Torch Run underway for Special Olympics Ireland Games
As the final countdown for the Special Olympics Ireland Games in Dublin gets under way, a series of Torch Run events are taking place across Ireland this week.
With just a few days to go until the Games, which run from 14-17 June in Dublin, Torch Runs are taking place across the island, before heading to Dublin, where the Flame of Hope will be brought to the Ireland Games Opening Ceremony at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday 14th June 2018.
Starting last Monday, the first Torch Run events took place in Mitchelstown, Sligo, Kilkenny, Limerick, Dundalk, Monaghan, New Ross and Belfast, as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, organised by An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Tuesay saw LETR Torch Run events will move on to Portrush, Ballinasloe, Clonakilty, Leixlip, Palmerstown and Cashel, with the final torch runs taking place on Wednesday in Ballybofey, Newry, Moville, Stillorgan, Swords, Carrick on Shannon and Mullingar.
1,600 Special Olympics athletes from across Ireland will participate in the Special Olympics Ireland Games in 13 sports and Motor Activities Training. The athletes will be supported by 600 coaches and official delegates and 2,500 volunteers.
The Games are set to be one of the largest and most prestigious sporting events to take place in Ireland in 2018 and selected athletes from these Games will go on to represent Team Ireland at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi.
The Ireland Games 2018 Opening Ceremony will take place in at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin on the evening of Thursday 14th June. Three full days competition will follow, with a closing ceremony on Sunday 17th June tying off proceedings, before athletes travel back to their hometowns and cities across Ireland.
During the weekend of the Games, various cultural and entertainment items will be organised, giving athletes, families, volunteers and the public an opportunity to experience a true Olympics-style event. The athletes will also be able to avail of a Healthy Athlete Screening Programme and participate in other health related activities throughout the weekend.
Special Olympics Ireland is a year-round sports training and competition programme for people with an intellectual disability. The benefits of participation in Special Olympics extend beyond the physical benefits of sport; it’s about team spirit, friendships and fun; it’s about a feeling of belonging and a sense of being part of a community. Special Olympics changes lives in so many different ways, enabling people with an intellectual disability to achieve and win not only in sport but in life too.
The public can keep up to date with the news on the Special Olympics Ireland Games 2018 on Twitter, following @SOIreland and the hashtag, #IrelandGames. Further updates will be posted on the Special Olympics Ireland Facebook page, Facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsIreland/
For further information about Special Olympics Ulster and the Special Olympics Ireland programme, visit www.specialolympics.ie