Athletes from all over the United States will gather this week in Wisconsin to compete for medals in a dozen sports, including track and field, swimming, basketball, tennis, and golf.

These games, however, are different from the Olympics or other championships. All of the athletes in the Wisconsin games have received lifesaving organ transplants. That means they have been given a kidney, bone marrow, pancreas, liver or even a heart from a donor.

These are the National Kidney Foundation's U.S. Transplant Games. The games have been held every two years since 1990 to celebrate the achievements of transplant patients and to make people more aware of the need for organ donations. According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 100,000 people are waiting for an organ to be donated, and 18 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant.

Although most of the athletes are adults, kids also compete. More than 150 athletes age 17 and younger will be at the Wisconsin games.

During the rest of the year, many of the kids who compete in the Transplant Games also play on school and recreational teams and compete against kids who have not received transplanted organs.

That's no surprise. Some athletes have done amazing things after receiving an organ transplant. Sean Elliott, of the San Antonio Spurs, and Alonzo Mourning, of Georgetown University and the Miami Heat, competed in the NBA after receiving kidney transplants. Mr. Mourning received his kidney in 2003 and was a member of the 2006 Miami Heat championship team.

Most recently a professional golfer, Erik Compton, competed in this year's U.S. Open after his second heart transplant. Mr. Compton, who is 30 years old, received his first transplant when he was 12 and his second in 2008.

The National Kidney Foundation's U.S. Transplant Games are a good reminder that the bravest and most admirable athletes often are regular people who have overcome hard times just to stand at the starting blocks or cross the finish line. They are the athletes who remind us that competing is sometimes the greatest victory of all.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.