The next major event in the nation’s 250th birthday celebration kicks off next week as top high school athletes from across the country compete in the inaugural Patriot Games for a share of $250,000 in scholarship prizes.
The Patriot Games will take place Aug. 9-11, with a televised championship finale airing Aug. 13. The competition is open to U.S. citizens ages 14 to 17 who live in a state, territory, or tribal nation and are in good academic standing.
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President Donald Trump announced the competition as part of the broader America250 initiative, calling it “an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory.”
One male and one female athlete will represent each state, territory, and participating tribal nation in a series of physical and mental challenges designed to test strength, speed, agility, teamwork, resilience, and leadership. The competition will conclude with the crowning of one male and one female Patriot Games champion.
Coverage of the competition will stream on the ESPN App before culminating in a one-hour primetime special on ESPN on ABC on Aug. 13.
Held at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, the event will feature challenges including dodgeball, kickball, track and field events, and other traditional American sports. Competitors will also complete events modeled after the Presidential Fitness Test, navigate a military-inspired boot camp course, and, in the final round, tackle an obstacle course designed to test both athleticism and strategy.
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Students earned their spots through a competitive application process that required a short video discussing topics including leadership, character, personal values, and what being an American means to them.
The Patriot Games are one of several marquee events planned as part of the administration’s yearlong America250 celebration leading up to the nation’s 250th birthday. Organizers are also preparing for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, an IndyCar race scheduled for Aug. 22-23 in Washington that is expected to draw roughly 1 million visitors and generate as much as $200 million in economic activity.
