer, email volunteer@specialolympicspa.org.
Frequently Asked Questions
Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Indoor Winter Games in York, Pa. is a two-day competition where athletes compete in bowling, figure skating, floorball, floor hockey, and speed skating.
Indoor Winter Games brings together more than 700 athletes, coaches and volunteers. Weeks of hard work and dedication in training is rewarded as athletes are cheered on and supported during competition by volunteers on the mountain. For more information on Indoor Winter Games, follow this link.