Special Olympics World Games Live Stream, Opening Ceremony Video, and TV Schedule

About 6,500 athletes and 2,000 coaches representing 165 countries, along with 30,000 volunteers and an anticipated 500,000 spectators, descended in Los Angeles starting July 25 until August 2, 2015 for the Special Olympics World Games, the largest sports and humanitarian event held every two years.

LA2015 will feature 25 sports competitions, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, track, roller skating and other sports over nine days at different venues throughout Los Angeles, including USC and UCLA. All events are free and open to the public.

Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps and diver Greg Louganis, basketball great Yao Ming and first lady Michelle Obama attended the opening ceremonies on Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. Musicians Stevie Wonder, Avril Lavigne and others also performed at the opening ceremonies.

Olympic icon Rafer Johnson, who welcomed the first Special Olympics World Games participants in 1968 commented, "It was probably a little on the small side. But it had an unbelievable amount of enthusiasm."

"It's going to be the largest event Los Angeles has hosted since the 1984 Summer Olympics, and the largest sports-humanitarian event in the world this year," said Patrick McClenahan, president and chief executive of LA2015, the nonprofit bringing the games to LA.

The athletes in the Special Olympics, ranging from between 8 and 71, will be placed in divisions based on age and skill level to ensure that a 10-year-old sprinter will not be competing against a 25-year-old. While the top three finishers will receive gold, silver and bronze medals, everyone will receive a participant's ribbon and a chance to stand on the victory platform.

Dustin Plunket, a LA2015 board member and a former Special Olympics athlete said the games have evolved much since it was created by President John Kennedy's sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968 as a way of allowing people with intellectual disabilities to enjoy fuller lives.

"It's about life-saving experiences for people. It's about learning to be the best person you can be. When I was a kid, I was moving pretty much home to home, family member to family member, and nobody in my family knew how to support me because of my cleft palate and my intellectual disability," he said.

LA2015 and ESPN announced a global programming deal in April last year that will see ESPN bring coverage of World Games to millions of fans around the world. Honorary Chairs of the Games are President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Governor Jerry Brown serving as Honorary Hosts.

For the Special Olympics 2015 Opening Ceremony live stream, visit Watch ESPN (ESPN is the official channel of the Special Olympics but to live stream you will need a subscription or log in.)

Here is the complete TV broadcast schedule for the Special Olympics World Games, which begin Saturday in Los Angeles:

Saturday, July 25