Pride and joy
Alberta Summer Games Special Olympics wraps up with smiles, speeches, and celebration
Though the Alberta Summer Games Special Olympics lasted just three days, thousands of athletes, coaches, volunteers, and family members came to Medicine Hat to witness the joy of the games.
After a number of events Sunday, the games wrapped up with a closing ceremony held at the main gym at the Family Leisure Centre. At the ceremony there was multiple speeches, a passing of the torch and a reading of the Special Olympics athlete’s oath, while Strathmore County was named the host of the 2019 Special Olympics Winter Games.
Mayor Ted Clugston was on hand for the closing festivities and said he is thrilled with how the weekend has gone.
“I’ve been quietly asking around about how things have been going and asking for people’s thoughts on the games and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “There’s a real sense of pride and joy for us to be able to show off our facilities to the rest of the province and to be able to host the games this year.”
With thousands of people from around the province coming to the Hat for the weekend, Clugston said facilities are what allows the city to put on events like the this one.
“Our facilities really are world class, and I think we’ve really got a reputation around the province now for being able to put events like this on successfully,” he said. “The staff and volunteers did a great job dealing with the heat and getting as many events inside that they could, and having a building like the Family Leisure Centre really makes this possible.”
Food director for the games Darlene Keeler said she is ecstatic about how the games went.
“This was truly a great weekend,” she said. “The best part for me is seeing the smiles on the athletes’ faces. We’ve gotten so much support from the community for these games, and it’s just been amazing to see.”
Vice chair and director of administration for the games, Ken Sauer, said the weekend was a very successful one in his eyes.
“This is a very emotional event for a lot of people,” he said. “Though the athletes are competing, they celebrate, cheer and even cry together. This has been a very fantastic show, and I’m very happy with how it has gone.”