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Local club Hibiscus Rodney Special Olympics sent a team of 15 athletes and around seven support staff and coaches to the Special Olympics National Summer Games, held in Hamilton, December 8-12.
Club chair Benjamin Tan, whose daughter Laetitia is one of the athletes, says the Games were especially good as Covid had prevented so many Special Olympics meets as well as postponing the Games by a year.
“It’s always a great vibe, and everyone caught up again after missing out for so long,” he says. “The sense of achievement is also huge.”
The icing on the cake was that the team returned with 20 medals – one for 10 Pin bowling, three for equestrian and 16 for the swimmers.
“Hopefully we get back to regular meets this year, starting with a swimming one at Northern Arena which our club plans to host in March,” Tan says.
Tan says the club could not have competed without the support of Freemasons NZ, Lions Club, Auckland Council and a private donor.
The next National Summer Games are in Christchurch in 2025.
New members (minimum age eight years) are welcome – training resumes this month. More info: email: hibiscuscoastrodney@specialolympics.org.nz, phone 021 335 816 or look for Special Olympics Hibiscus Coast on Facebook.
