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U.S. Transplant Games coming to Madison

Bill Novak  —  7/16/2008 10:43 am

The Transplant Games are coming to town.

Madison has been chosen as the site for the 2010 U.S. Transplant Games, a 14-sport athletic competition for people who've received life-sustaining organ transplants.

Sara O'Loughlin, administrative director for the University of Wisconsin Hospital transplant program, said the announcement means a lot for both Madison and the UW.

"It's very exciting," O'Loughlin said. "We always send a big team to the games, so this will be great for Madison and the transplant community."

The games are held every other year. The 2008 games just ended Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.

The announcement of Madison as site of the next games was made during the closing ceremonies in Pittsburgh by officials of the National Kidney Foundation, organizer of the transplant games.

The games will be held from July 29 to Aug. 4, 2010, in Madison and will use various venues in town, including UW's Kohl Center and Nielsen Tennis Center and the Alliant Energy Center.

More than 1,500 athletes are expected for the 2010 games, which should draw about 7,000 visitors to Madison.

Krista Flanagan, vice president of the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau and co-chair of the local Transplant Games committee, said it was an honor for Madison to be chosen as the next site for the games.

"We look forward to welcoming transplant recipients, donor families and living donors from across the nation to Madison in the summer of 2010," Flanagan said.

In addition to the 14 athletic events, the games will include a professional conference for transplant health care professionals, living donor activities, donor family activities and opening and closing ceremonies.

National Kidney Foundation officials are expected to make the official announcement for Madison as the site of the 2010 games in mid-August.

The UW Health transplant program at UW Hospital is one of the largest in the nation, with more than 10,000 transplants done at the facility.

O'Loughlin said the games will bring together not only the best athletes who've had transplants, but will also bring out a lot of emotion.

"There's so much emotion involved," she said. "The games are an opportunity for the participants to show their families and themselves that they are back to a normal life."

Bill Novak  —  7/16/2008 10:43 am