SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WPRI) — Special Olympians Kayla Edgar of Westerly, Brianna Puglia of Narragansett and Ian Shepherd of Newport will all be flying to Turin, Italy, early Wednesday morning for the 2025 World Winter Games.

A ceremony was held Tuesday afternoon with friends, family and Special Olympics Rhode Island staff to honor and celebrate the athletes before they embark on their long journey to Europe.

Special Olympics RI President and CEO Edwin Pacheco spoke at the event, pointing out how powerful and exciting it is to see the athletes heading to the games.

"They are about to make history, not just on behalf of Rhode Island, but on behalf of the United States of America. How awesome is that?" he said.

For Brianna and Kayla, this will be their first time competing in the games in snowshoeing, as well as traveling to Italy.

"Words can’t even describe how I'm feeling right now, if I’m being honest," Brianna said. "I probably say this to a lot of people since I'm going to be getting up at 4 a.m. tomorrow to come here for 5:30. I’m probably not going to be able to sleep a wink with all this excitement."

Ian will be attending his fourth World Games and competing in alpine skiing. He hopes to add to his collection of medals, having won two gold and one bronze in Japan, China and South Korea.

"I feel really good and excited, and I cannot wait to compete against other athletes from different countries and meet other athletes from different countries," he said. "I'm hoping to get a medal there."

The opening ceremony will be held on March 8, and the games will conclude on March 16.

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