WDW Daily News

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort recently played host to high-caliber soccer July 13-19. In a match series that brings the best of the old continent to meet the forces of Latin American soccer, two of the world’s best teams, River Plate of Argentina, and Sevilla FC tested their strength against the Independent Club of Santa Fe and Club Deportivo Motagua.

River Plate is the current champion of the Copa Libertadores, while Sevilla FC is the reigning three-time champion of the Europa League. Meanwhile, the Independent Club of Santa Fe, based in Bogota, is the current champion of the Copa Sudamericana. The Deportivo Motagua Club is the team with the longest history in Honduras, winning the championship title for their league 14 times.

The results of the matches are as follows:

July 13: River Plate beats Deportivo Motagua Club, 3-0.

July 16: Sevilla FC beats River Plat, 3-1.

July 19: Sevilla FC beats  Independiente Santa Fe Club, 2-1.

The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials recently took place in Eugene, Oregon and several hopefuls who regularly train at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort participated. These athletes train at Disney under the watchful eye of former U.S. Olympic Track & Field head coach Brooks Johnson, who has coached at least one athlete in every Olympics since 1968. Continuing that streak, sprinter LaShawn Merritt and hurdler Andrew Riley have earned spots on the United States and Jamaican National Olympic Teams, respectively.

Riley, who made NCAA history in 2012 when he became the first male athlete to win national titles in the 100-meter and 110-meter hurdles in the same year, is making his second Olympics appearance. Riley qualified to represent Jamaica in the 2012 London Olympics.

For Merritt, this will be the veteran sprinter’s third Olympics. Merritt took home gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he won the 400-meter dash and was on the team that won the 4×400-meter relay. Merritt also has 11 World Championships medals, eight of which are gold.

Merritt entered this month’s trials focusing exclusively on the 400-meter race, but decided to enter the 200-meter trials as well. In what came as a surprise to many, Merritt posted a world-leading time of 19.74 seconds in the 200-meter semifinals and would finish second behind fellow veteran sprinter Justin Gatlin (19.75) in the 200-meter finals.

In earning a spot in both races, Merritt puts himself in position to pull a 200-400 double in Rio. This is especially difficult at the Olympics, where the races are on back-to-back days instead of three days apart, like in the trials.

While Merritt is chasing sprinting legend Michael Johnson’s 400-meter world-record time of 43.19, he could also set his eyes on another milestone: Johnson is the only male ever to win gold in both the 200-meter and 400-meter in the same Olympics, a feat he accomplished at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, take place Aug. 5-Aug. 21.  But before they go for gold, Riley, Merritt and Coach Johnson will return to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex mid-July to complete training.

More than 27,000 athletes from across the country, including thousands of Orlando-area athletes, are expected to bump, set and spike during the 43rd annual AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships in Central Florida beginning June 18.

The eight-day event has held the title of largest volleyball event in the world since 2012 when the 16U Club division set the current Guinness Book of World Records mark. It attracts approximately 40,000 spectators, 9,000 coaches and 400 college coaches and takes place on 177 courts between ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort and Orange County Convention Center.

“The AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships is the pinnacle event for AAU Volleyball athletes,” said Dr. Roger J. Goudy, President/CEO of the AAU. “The relationships we have built throughout Central Florida help make this a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all our athletes and their families.”

The marquee annual event for the fastest-growing sport in the AAU, the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships features 31 divisions of competition, including an international division with teams from Brazil, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Slovenia.

The AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championship has more than doubled in the last five years, increasing from approximately 1,000 teams in 2011 to more than 2,300 teams in this year’s event. Still growing, the economic impact to Central Florida is expected to be over $52 million per year with participants and their families visiting local hotels, shops, restaurants and other Central Florida businesses.

“We are excited to welcome the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships to Orlando,” said Visit Orlando President and CEO George Aguel. “More than 75,000 athletes, spectators and coaches will experience our wide variety of hotels, local attractions and award-winning dining that make us a top host city for sporting events.”

Select championship games will air live on WatchESPN and the WatchESPN application from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which has become the worldwide leader in ESPN3 content production. Additional games will be streamed live on Sports Network Live.

For scores and info during the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championships, visit www.aauvolleyball.org. You can also follow the event on Twitter at @AAUVolleyball, #AAUVBNatls and on www.facebook.com/realaauvolleyball.

Media interested in covering this event should contact Cody Norman, AAU Public Relations Manager at cnorman@aausports.org.

Talk about keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer. Several world-class sprinters from the United States, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland and South Korea are doing just that, training at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort alongside the very competitors they might face at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer.

A contingent of American track and field athletes regularly train at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex under world-renowned former Team USA head coach and 2010 USA Coach of the Year, Brooks Johnson. That group includes 2008 two-time gold medalist LaShawn Merritt, 2012 silver medalist Jason Richardson, plus a handful of first-time Olympic hopefuls.

But this summer, several sprinters from various competing nations are expected to spend time at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex training alongside the Americans. Christine Ohurogu (400m gold medal in Beijing 2008 and the 400M silver medal in London 2012) is among the British athletes expected to be here along with their coach, Linford Christie, the former British Olympic gold medal sprinter.

For Belgium, the 4x400m relay team, which won gold at the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships, is stacked with medal contenders coming to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The Belgian sprinters tout four of the Borlée siblings in their company: twins Kevin and Jonathan, their brother Dylan, and their sister Olivia. Among them they have 17 medals across the World Indoor Championships, the World Relay Championships, the European Championships and the European Indoor Championships.

Quick Hits on USA and International Athletes Training at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex:

LaShawn Merritt (200 and 400 meters) –  Merritt took home gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics when he won the 400-meter dash and was on the team that won the 4×400-meter relay. Merritt also has 11 World Championships medals, 8 of which are gold.

Jason Richardson (110m hurdles, 400m hurdles) – Richardson took home silver in the 2012 London Olympics when he finished second in the 110-meter hurdles. Prior to that, he took home the gold in the 2011 World Championships (110m hurdles), as well as in the 2003 World Youth Championships (110m hurdles, 400m hurdles).

April Holmes (100, 200 and 400 meters) – Holmes is the reigning Paralympics world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 meter sprints. She is also the Paralympic 100-meter gold medalist (2008) and the first female athlete to be signed by the Michael Jordan apparel brand.

Andrew Riley (100m, 110m hurdles) – Riley is a Jamaican sprinter who attended the University of Illinois. He made NCAA history in 2012 when he became the first male athlete to win national titles in the 100m and 110m hurdles in the same year. A four-time NCAA champion and 12-time Big 10 champion, Riley also qualified for the 2012 London Olympics in the 110m hurdles for Team Jamaica.

Ebony Eutsey (400m): Eutsey is a four-time NCAA All-American who attended the University of Florida and was a member of the 2013 4x400m relay team that set a new school record time of 3:27/43, eclipsing the previous record that stood for 21 years.

Mike Berry (400m): Berry is a 10-time All-American and two-time NCAA Champion in the 400m who attended the University of Oregon. He also holds four school records at Oregon, including his winning 400m time of 44.91 in the 2011 Pac-10 Championship, which broke the previous record (45.07) set by two-time Olympic gold medalist Otis Davis in 1960.

Coach Brooks Johnson – Arguably the foremost track coach in the world, former U.S. Olympic track head coach Brooks Johnson has trained an athlete at every Olympic Games since 1968, including Evelyn Ashford, Chandra Cheeseborough, David Oliver, and Justin Gatlin. The 2010 Nike Coach of the Year once coached vice president Al Gore and senator Ted Kennedy in high school. Johnson also holds a law degree (Univ. of Chicago Law School) and once taught cultural anthropology.

– See more at: http://disneysportsnews.com/releases/2016/05/25/olympics-hopefuls-around-the-world-prepare-for-rio-olympics-at-espn-wide-world-of-sports-complex-at-walt-disney-world-resort/#sthash.GiUsE3HS.dpuf

Competitors from the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 were treated to a hero’s welcome at Magic Kingdom today. The athletes, representing many of the participating countries from around the world, took part in a parade down Main Street U.S.A. amid a sea of confetti along with celebrity ambassador and Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson and Disney characters. The competitors and their families also spent some time today enjoying the theme park, experiencing some of the signature attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

The Invictus Games, the only international adaptive sporting event for injured active duty and veteran service members, take place May 8-12, at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Started in 2014 by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for wounded, ill or injured servicemen and women who are transitioning into civilian life.

Competitors from the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 were treated to a hero’s welcome at Magic Kingdom today. The athletes, representing many of the participating countries from around the world, took part in a parade down Main Street U.S.A. amid a sea of confetti along with celebrity ambassador and Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson and Disney characters. The competitors and their families also spent some time today enjoying the theme park, experiencing some of the signature attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

The Invictus Games, the only international adaptive sporting event for injured active duty and veteran service members, take place May 8-12, at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Started in 2014 by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect for wounded, ill or injured servicemen and women who are transitioning into civilian life.

Tickets are available for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as all sports competitions at all Ticketmaster outlets and at www.invictusgames2016.org.

The Invictus Games Orlando 2016, presented by Jaguar Land Rover and taking place from May 8-12 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort, today announced legendary actor Morgan Freeman will be participating in the Opening Ceremony May 8^th.

Founded by Prince Harry and hosted in London in 2014, the Invictus Games are the only international adaptive sporting event for wounded, ill and injured military servicemen and women. Over 500 competitors from 14 nations will participate in the second Invictus Games May 8-12.

“The Invictus Games are a celebration of the human spirit and I am honored to be able to support these inspiring competitors who have embraced sport as part of their healing journey.  I hope that my fellow Americans will join me in Orlando to cheer on these magnificent men and women who are truly unconquerable, as the Invictus poem says, they are the masters of their fates, they are the captains of their souls,” said Freeman.

The Opening Ceremony will include musical performances by British sensation Laura Wright and international star James Blunt and other surprise guests. The Ceremony features an unprecedented number of military performances, including the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, U.S. Army Band, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team.  In addition, the audience will hear emotional first-person narratives from injured servicemen MSgt Israel Del Toro Jr., LCpl John-James Chalmers and Louis Nethercott.  The show is bound to be one of the most inspirational events Orlando has ever hosted.

From start to finish, competition at the Games will be action packed. Gold medals will be at stake every single day and competitors will be ready to dig in. The international field will be competing in 10 events: archery, cycling, indoor rowing, power lifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

The Closing Ceremony will feature musical performances by international popstar Rachel Platten, who will perform the song of the Games and her No. 1 single, “Fight Song.” In addition, best-selling country vocal group of the past decade Rascal Flatts, American sensation and former “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips, Florida native and Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Flo Rida, “The Voice” Season 9 winner Jordan Smith and the first nationally-recognized wounded warrior band, Vetted.

Tickets for the Invictus Games can be purchased for as low as $13 at http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/

Fans can purchase tickets to the unforgettable and one-of-a-kind Opening and Closing Ceremonies for $45 each at http://invictusgames2016.org/tickets/.

Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman is one of the most recognizable figures in American cinema. His works are among the most critically and commercially successful films of all time. Freeman ranks 2^nd among worldwide top-grossing actors of all time, with his films having earned over $4 billion in cumulative ticket sales.

In 2005 Freeman won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in “Million Dollar Baby.” Freeman also received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for Best Supporting Actor for “Street Smart,” in 1994 for Best Actor for “The Shawshank Redemption,” and in 2010 for Best Actor for “Invictus.” He also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance in “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1990.

Freeman was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards. That same year, Freeman received the 39^th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2000, Freeman received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor for his distinguished acting, and was honored with the Hollywood Actor Award from the Hollywood Film Festival.

In 2010, Freeman won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor for his performance as Nelson Mandela in “Invictus.” In addition to his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, he also received a Golden Globe nomination and a Broadcast Critics Association nomination.

The Invictus Games Orlando 2016 Opening and Closing Ceremonies are co-presented by Jaguar Land Rover and the Walt Disney Company and are being produced by continuumLIVE and Donaldson Creative with Christopher Laue and Sara Donaldson jointly performing the roles of Executive Producer and Creative Director.

Founder of Donaldson Creative, Donaldson most recently Executive Produced the Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony in London, the Invictus Games London 2014 Ceremonies and along with Laue was Co-Chief Operating Officer of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Ceremonies. Laue, of continuumLIVE, most recently served as Executive Producer for the Lima 2019 Handover Segment at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, the Salvation Army International Congress, the Los Angeles Music Center 50th Anniversary Spectacular and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Veracruz 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games.