Olympians, Paralympians visit West Michigan, kick off Meijer State Games

NonprofitSports

Jun 23

Written By Staff

Photo courtesy of Good Samaritan Ministries

The Meijer State Games of Michigan Opening Ceremony will include a packed lineup of Olympians, Paralympians, entertainment, and more as it kicks off the 2026 Summer Games main weekend on June 26 at the Meijer Sports Complex in Rockford. The Meijer State Games of Michigan is an Olympic-style sporting event for athletes of all ages and abilities, with the Summer Games offering 30+ sports for more than 6,000 athletes.

“Our Opening Ceremony is a unique part of what we do and the events we put on. It is a chance to bring people together from different sports and walks of life to celebrate our collective achievements”, says Julie Cullen, Director of the Meijer State Games of Michigan. “It is such a fun night with everything we have going on, and we encourage the community as well as athletes to come out, see some Michigan Olympians and Paralympians, and enjoy a night of celebration”.

The Opening Ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. with the Parade of the Athletes, featuring hundreds of athletes from 31 sports, lined up behind their event’s banners and walking around the field to be recognized. Following the Parade of Athletes, Michigan-born and 2024 Paralympian silver medalist Jayci Simon will give the keynote address.

In addition to Jayci Simon, seven other Michigan Olympians and Paralympians will attend, including Nick Baumgartner, Kevin Miller, Taylor Manson, Kelly Salchow MacArthur, John Kusku, Bill Smoke, and Gary Morgan. Taylor Manson, a Lansing native and 2020 bronze medalist in track and field, will lead the crowd through the oath of athletes, an important reminder of the pillars of honoring themselves and their teammates, competing fairly, and the camaraderie of sportsmanship.

Following the guest speakers, entertainment will be provided by the foot archer Orissa Kelly to get the crowd excited and help kick off the main weekend of events. Kelly has performed across the globe at NBA halftime shows, in front of the Queen of England, in the movie Wonder Woman, and more. As one of the only fire-foot archers in the world, Kelly’s performance is not one you want to miss.

Prior to the Opening Ceremony will be a kickoff party for athletes and families at 6:30 p.m. that includes athlete credentials and bag pick up, raffle, beer tent, food trucks, sticker coloring, Battle GR games, vendors, and more.

At the athlete bag pick-up and check-in, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, each participant will receive one free raffle ticket, with additional tickets available for purchase for athletes and non-participants. Winners will be announced during the Opening Ceremony and must be present to win. Raffle prizes have been donated by a variety of West Michigan businesses, including Meijer, tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld, Amway Grand Plaza, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Kendra Scott, Howie’s Hockey, Grand Rapids Rise & Griffins, Frederik Meijer Gardens, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and more.

The 17th annual Summer Games, occurring throughout June and culminating in the main weekend June 26-28, will feature over 6,000 athletes. This statewide Olympic-style sporting competition will bring together Michiganders from across the state to compete in a variety of sports. A flagship event of the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC), the Meijer State Games – Summer Games features 37 events across 39 venues in 31 sports, including newly added flag football, mountain bike, and street soccer.

Sponsors of the Meijer State Games of Michigan - Summer Games include title sponsor Meijer; diamond sponsor Corewell Health; gold sponsors Lake Michigan Credit Union and NovaCare; silver sponsors Blue Cross Blue Shield and Fox Motors; bronze sponsors Lacks Enterprises Inc., Peppino’s, fairlife, Tele-Rad, Northern Michigan University, Gordon Water Systems, Serv-U-Success, and Pita Way; and supporting sponsors Life EMS, Michigan Fitness Foundation and Experience Grand Rapids.

West Michigan Newspop Digital Partners