Dalton, Ga., has been selected to host Georgia's Special Olympics for three years.
The first games will begin in November 2011 with an estimated $1.5 million economic impact, officials said.
Special Olympics leaders say they chose Dalton because of its athletics and hospitality offerings.
"We were impressed by Dalton's great facilities, a welcoming community and their incredible enthusiasm," said Georgia Milton-Sheats, Special Olympics Georgia's CEO.
The Georgia games are no small event. Annually, they attract about 1,500 athletes.
Dalton has been on a quest to attract weekend sporting events to prop up hotel and restaurant business during a time of year when there's often a lull for those businesses. So far, the Dalton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has had some successes with softball and other sports tournaments, but this is the largest sporting event landed so far.
"Hotels, restaurants and retail shops throughout the community are all very pleased to have such a wonderful opportunity for three consecutive years," said Eddy May, a board member of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and general manager of the Comfort Inn and Suites.
The Special Olympics will be held open at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center and games will be played at Nob North Golf Course and Heritage Point Sports Complex and other facilities, Special Olympics spokeswoman Wendy Bigham said.
Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy, and today 3.5 million athletes with intellectual disabilities compete annually in more than 170 countries.