Angel City Games to be Held Virtually

The Angel City Games, an adaptive sports festival held in Los Angeles, will not go ahead as usual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will instead be replaced with a virtual version of the event.

Originally scheduled for June 18 to 21, the Games will now be staggered over four separate week-long windows over a two-month period, starting from June 22 to 29. Week two will run from July 13 to 19, week three from August 3 to 9 and the final window will be August 23 to 30.

The event was set to be held at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). It was to be the fifth edition of the Games, which features a range of Paralympic sports. Those sports were set to be athletics, swimming, wheelchair tennis, archery, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, table tennis, powerlifting and goalball, plus disciplines not on the Paralympic program such as cheerleading and esports. 

"Originally, our organization had plans to hold The Angel City Games in June at UCLA and unfortunately due to COVID-19 we had to cancel that live event," Angel City Sports program director Camille Mahlknecht said, as reported by Talon Marks. "Fortunately, we're able to transfer the live event into a virtual event which will be four weeks over the summer consisting of sport and special events and community activities not only for those with a physical disability but for the greater community."

Nine sports will be featured in the virtual Games including wheelchair basketball, athletics and wheelchair tennis. 

Mahlknecht added: "At the beginning of every week, we will have two to three sports and have a Paralympian come in and teach you some elements of the sports or give you the basics and give you tips on how to improve."

The first 300 people to register for the virtual Games will receive funding from organizers, giving them free resistance bands and a massage ball to help with some of the workouts, but Mahlknecht says that equipment is not necessary to take part. Registration will open later this month, with organizers aiming for six nations to be represented.