Grand Rapids has been selected as the host site for The Hartford Nationals in 2025 and 2026. Presented by Move United, an affiliate of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, The Hartford Nationals is the largest and longest-running national sport championship event for athletes with physical, visual, or intellectual disabilities.
Set for July 11-17 next year, with 2026 dates to be announced, it will be just the second time that the event—attracting about 400 athletes and more than 150 coaches from 34 states and the District of Columbia—comes to Michigan. Going into its 68th year in 2025, The Hartford Nationals is open for youth and adult athletes, wounded warfighters, and Paralympians to compete in the same event.
The West Michigan Sports Commission spearheaded the effort to attract The Hartford Nationals to Grand Rapids. “We chose Grand Rapids based on the reputation and experience of the West Michigan Sports Commission and the fact that we have a strong member organization, Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports, located there,” says Glenn Merry, executive director of Move United.
Katy Tigchelaar, vice president of operations for the West Michigan Sports Commission, also noted the significance that the Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program played in attracting The Hartford Nationals. One of the largest of its kind in the U.S., the program specializes in offering recreational opportunities to hundreds of people with disabilities of all ages every year.
“What really turned the tables for Grand Rapids to win this bid was having Mary Free Bed and its Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program on board from the beginning in helping us submit the bid,” she says.
Tigchelaar anticipates The Hartford Nationals’ economic impact each year will be more than $2.1 million, and also projects the event will result in about 1,800 hotel room nights booked around the Grand Rapids area in both 2025 and 2026. The host hotel and facilities where events will be held are still being finalized.
