Thousands of Special Olympics athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters from all over the country will be flooding into Hamilton in one month’s time for the Freemasons New Zealand Special Olympics National Summer Games.

The four-yearly pinnacle sporting event for athletes with an intellectual disability was postponed for a year because of the pandemic, but nothing will stop the 1400 competitors and coaches taking over Waikato for their events from December 8-12.

The athletes will be competing in 10 sports across eight venues in the Waikato and Special Olympics New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young says the Hamilton locals need to make sure they get a good taste of what the National Summer Games are all about.

“These games are not only one of the biggest events on the New Zealand sporting calendar, it is an spectacle that is truly unrivalled for its passion, courage, emotion and camaraderie,” says Young.

Special Olympics has been working closely with the Hamilton City Council, and deputy mayor Angela O’Leary says that city will embrace the teams coming from all over the country and give them an experience they will never forget.

“Hamilton Kirikiriroa is incredibly proud to have the opportunity to host these athletes and their teams for the Special Olympics 2022,” says Deputy Mayor O’Leary. 

“We’re hard at work to make sure the athletes get the most out of their visit to Hamilton and that their time here is memorable and enjoyable.”

The Special Olympics chief executive is quick to point out that the event would not be possible without the amazing support from the local community.

“We need over 600 volunteers to run the sports, the logistics, as well as the Healthy Athletes screening programme and most of these volunteers are coming from the Hamilton area, so a massive thanks to those who are giving up their time to enable athletes to have a great experience,” says Young.

To give volunteers and athletes the opportunity to meet others from different sports that they normally would not cross paths with, the games organisers will set up a Games Village at the headquarters at the GLOBOX Arena & Events Centre, Claudelands. 

“Anyone involved in the games can come and hang out, have a drink, meet new people and play some fun games,” says Special Olympics Volunteer Manager Kieran Booth, who has the major task of coordinating the rosters for all 600 volunteers. 

“The Athletes Village is always the beating heart of any Olympic or Commonwealth Games, so we hope to replicate that in some way to give everyone involved the chance to enjoy the games to the fullest extent.”

The first of the 38 clubs from all corners of New Zealand will arrive in Hamilton on December 7, with the opening ceremony to take place at GLOBOX Arena & Events Centre, Claudelands on December 8.