By Special Olympics Northern California | April 2026
Oakland shows up for its own — the City of Oakland Celebration Rally for Alysa Liu drew thousands to the heart of the city.
When Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu came home to Oakland, the city — true to form — showed up and showed out. And Special Olympics Northern California was right there in the middle of it.
On a sun-filled day in the heart of Oakland, thousands gathered outside City Hall to celebrate one of their own: Alysa Liu, two-time Olympic gold medalist, global figure skating icon, and proud NorCal native. The City of Oakland Celebration Rally was electric — a vibrant, joyful, deeply Oakland moment that blended the city’s cultural richness with its proud tradition of producing world-class champions. Fremont High School’s drumline. TURFinc dancers. Kehlani closing the show. Mayor Barbara Lee presenting Alysa with the Key to the City. Kristi Yamaguchi. Andre Ward. A video tribute from Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Coach Steve Kerr.
It was, in every sense of the word, Special.
And for Special Olympics Northern California — a community of more than 60,000 athletes, coaches, and volunteers across over 40 counties — it felt like home.
Two Gold Medalists. One Powerful Question.
Before the rally even began, something else Special happened inside the pre-event press conference — a room packed wall-to-wall with professional media. Associated Press. NBC Bay Area. KTVU. CBS. KRON4. Telemundo. ABC7. East Bay Times. Cameras lined the walls. Reporters all looking for their position to ask their question of the newest, brightest Bay Area icon.
And sitting among them, credentialed media pass in hand, was Sophia — a Special Olympics Northern California Athlete Leader from the Bay Area.
Sophia wasn’t in the audience. She wasn’t watching from the sidelines. She was in the room — a fully credentialed member of the press, representing The Special Report, our athlete-led web series that has interviewed Bay Area legends including Joe Montana, Rollie Fingers, and Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi.
When her moment came, Sophia rose to it completely.
“Hi Alysa! My name is Sophia and I am a Special Olympics Athlete from the Bay Area. On behalf of Special Olympics Northern California, we wish you congratulations on your gold medals! I also won a gold medal in Special Olympics. We think the word ‘Special’ has a lot of power. What does ‘Special’ mean to you?”
The room went still. And then Alysa Liu — two-time Olympic gold medalist, world icon — leaned forward and gave an answer that brought the house down.
“Special is one-of-a-kind, unique. That’s what I would love to be described as, too. Something everyone can strive for. To be Special in your own way!”
The crowd cheered. Sophia beamed. And in that moment, two gold medalists — one on the world’s Olympic stage, one on the fields and tracks of Northern California — found the exact same word for what they do.
The Special Report: A “Special” Celebration with Alysa Liu
Watch Sophia’s full interview, including her exclusive Q&A with Alysa and a behind-the-scenes interview with Alysa’s longtime Oakland coach.
Oakland Gold: A City That Knows How to Celebrate Its Champions
The rally itself was a love letter to Oakland — every note of it deliberate, joyful, and alive with the city’s unmistakable spirit.
The Fremont High School Drumline kicked things off with an energy that rattled your chest. Oakland-born radio host Sway Calloway — Radio Hall of Famer, host of Sway in the Morning on SiriusXM — held court as emcee throughout. Skyline High School senior Lina Nguyen shared a moving reflection on what Alysa’s journey means to Oakland youth. U.S. Shaolin Kung Fu performers and dragon dancers from Oakland’s Chinatown honored Alysa and the city’s vibrant Asian American community.
Oakland School for the Arts student Abayomi Lewis — an American Idol Top 20 finalist — took the stage and sang “MacArthur Park,” the very song Alysa skated to when she won her Olympic gold.
Kristi Yamaguchi delivered heartfelt remarks celebrating Alysa’s legacy and the tradition of figure skating excellence — with Olympic gold medalist and undefeated world champion boxer Andre Ward standing quietly alongside her, a living symbol of Oakland’s long, extraordinary history of producing champions. Oakland Roots and Oakland Ballers presented Alysa with special jerseys and championship rings. Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Coach Steve Kerr sent video tributes. And Grammy winner Kehlani — herself an Oakland School of the Arts alumna — closed the entire afternoon with a performance that felt like the city singing to itself.
Mayor Barbara Lee presented Alysa with the Key to the City of Oakland. And the crowd erupted.
Oakland knows how to celebrate its own.
Behind the Medal: A Conversation with Coach Phil DiGuglielmo
After the rally, The Special Report wasn’t done. Sophia sat down with Phil DiGuglielmo — Alysa’s longtime Oakland coach and the man who has guided her since she was a child on the ice — for an exclusive interview about what it feels like to coach Olympic gold.
It was a conversation about patience, belief, and what happens when you invest fully in someone’s potential. Sound familiar? It’s the same story we tell every single day across 40+ counties in Northern California.
The full interview is part of The Special Report’s coverage of the Alysa Liu Celebration Rally. Watch it now:
Watch The Special Report: A “Special” Celebration with Alysa Liu
Special Isn’t What We Are — It’s What We Do.
We have a campaign at Special Olympics Northern California: Special isn’t what we are — it’s what we do.
Sophia lived that truth on a Tuesday afternoon in Oakland, in a press conference room full of professional journalists, holding her microphone steady and asking the question she had prepared. Not because someone told her she could. Because she knew she belonged there.
And when Alysa Liu answered — “Something everyone can strive for. To be Special in your own way”— she wasn’t just talking about Olympic skating. She was talking about every athlete who has ever competed with everything they have, for the pure love of the sport and the joy of belonging.That’s what Special Olympics is. That’s what Oakland is. And that day, for one afternoon, those two worlds shared the same stage — and it was gold.
About Special Olympics Northern California:
Special Olympics Northern California empowers children and adults with intellectual disabilities to participate in year-round sports training and athletic competitions in a variety of Olympic-type sports. Through the power of sport, we promote inclusion, acceptance, and the development of life skills, building stronger communities for one athlete at a time.