Tarragona will host the Special Olympics Games from October 9 to 12, 2026, an event that will bring together more than 1,700 athletes, as well as coaches, families, and 600 volunteers, in an edition spread across different facilities in the city and its surroundings.
The logistical magnitude places the main dimension of the event beyond the competition. The organization has already filled six hotels and has hired between 45 and 50 buses for transportation, a forecast that anticipates the impact of games that aim for a record participation in Catalonia.
The organization has already filled six hotels and plans for up to 50 buses
The events will be distributed among the Mediterranean Ring, municipal sports facilities, the Costa Daurada Golf Club, and the Port of Tarragona. The program includes 16 disciplines, from athletics and swimming to sailing, petanque, and the YAP, the Young Athletes Program, events.
Manel Algeciras, director of the games, detailed the volume of the logistical preparation.
"We have filled six hotels and hired between 45 and 50 buses for transportation" - Manel Algeciras, director of the games
Among the planned modalities are floorball, basketball, 7-a-side football, tennis, paddle tennis, handball, gymnastics, badminton, cycling, table tennis, and 5-a-side football, in addition to the usual disciplines on the competition calendar. The deployment will require coordinating very different venues within Tarragona and in areas linked to the coast.
Pepa Muñoz places the Tarragona edition at a record participation
Pepa Muñoz, president of the Catalan Federation of Sports for people with intellectual disabilities, linked the 2026 event to the growth of inclusive sports in Catalonia.
"These games mark a record participation in Catalonia, a milestone that reinforces our commitment to ensuring that more and more people with intellectual disabilities have real opportunities to compete and reach high-level sports" - Pepa Muñoz, president of the Catalan Federation of Sports for people with intellectual disabilities
Rubén Viñuales, mayor of Tarragona, framed the designation as an opportunity for the city and underlined the camaraderie component of the Special Olympics. Noemí Llauradó, president of the Diputació, recalled her time as a volunteer at the 1996 Reus edition and highlighted the economic and social revitalization associated with the event.
Before the official opening, the torch will travel through 15 Catalan towns and enter Tarragona on October 8. The lighting of the cauldron and the inaugural ceremony are set for October 9 at the CaixaBank Tàrraco Arena.