Special Olympics athletes gather ahead of World Winter Games

Special Olympics athletes gather ahead of World Winter Games

Special Olympics New Zealand’s 13 athletes set to compete at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in March, will gather in Auckland later this week (25-27 January) for their final team training opportunity.

The group of athletes with intellectual disabilities is the largest ever New Zealand delegation to take part in a World Winter Games. They will compete alongside 3,000 athletes from 110 nations at the Games in Graz, Austria from 14-25 March 2017. The New Zealand athletes are supported by a team of seven volunteer management and coaching staff, and will take part in both Alpine skiing and snowboarding.

Head of Delegation Brian Benn said at this weekend’s camp the management and coaching team are trying to create an Austrian style boot camp in the middle of an Auckland summer.

“We’ve got a number of team building activities planned such as eating Austrian food, visiting a climbing wall and learning some basic Austrian phrases,” Brian said.

“We will also be putting the athletes through their paces at the gym, and everyone is excited about hitting the slopes at Snowplanet proudly wearing our individualised ski suits complete with silver ferns.“

Following the camp the athletes will travel back to their home towns to complete their final preparations, before departing for Austria on 8 March.

Former Special Olympics athlete Robert Martin, who recently became the first person with a learning disability elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, will travel to Auckland in March to give a motivational address to the athletes ahead of their departure.

Media are invited to attend this weekend’s training camp. The best filming/photography opportunity will be at Snowplanet, 91 Small Rd, Silverdale, Auckland, on Sunday 27 January from 8.30am – 10am.

ENDS

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