Special Olympics athletes arrive in Los Angeles, receive red carpet welcome

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Athletes arriving in Los Angeles for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games received a red carpet welcome on Tuesday.

Approximately 6,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities and 2,000 coaches representing 165 countries will be taking part in the nine-day event at venues across the Los Angeles area.

Loyola Marymount University in Westchester rolled out the red carpet for the athletes at a special welcoming ceremony Tuesday morning, complete with cheerleaders, photographers and other supporters.

Once checked in, the athletes were taken to their respective host cities, which they will call home throughout the nine-day games.

Why hold this big event in Los Angeles?

"Well Los Angeles is perfectly fit for big events. We've hosted Olympics, other major events. As we know, we have the facilities, we have the fans, we have the volunteer base," said Steven Vanderpool, senior vice president of communications for the games. "So we're a very welcoming community and we're very excited to have the Special Olympics World Games here in L.A."

The opening ceremonies, which will take place Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, will feature first lady Michelle Obama, along with performances by Stevie Wonder, Avril Lavigne, Nicole Scherzinger, O.A.R., Cody Simpson (featuring Special Olympics athlete Breanna Bogucki and YouTube sensation Madison Tevlin), J Balvin & Becky G, and Reach Up LA theme song creator Siedah Garrett.

Also scheduled to take part in the opening festivities are Jimmy Kimmel, Eva Longoria, Michael Phelps, Yao Ming, Greg Louganis, Stephanie McMahon and Lauren Potter, among others.

About 30,000 volunteers are expected to lend their services during the games, which will be attended by an estimated 500,000 people.

The games will feature 25 Olympic-style sports in various venues through Aug. 2.

To get more information about the Special Olympics World Games, visit abc7.com/specialolympics.

City News Service contributed to this report.