Now that the Olympics have wrapped up in Rio, local sports fans can turn their attention closer to home.
The Valor Games Midwest — three days of athletic competition for military veterans and service members with disabilities — kicks off at Solder Field Tuesday.
Competing will be roughly 200 athletes with various disabilities, including amputation, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Participants are from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
This year, the Chicago Park District is hosting the Valor Games Midwest on its own for the first time, said Park District spokeswoman Michele Lemons. The inaugural event occurred in 2011 in Chicago, hosted by World Sport Chicago partnering with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the Park District and the U.S. Paralympics.
On Wednesday, cycling and archery events are set to be held indoors at McCormick Place, Lemons said. On Thursday, indoor rowing and powerlifting competitions will take place at Marquette Park on the Southwest Side.
The Valor Games are integrated into the Park District’s yearlong programming for active military and veterans that also includes a new “Dancing with the Vets” competition for military couples, Lemons said. The dancing finale is scheduled to take place Nov. 6 at South Shore Cultural Center. Additionally, the Park District offers free resource fairs quarterly and free archery practice to any veteran participating in a Park District competition.
Active duty military get free access to any Park District program citywide, while immediate family members and veterans get a 10 percent discount on program fees, Lemons said.
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