Registration is open for the 2020 Virtual Endeavor Games, a first-of-its-kind event being held in a new virtual format due to COVID-19 response efforts. The annual Endeavor Games series is an opportunity for athletes with physical disabilities to participate in various sporting events on a competitive level.

This year, instead of hosting in-person competitions, the 2020 Endeavor Games will be hosted virtually by series partners Turnstone Center and the University of Central Oklahoma. The event is scheduled to take place online June 4-7, 2020. Registration is available at www.endeavorgames.com

Turnstone Center joined the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) in 2017 as the first series location leading up to UCO’s now 21-year legacy event that is the nation’s largest multi-sport, multi-disability event. The 2020 virtual event includes a virtual team challenge, e-sport gaming and nine individual sport challenges – 5K, archery, air rifle shooting, cycling, swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, track and field.

Additionally, there will be a virtual welcome party and 12 live virtual sport clinics including four new sport disciplines that have never been offered before in any Endeavor Games event– Nordic skiing, paratriathlon, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

Adaptive track and field coaches or those interested in adaptive track and field coaching will also have the opportunity to participate in a clinic that will teach them how to coach athletes with a variety of different physical disabilities, the proper training techniques for their athletes, how to work with different types of equipment used by their athletes and more.

The clinics will be facilitated by top coaches and staff from each sport’s national governing body including Cathy Sellers, former director of U.S. Paralympics Track and Field; Mary Hodge, high-performance manager of U.S. Paralympic Powerlifting; Jason Harnett, national manager and head coach of U.S. Wheelchair Tennis; and, James Gumbert, head coach of U.S. Wheelchair Rugby.

“Though none of us could have imagined the 21st year of the Endeavor Games looking quite like this,” said Katrina Shaklee, assistant vice president for wellness and sport at UCO. “We are proud to be offering the games virtually and continuing our mission of bringing adaptive sport opportunities to athletes across the country, in collaboration with our partners at Turnstone.”

Turnstone Center has typically hosted the first leg of the annual Endeavor Games Series in Fort Wayne, Indiana, featuring clinics and competitions in 10 sports. Turnstone Center is also a Paralympic Training Site and is the host training site for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Goalball Teams.

“The legacy of the Endeavor Games Series is far-reaching in the caliber of sport experience it provides to athletes with disabilities, and we are privileged to join the University of Central Oklahoma during these extraordinary times in launching the first-ever virtual multi-sport event of its kind,” said Mike Mushett, Turnstone CEO.

Athletes are encouraged to register for this event beforehand to receive access codes to the virtual clinics and competition. To register, visit https://www.endeavorgames.com/edmond/registration.