Watch President Trump announce ‘Patriot Games’ for 2026
President Donald Trump touted the “Patriot Games” next year in a video address that also emphasized “no men playing in women’s sports.”
It’s a wrap on Independence Day month, but not on celebrations for America’s 250th.
Next up are the Patriot Games, described as a “national competition celebrating the next generation.”
The athletic competition for high schoolers aged 14-17 celebrates the “character, determination, and excellence that define the American spirit,” and will have a boy and a girl, each representing their state or territory, compete in a three-day-long event for the chance to win scholarship money, according to its website.
“The event will feature a series of athletic challenges designed to test strength, endurance, agility, teamwork, and perseverance while highlighting the values that have helped shape generations of Americans,” the Freedom 250 website states.
The tournament comes under the umbrella of Freedom 250, the organization started by President Donald Trump to bring his vision for the country’s anniversary to life. Freedom 250 was also behind the Great American State Fair, the UFC fight at the White House, and the upcoming IndyCar Grand Prix, held through the streets of Washington, DC. Freedom 250 events are separate from those being hosted by America 250, the bipartisan organization established by Congress in 2016 to lead planning of the country’s milestone birthday. The organization, a subsidiary of the National Park Foundation, describes itself as nonpartisan.
With the Patriot Games around the corner, here’s what to know about the event and how to watch.
When are the Patriot Games?
The games are scheduled to take place between Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, while athletes will begin arriving at the venue on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8, according to the Patriot Games website.
Where are the Patriot Games?
The competition will take place at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio.
Freedom 250, in a July 10 news release, said the “accredited college preparatory boarding school and one of the premier youth sports, training, and development facilities” in the United States offers “a world-class setting for a competition that reflects the values of excellence, determination, and opportunity that have defined the American story for over 250 years.”
What are the Patriot Games by Trump?
The Patriot Games will be “a national athletic competition celebrating the character, determination, and excellence that define the American spirit,” according to Freedom 250.
Trump announced the games in a video in December, 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.”
He also said he would restrict transgender individuals from playing in sports.
The competition for both individuals and teams will test excellence in American sports like football, basketball, soccer, and track, Freedom 250 announced on July 10. The athletes will also go through the Presidential Fitness Test, a military-style bootcamp and an obstacle course.
Winners will share a $250,000 scholarship prize pool.
How to watch the Patriot Games
The games will stream live on the ESPN app, culminating in a one-hour ESPN special on ABC on Thursday, Aug. 13, showing highlights of the competitions, features on the athletes and the moment the winners accept their awards, according to the games’ website. The special is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. ET.
Patriot Games criticized for similarity to ‘The Hunger Games’
When Trump first announced the games in December, Democrats mocked it on social media, comparing the athletic event to “The Hunger Games,” a dystopian book and movie series about two children from each district fighting to the death in a government-held competition.
Others, meanwhile, defended the games on social media, arguing that they promoted youth athleticism and compared the event to the Olympics.
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.