Grand Rapids to Host The Hartford Nationals in 2025 and 2026

Move United has selected Grand Rapids, Michigan, as the host site for The Hartford Nationals in 2025 and 2026.

The 2025 event, scheduled for July 11–17, marks the 68th year of competition for the largest and longest-running national sport championship event for athletes with a physical disability, visual impairment or intellectual disability. It will be the second time Michigan has hosted the event, with the first coming in Saginaw in 2011.

“We are excited to host the 2025 and 2026 Hartford Nationals and its athletes in Grand Rapids, a city that has made great strides in promoting accessibility for all,” said Mike Guswiler, president of the West Michigan Sports Commission, which will host the event. “Home to programs like Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports and facilities like Special Olympics Michigan, Grand Rapids is committed to meeting the needs of athletes with disabilities like those competing in The Hartford Nationals.”

The 2024 event featured 400 athletes with disabilities and over 150 coaches from 34 states and the District of Columbia in archery, para powerlifting, paratriathlon, shooting, swimming, track and field and wheelchair tennis.

Athletes must qualify to compete through one of more than 30 local or regional Move United sanctioned competitions, a national governing body event or high school athletic association sanctioned event. The weeklong event also includes clinics, education and social opportunities.

“We are focused on leading a movement that fully includes people with disabilities in American society, using sport to challenge perceptions and redefine ability for youth and adults with disabilities,” said Move United Executive Director Glenn Merry. “Athletes just want to compete, and this event provides an opportunity for adaptive athletes to show themselves as well as the world what they can do.”

The Hartford Nationals began in 1957 for adult athletes and continued through 1995. Youth athletes could compete starting in 1985 and that event continues today. Those two events were merged in 2023, allowing youth and adult athletes, military veterans and Paralympians to compete.

“We chose Grand Rapids based on the reputation and experience of the West Michigan Sports Commission and the fact that we have a strong member organization, Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports, located there,” Merry said.