GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—The Hartford Nationals, the largest national sports championship event for athletes with a physical disability, visual impairment, and/or intellectual disability, will take place in Grand Rapids, Mich., from July 11 to 17. This year, 423 athletes and 161 coaches from 36 states and the District of Columbia will participate, marking the highest number of attendees yet.
Organized by Move United, the competition is hosted locally by the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) and Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports. Athletes will compete in archery, para powerlifting, paratriathlon, shooting, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair and para standing tennis. New to the lineup this year is boccia, which is a Paralympic sport similar to bocce and lawn bowling.
“This national competition has been a stepping stone for many athletes to progress and compete at an international level, including the Paralympic Games,” says Move United CEO Glenn Merry. “In fact, 62 percent of the athletes that represented Team USA at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris either competed at this event or participated in another Move United program or event.”
Paralympic gold medalist and wheelchair basketball player Matt Scott will join The Hartford to surprise a group of four athletes with custom-fit adaptive sports equipment. In addition, one athlete, nominated by their peers, will receive The Hartford’s Human Achievement Award, recognizing an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the adaptive sports movement. The award comes with a $2,500 grant to support the recipient’s training and travel as they pursue their athletic goals.
“The Hartford Nationals is more than a competition—it’s a celebration of resilience, excellence, and community,” says The Hartford’s chief marketing and customer officer, Claire Burns. “We continue our mission to increase participation in adaptive sports by making competitions, local events, and equipment more accessible to youth and adult athletes. Through our long-standing partnership with Move United, we are proud to help remove barriers, creating more opportunities for athletes of all abilities to experience the transformative power, and sense of belonging, that sport can bring.”
Alongside the competitions, there will also be clinics and educational sessions about sports such as sitting volleyball, adaptive judo, para pickleball, wheelchair softball, and tennis. Paralympic Gold Medalist Daniel Romanchuk and Susannah Scaroni will also lead a track clinic, and Tatyana McFadden, one of Team USA’s most decorated summer Paralympic athletes of all time, will participate in activities throughout the week. Other Paralympic athletes, such as Rudy Garcia-Tolson, Amanda McGrory, and Bobby Body will be announcers during the competition.
