The Special Olympics Flame of Hope will travel across North Carolina from six different starting points throughout May, as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics North Carolina, Keith L. Fishburne, president and CEO of Special Olympics North Carolina, announced on May 1.
The event is described as the largest awareness campaign for the Law Enforcement Torch Run in the state. All relay legs will converge in Raleigh on Friday, May 29. The final leg will begin at Dorton Arena at 10 a.m., with law enforcement officers carrying the torch to the State Capitol and then to Reynolds Coliseum at North Carolina State University for the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Special Olympics North Carolina Summer Games. Officers are expected to form a Circle of Honor before lighting the cauldron during an Opening Ceremony scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
A full list of relay legs and schedules is available online. For further information or media inquiries, Leslie Moyar, vice president of development for NC LETR, can be contacted at lmoyar@sonc.net or (919) 210-0966.
According to Fishburne, “The Law Enforcement Torch Run is an international fundraising campaign for Special Olympics.” In 2025, law enforcement officers in North Carolina raised more than $2.5 million through special events and donations.
The upcoming games are set to take place from May 29-31 in the Triangle area and will feature over 1,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities and Unified partners competing in sports such as athletics, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, gymnastics, powerlifting, swimming and volleyball. The event has received sponsorship from organizations including Golisano Foundation; Charlotte FC; Publix; IDEAs that Work; Sheetz; Dunkin’; HCA Healthcare; Civitan International; Wells Fargo; ESPN; Bank of America; Amazon RDU1 among others.
Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities globally for more than five million children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In North Carolina alone nearly 53,000 athletes participate alongside thousands of coaches and volunteers statewide.
