88 Irish athletes and their 40 coaches have arrived in Los Angeles ahead of the 2015 Special Olympic World Games.

The opening ceremony takes place in the LA Memorial Coliseum tonight.

The ceremony - which starts at 5pm local time (1am Irish time) - will feature musical performances from the likes of Stevie Wonder and Avril Lavigne. 

First Lady Michelle Obama ӬandӬ Jimmy Kimmel are among the special guests set to attend the event.

John Treacy, who won silver in the 1984 Olympics, will lead Team Ireland, alongside actor Colin Farrell.

The city of Downey in Los Angeles County has been the host town of the Irish contingent. 

Irish athletes will be competing in 12 different sports - among 7,000 athletes from around the world.

500,000 spectators are anticipated to watch events over the next month, with the games running until the 22nd of August.

CEO of Special Olympics Ireland Matt English spoke to our reporter Henry McKean about the countdown to the games: