St. Paul will host the Transplant Games, an event where the transplant and donation community competes in Olympic-style sporting events, in August 2028. The games are intended to raise awareness for the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation.
“We’re heartened by the sense of community, by the sense of togetherness, by the sense of resilience, and by the spirit of new life that the Transplant Games are bringing to our community,” St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said at a news conference Tuesday.
The Transplant Games span six days and have three divisions. Organ recipients compete in division one. Living donors and cornea, tissue, bone marrow and stem cell recipients compete in division two. Donor families make up division three.
The games bring together about 10,000 people each year, according to Bill Ryan, president and CEO of the Transplant Life Foundation. There are 20 competitions for people to participate in, including a 5K run, golf, basketball, swimming and cycling.
Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson, president and CEO of Visit St. Paul, said visitors for the games will stay in downtown hotels, eat at St. Paul restaurants and explore the city on their days off, ultimately “benefitting everyone in the community with that economic impact.”
“We’re excited to host. We’re excited to welcome visitors,” Carter said. “We’re excited for all those competitors and families to spend some money in our city, if I’m being honest.”
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