Arizona teens have the chance to participate in a national athletic competition, dubbed the Patriot Games, as part of the Trump administration's Freedom 250 celebrations.
President Donald Trump announced the Patriot Games in a video on Dec. 19 last year, and said one young man and one young woman from each state and territory would be invited to compete at the capitol.
At the time, Trump said the Patriot Games would take place in the fall.
“I promise there will be no men playing in women's sports. You're not going to see it. You're going to see everything but that,” he said.
Critics at the time noted it sounds similar to the plot of the dystopian young adult series, ”The Hunger Games.”
Former state Rep. Laura Terech is the executive director of the Arizona America250 commission, collaborating with Freedom 250.
She confirmed Wednesday that the games are still on, following a social media announcement by Freedom 250 on June 19. That announcement said applications were due June 30, but they’re now due on July 10, according to an email Freedom 250 sent out to select Trump supporters.
The games will be streamed on the ESPN app and featured in an ABC special on Aug. 13, according to the email. According to the application link, “each champion will receive $125,000 in scholarship funding.”
Students aged 14-17 are eligible to apply by sending in a 1-2 minute video sharing “their story, their accomplishments, and why they want to compete.”
Students are also required to include their social media handles, citizenship status, gender assigned at birth and other personal information. The students must also submit to background checks.
Applications will be reviewed by a Freedom 250, 2026 Patriot Games Selection Committee. The athletes will compete from August 9-11 in high-intensity “physical and mental challenges.”
Freedom 250 is still sparse on the exact nature of the athletic contests, but the website states they will be “designed to test strength, endurance, agility, teamwork and perseverance while highlighting the values that have helped shape generations of Americans.”
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