Orlando Provides Updates on Multiple Incoming Activities

Orlando has noted a number of upcoming events.

• The Orange County Convention Center is hosting several large sporting events with an estimated 426,224 attendees and a projected $565 million in economic impact to the region during the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The competitive youth sporting season commenced this spring, and the OCCC is looking forward to welcoming back this robust market and its positive economic impact for the Convention Center District. 
• Event producers, performers and Special Olympics athletes are gearing up for a full week of sporting events and festivities in Orlando, all of which will kick off with great fanfare this Sunday. The Special Olympics USA Games start with the ceremony at Exploria Stadium beginning 9:30 a.m. June 5. The celebration will feature celebrity ambassadors, a parade of athletes, live performances and 5,500 athletes and coaches from all 50 states and the Caribbean.
• The 20th-ranked Rollins baseball team put on a dominant performance, ousting second-ranked Tampa from the NCAA II Tournament with a 13-6 victory, and earning the Tars a trip to the NCAA II College World Series. Rollins will head to Cary, North Carolina this weekend for the tournament.
• The Bounce House is once again just a nickname for the UCF football stadium. The UCF Board of Trustees approved a 10-year, $19.5 million deal between the UCF Athletics Association and FBC Mortgage that renames the venue FBC Mortgage Stadium on Tuesday. The deal goes into effect July 1.
• As part of the KindRED Pride Foundation, The Pride Cup is a multi-sport LGBTQIA+ competition held each year beginning in 2022 during the first weekend in June in Orlando. With events welcoming all levels of athletes, the spirit of the competition is “Be Kind Champion” to coincide with the RED Shirt Pride Days. The Pride Cup will also produce a Diversity in Sports Summit that will include LGBTQ+ professional, Olympic, and collegiate athletes.
• As the Special Olympics USA Games prepare for the opening ceremony this Sunday, law enforcement officers and athletes are carrying the Flame of Hope to destinations around Florida before it reaches Orlando. The Law Enforcement Torch Run helps unite officers and athletes around the country in fundraising and outreach efforts for the Special Olympics.
• Florida Citrus Sports announced the dates and kickoff times for this season’s Cheez-It Bowl (December 29, 2022) and the Vrbo Citrus Bowl (January 2, 2023). Both games will take place at Camping World Stadium.
• For Orlando City and Orlando Pride Senior Vice President of Community Relations Kay Rawlins, last week’s “Delivering Hope” event is a textbook example of what this Club and this community are here for.
• Fans often like to imagine what it would be like if their favorite players from different eras were able to take the court together. The subject is great for conversation, but it’s often just left to the imagination. However, two lucky Orlando Magic fans recently had the unique opportunity to have that scenario play out in real life, taking the court with Markelle Fultz and Hedo Turkoglu.
• When Terry Mohajir arrived to UCF, the Knights athletics director quickly realized how badly the football program needed to schedule future nonconference games, including for the 2022 season. More than a year later and with UCF set to depart the American Athletic Conference for the Big 12 as early as 2023, Mohajir’s outlook on scheduling non-conference games has changed.
• The Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association (D2CCA) announced its All-America Teams late Wednesday night, and Rollins College baseball student-athlete Jaylyn Whitehead was listed on the All-America Second Team.
• Top golfers will be competing for a record $10 million purse, including a winner’s share of $1.8 million, at the US Women’s Open.
• The Orlando Predators and arena football are finally back at the Amway Center! Enjoy a whole new halftime entertainment segment produced by Full Sail Hall Of Fame Inductee & Boon Castle CEO Ashish Manchanda, featuring recording artists Xavier Keyz and Nisha Asnani! Click here to see ticket options for the next home game on Saturday, May 28.
• The UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) final between Lyon and Barcelona on Saturday saw a record live cumulative viewership of 3.6 million globally. This was the first year in the platform’s multi-year partnership with UEFA and YouTube that made the tournament available for free to fans around the world all season.

The Greater Orlando Sports Commission unveiled the list of 60 finalists for the 2022 SPORTYS: Greater Orlando’s Night of Champions presented by Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute. The finalists were selected by a voting committee made up of members of the GO Sports board of directors. Representing 36 different organizations throughout Greater Orlando, the complete list of finalists can be found here along with the corporate partners who are sponsoring the 12 award categories.