Special Olympics North Dakota announced it will send a delegation of 46 athletes, Unified partners, youth leaders, coaches and staff from communities across the state to compete on the national stage later this month..

They will compete in basketball, bocce, bowling, powerlifting, volleyball and youth leadership during the national games in Minneapolis.

Represented from Minot are Christy Coughlin in bowling and volleyball players Kim Coutts, Tiffany Coutts, Katie Dufner, Matt Dufner, Michael Dufner, Toni Eide, Jordan Gudmanson, Gavyn Herfendal, Avery Iversen, Erica Moen and Tyler Leintz. Volleyball coaches are Renee Dufner of Minot and Jen Rewald of Bismarck.

The 2026 Special Olympics 2026 Games is a premier national sporting event bringing together more than 3,000 Special Olympics athletes from across the country to compete in a variety of sports while showcasing ability, inclusion, determination and the power of sport.

Training camp will take place June 17-19 at North Dakota State University in Fargo. The opening ceremony and sports competitions will be held at various venues at the University of Minnesota from June 20-26.