Special Olympic torch begins journey in Northland

Frances Mora (left), Darcy Collins, Stephen Waite and Scott McCullum.

Whangarei police will join some the region's top Special Olympics athletes on Sunday to carry the Special Olympics Flame of Hope through Whangarei's Town Basin.

The event is part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR), which will see torches relayed from each end of New Zealand to Wellington - the venue for the 2017 Special Olympics National Summer Games 2017.

Similar in style to the Olympic torch relay, the LETR is a series of runs and fundraising events that raise awareness and money for the Special Olympics movement. Globally more than 90,000 police professionals and supporters across 35 countries participate in Law Enforcement Torch runs.

Stephen Waite is part of Special Olympics Whangarei's team heading to the National Summer Games in Wellington at the end of November. Photo / John Stone

"The LETR is one of the highlights of major Special Olympics events, and this year we are excited that the torches will travel to all regions and clubs taking part in the National Summer Games," said Kathy Gibson, Chief Executive of Special Olympics New Zealand.

The Whangarei leg will begin at 10am at Canopy Bridge. Whangarei police and Special Olympics athletes will carry the Flame of Hope through the Town Basin to the Waka and Wave sculpture , accompanied by family, friends and supporters.

Ms Gibson said that in addition to raising awareness of Special Olympics in New Zealand, the LETR also helped to promote and support Special Olympics' Athlete Leadership Programme (ALPs) - a programme that aims to provide athletes with the tools and experiences to become leaders in their own right and to speak for themselves.

"The support of the New Zealand Police and other service personnel is hugely valued and we look forward to taking to the streets with them as we move throughout the country," she said.

The Whangarei leg of the LETR is one of 31 torch run events taking place throughout New Zealand in the lead-up to the Special Olympics National Summer Games in Wellington.

More than 1300 athletes from 42 Special Olympics Clubs and three schools will take part in this year's Games, which will take place from 27 November to 1 December.

Held every four years, the Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games is the largest event for athletes with intellectual disabilities in New Zealand.

The Games are run by Special Olympics New Zealand, which provides a year-round programme of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

It is a different organisation to Paralympics New Zealand, which supports people with physical disabilities to compete in elite international para sport events.