Special Olympians train and play in host cities

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach are among many Southern California cities playing the role of host town this week for groups of Special Olympians before they compete in Los Angeles this weekend.

Athletes from the Bahamas and Aruba arrived in Costa Mesa on Tuesday morning. They are staying at Vanguard University, training at various facilities in town and enjoying a few fun moments in the City of the Arts.

The 78 athletes and their coaches from the two Caribbean nations will train at Costa Mesa High School, Tavern + Bowl at The Triangle and the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

The group’s activities include a picnicking at Halecrest Park and attending an Angels game with other Olympians on Wednesday.

On Thursday, after their morning training, Costa Mesa’s athletes and those from other cities will eat from a Taco Bell truck at Costa Mesa City Hall before heading over to the OC Fair. That evening, some will also visit South Coast Plaza.

Newport Beach is hosting 136 Olympians from Mexico and 10 from Fiji. The athletes, who will stay at UC Irvine, will participate in two days of cultural activities throughout Newport.

On Wednesday, the Olympians will have a picnic lunch at the Newport Dunes resort before taking a tour of the Back Bay Science Center.

On Thursday, volunteers and ExplorOcean employees will take the athletes cruising around Newport Harbor. The athletes will also play ocean-themed games and learn about marine life before having a private dinner at Peninsula Park.

The Special Olympics World Games begin in Los Angeles on Saturday and last through Aug. 2.

—Bradley Zint and Hannah Fry

Twitter: @thedailypilot