The Special Olympics Horowhenua team before they boarded the team bus for the Summer Games in Hamilton. Photo / Paul Williams
The Special Olympics Horowhenua team before they boarded the team bus for the Summer Games in Hamilton. Photo / Paul Williams
There were plenty of smiles as the Special Olympics Horowhenua bus pulled up early this morning.
Climbing aboard were 18 athletes who will represent themselves, their families, and their province at the Freemasons New Zealand Special Olympics National Summer Games at Hamilton, starting tomorrow.
The Special Olympics Horowhenua team bus taking the athletes and support team to the Summer Games in Hamilton. Photo / Paul Williams
The mayor of Horowhenua, Bernie Wanden,came to see the athletes off and wish the team and their support crew well.
Special Olympics Horowhenua chairperson Cheryl Burden said the team were proud of the opportunity to represent Horowhenua and don the team uniform. The chance had been a long time coming, as the Games were meant to be held last year, only to be postponed.
“They’re so excited. For some, it’s a rare trip away,” she said.
“It’s amazing to see the joy on their faces.”
Volunteer Graeme Jarvis, Horowhehua District Council Mayor Bernie Wanden and Horowhenua representative Aaron Campbell. Photo / Paul Williams
The Horowhenua team will join more than 1000 Special Olympics athletes competing in 10 sporting disciplines at eight different venues. The opening ceremony takes place at Claudelands tomorrow, and finishes on Monday night with a closing ceremony and a disco.
A massive amount of fundraising has gone into raising the $40,000 required to get the team and their support crew to Hamilton, with local businesses like Levin Truck Services being generous in their sponsorship, and the committee was reliant on charitable grant funding too.
There were some members of the team, like Greg Wright, 64, Dion Brunning, 46, and Cameron Easton, 40, who were no strangers to the competition, having competed at every national event since the early 1990s.
Brunning has also represented Horowhenua in basketball before, but chose to concentrate on swimming in recent years, entering multiple events to increase his medal chances. Like many of the athletes, he had put in a lot of training in in preparation for the event.
Horowhenua District Council Mayor Bernie Wanden came to wish the Special Olympics Horowhenua team well as they boarded a bus for Hamilton. Photo / Paul Williams
Horowhenua Bocce team manager Vivian Easton has been involved with Special Olympics teams since 1991 and said the worldwide movement provided athletes with an experience they might not otherwise have.
Some get the chance to compete overseas, too, like Aaron Campbell, who will represent New Zealand at the World Special Olympics in Berlin in 2024.
The National Summer Games have evolved to become one of the biggest sporting competitions in the country since they were first held in 1985. The next Summer Games will be held in Christchurch in 2025.
Special Olympics New Zealand is a community-based movement creating a safe and inclusive place for athletes with intellectual disabilities, and an opportunity to discover new strengths, skills and success.
