Donald Trump's Patriot Games will bring teenagers from across the US together next week for a nationally televised athletic competition offering $250,000 (£186,000) in scholarship funding. The event, which forms part of America's 250th anniversary celebrations, will take place at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, beginning next week.
The competition is open to high school athletes aged 14 to 17 representing US states and territories. One male and one female champion will each receive $125,000 (£93,000) in college scholarship funding, according to organisers.
What Are Trump's Patriot Games?
The Patriot Games were announced as part of the wider Freedom 250 programme marking the United States' 250th anniversary. Organisers describe the event as a showcase of athletic ability, teamwork, perseverance, leadership and character.
Today, @realDonaldTrump launched Freedom 250 to lead America’s 250th anniversary celebration.
— Freedom 250 (@Freedom250) December 18, 2025
@250Freedom_ is a national, non-partisan movement uniting Americans and freedom-loving people around the world to celebrate the Triumph of the American Spirit and launch a golden age of… pic.twitter.com/QsxzbIG3rD
The three-day competition will bring together selected young athletes for individual and team challenges designed to test a range of physical and strategic skills. Travel and accommodation costs will also be covered for each selected teenager and a parent or legal guardian.
Applicants were required to be US citizens in good academic standing and submit a video explaining their motivation for representing their state.
Danielle Alvarez, a Freedom 250 spokesperson, said: 'The 2026 Patriot Games is about more than competition; they're about the grit, character and optimism that have carried America for over 250 years.
'These young athletes represent the very best of who we are and the promise of what's still to come. As our nation marks its 250th birthday, there's no better way to honour that legacy than by celebrating the talent and determination of the next generation of American champions.'
How Will the Patriot Games Work?
The Patriot Games will feature athletic challenges drawing on football, basketball, soccer and track. Organisers have not publicly released a complete breakdown of every individual event or round.
Competitors will also face elements based on the Presidential Fitness Test, a military-inspired boot camp circuit and an obstacle course designed to test strategy and skill.
According to Freedom 250, the challenges will assess qualities including strength, endurance, agility, teamwork and perseverance. Participants are due to arrive on 7 and 8 August before the competition begins on 9 August.
Patriot Games Being Compared to 'The Hunger Games'
The competition has drawn comparisons to Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games because of its format, which involves young male and female athletes representing states and territories in a nationally televised contest.
In Collins' fictional dystopian series, young people are selected from districts and forced to compete in a televised fight to the death. The Patriot Games are a voluntary athletic competition, making the two events fundamentally different.
Nevertheless, the state-by-state format prompted The Hunger Games comparisons after Trump announced the concept in December 2025. The debate has resurfaced online as the event approaches.
Actor Dean Cain, who has supported the Patriot Games, has rejected the comparison, pointing to the voluntary nature of the competition.
'We're not going to kill anybody,' Cain said. 'People are actually asking to be there. We don't ask for tribute.'
When and Where Can You Watch?
The Patriot Games will take place at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, from 9 to 11 August. Preliminary footage will stream on the ESPN App before the competition culminates in a one-hour ESPN on ABC primetime special on 13 August.
Organisers hope the televised event will draw millions of viewers while showcasing promising young athletes from across the US. For the competitors, the tournament offers an opportunity to represent their communities on a national stage while competing for college scholarship funding.
