The 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games were recently awarded to Vancouver and that means Special Olympics athletes from New Westminster won't have far to go.
The 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games will bring up to 1,800 athletes with an intellectual disability, volunteer coaches and officials from across the country to Vancouver to compete at the University of British Columbia.
The athletes will compete in 11 sports, including: swimming, five- and ten-pin bowling, powerlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field, and three new sports: basketball, bocce and golf.
Former VANOC official Cathy Priestner Allinger has been selected to lead the Games, bringing with a wealth of experience and sport expertise to her role as chair of the organizing committee. An Olympic medallist in speed skating, Priestner Allinger played a key role in the staging of the hugely successful 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Priestner Allinger also co-authored Own The Podium, the landmark report that energized and transformed the Canadian sport system in the lead-up to the 2010 Olympic Games.
She also brings significant experience with Special Olympics to the table, having served as a member of the board of directors of Special Olympics B.C. since 2007.
"Special Olympics competitions are unlike any other sporting events in the unsurpassed inspiration, sportsmanship, and pure joy demonstrated by the dedicated athletes, coaches, and officials," Priestner Allinger said. "With my team, I'm determined to make the best Games experience for athletes and their families."
"We know that Vancouver will be a gracious host for Special Olympics' most important competition in this country, the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games," said Michael Howlett, president and CEO for Special Olympics Canada. "Cathy Priestner Allinger is a respected and proven sport leader who we know will deliver amazing experiences for the athletes and honour our commitment to sport excellence."
"These national Games will mark the return of this competition to the province. We are proud to welcome athletes with an intellectual disability from all over Canada to share the life-changing experience of competing in a national Games here in B.C.," said Michael Campbell, chair of the board of directors of Special Olympics B.C.
Vancouver and B.C. first hosted the Special Olympics Canada Games in 1990.
For more information, visit www.specialolympics.ca or follow it on Facebook and on Twitter @SpecialOCanada.
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