Major New Zealand sports Games start tomorrow

Major New Zealand sports Games start tomorrow

Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games 2013

Wednesday 27 November–Sunday 1 December 2013

Dunedin, and Balclutha

New Zealand’s largest sporting event for athletes with intellectual disabilities kicks off tomorrow in Dunedin.

The eighth Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games will see around 1200 athletes with intellectual disabilities competing across 10 Olympic-style sports: aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, equestrian, football, golf, indoor bowls, powerlifting, and tenpin bowling.

Held every four years this is the first time in Special Olympics New Zealand’s 30 year history that the event has been held in Dunedin.

More than 750 volunteers have been recruited to help out at the Games. There are more than 400 coaches and support staff attending the event, along with 70 health clinicians, 20 sports officials, and hundreds of family members and friends (some who have travelled from overseas for the Games).

The Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games 2013 starts with the Opening Ceremony at MoreFM Arena (Edgar Centre, Portsmouth Drive, Dunedin) at 9.30am tomorrow, Wednesday 27 November.

Classic Hits Dunedin DJs Callum and P and will MC the Opening Ceremony, which features some of Dunedin’s most engaging entertainment including performances from the talented Kings and Queens High Schools Kapa Haka group, the Dunedin Taiko Japanese Drumming group, and award winning singer-songwriter Sarah Conlan who will sing the Games’ theme song “Soaring High” live. Local Ngai Tahu representatives will perform a mihi to welcome athletes and guests to Dunedin.

The Games competition starts at 1.30pm (Wednesday 27 November) at venues around Dunedin. All aquatic events will be held at Moana Pool on Littlebourne Road, City Rise. Athletics will be held at the Caledonian Ground, Logan Park. Basketball, bocce, indoor bowls and powerlifting will be based at the Edgar Centre. Football will be held at the University Oval Number 2 ground, Logan Park. Tenpin bowling will take place at Bowl Line on Kaikorai Valley Road.

All equestrian events are being held at Telford, Balclutha where athletes will be based for the duration of their competition.

Teams are competing from Allenvale School, Auckland, Bay of Islands, Canterbury, Central Otago, Counties, East Southland Halswell Residential College, Hawke’s Bay, Hibiscus Coast, Horowhenua, Howick/Pakuranga, Hutt Valley, Kapiti, Mana, Manawatu, Mangere, Manukau, Marlborough, Mid-Canterbury, Nelson, North Canterbury, North Harbour, North Otago, North Taranaki, Otago, Papakura, Papanui High School, Rosehill Special School, Rotorua, South Canterbury, Southland, South Otago, South Taranaki, Tamaki, Taupo, Tauranga, Te Awamutu, Thames Valley, Waikato, Waimea College, Wairarapa, Waitakere, Wanganui, Wellington, and Whangarei.

“Special Olympics New Zealand has a long history in Otago, and we have been working closely with Dunedin City Council and the Otago community to prepare for these Games. There is no doubt the Otago community is poised and ready to welcome our Special Olympics with open arms. We welcome the public to join us at this exciting (and free) event and support our talented athletes,” says Kathy Gibson, Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics New Zealand.

Follow the action online:

Special Olympics New Zealand: www.specialolympics.org.nz

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNZ

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SpecOlympicsNZ (@SpecOlympicsNZ)

Words Matter—Special Olympics Language Guidelines for media

About Special Olympics New Zealand

Special Olympics New Zealand is a year-round programme of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. More than 6000 athletes throughout the country train and compete in 13 different Olympic-type summer and winter sports.

Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides athletes continuing opportunities to develop fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy as they participate in the sharing of gifts and friendship with other athletes, their families and the community.

About the Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games 2013

The Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games will take place in Dunedin between 27 November and 1 December 2013 (with athletes arriving in Dunedin on 26 November).

Around 1200 athletes selected from Special Olympics’ 44 Clubs around New Zealand will compete in 10 Olympic-style sports including aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, equestrian, football, golf, indoor bowls, powerlifting, and tenpin bowling during the National Summer Games.

The Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games 2013 will be based at a number of Dunedin’s sports venues: The Edgar Centre, Moana Pool, Logan Park, Caledonian Ground, Chisholm Park, Bowl Line Tenpin Bowling, and Telford, Balclutha. The athletes will stay at the University of Otago’s Residential Colleges during the competition.

Special Olympics New Zealand will also run a Healthy Athletes Programme during the Games, with athletes offered the opportunity to take part in screenings focused on hearing, eye sight, dental care, and podiatry. Around 70 voluntary clinicians will be on deck to undertake these free health screenings. The data gathered will be used to provide valuable evidence-based research which will be shared with key influencers at government level and in the wider disability sector.

ENDS

© Scoop Media