Hundreds of students across Central New York participated in the Special Olympics on Thursday.

The games were held at Cicero North Syracuse High School.

There were many different competitions including shot put and running long jump. The day's events also kicked off with a Parade of Athletes.

Organizers say volunteers were essential for the success of the Olympics and seeing the smiles of the children faces made it all worth it.

"For them to be able to come out and do this in front of their family their friends their teachers and a lot of their classmates, it's just great,” said Event Coordinator Fina Santangelo.

The goal of the Special Olympics games is to promote fitness, coordination and cardiovascular improvement.