Stadiums rock with joy at ‘electric’ Special Olympics
ALL over the capital there were scenes of sporting joy as the three-day national Special Olympics came to town.
Santry, Tallaght and Abbotstown were just some of the locations for different sporting events such as track, gymnastics and bowling.
The event kicked off on Thursday night with President Higgins opening the games in Tallaght Stadium.
Over 1,600 athletes and 600 coaches have travelled from Connacht, Ulster, Munster, Leinster and the Eastern Region (Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare) for the four-day event.
Andrew McHale from Knock, in Co. Mayo was thrilled to have won his 50 metre race in Santry. A large grin could be seen on his face as he waved his arms in triumph.
Fiona Doyle, after finishing her 25-metre race, went up to her family to celebrate. Similarly, Brendan O’Loughlin from the Munster Athletics Club celebrated with his family when he won his 50metre race. Celebrities such as Glenda Gilson, Brendan Courtney and Keith Wood have also been presenting some of the medals for the winners of the games. ‘The atmosphere has been electric. We’ve had an amazing turnout from the public, families and general public. All the stands and all the stadiums and the podiums have been full, so that’s really added to the atmosphere as well,’ said Pamela Kavanagh, marketing and communications manager for Special Olympics Ireland.
This is the first year that they have launched the Young Athletes Programme so that children from the ages between four and seven can also take part. Before this the starting age was eight years old.
Eight thousand people are expected to attend the games over the course of the four days.
The games wrap up on Sunday, when the final medals will be given out.
Athletes that perform well will go on to represent Team Ireland in next year’s Olympic Summer Games in Abu Dhabi.
SOMETIMES we need the perspective. As controversy builds upon controversy through a sparkling summer of sport, from the intoxicating All-Ireland Hurling Championships to the start of the 21st World Cup, we’ve had managers quitting, others sacked and raging against injustice, referees seeking protection from baying mobs and fans laughing and crying in equal measure (for every winner, there’s a loser).
We can marvel at the genius of Cristiano Ronaldo and scoff at Peru’s penalty miss. It’s easy, though, to lose sight of the fact that it’s sport. No more and no less. It’s not, as Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once claimed in the case of football, more important than life or death despite how much we may get carried away in the moment.
If there were a need for another frame of reference, it was easy to find this week as the 2018 Special Olympics Ireland National Games began.
The excitement started building from Monday with the torch runs in various centres around the country and culminated in Thursday night’s opening ceremony at Tallaght Stadium where President Michael D Higgins, singer Jake Carter and MCs Des Cahill and Ian Dempsey set the tone for a magical weekend. The Games have, once again, offered thrills and spills and boundless joy to all who have taken part. Neil Boyle, 25, from Louth, qualified with the Leinster delegation, and took his place as the torch run wound its way around Drogheda on Monday. ‘It’s a great buzz,’ he said, ‘it has made my life better. It’s brilliant to see all the people here and for everyone to be supporting us and cheering us on. I really hope I can win and go to the World games next year, that would be brilliant.
‘It’s a lot of hard work, but I love the training and the whole atmosphere.’
Johnathan Kilpatrick, 32, basketball player, won three games on Friday with County Dublin Eastern Region. ‘I love the games, there’s nothing like it. I love playing basketball and our team won three games on Friday. But it’s not the winning that really matters, it’s working as part of a team. That’s the real highlight for me.’
Yesterday, the games reached fever pitch for those competing at the FAI National Training Centre at Abbottstown with the appearance of a quartet of Dublin players. It was but a small gesture from a group of lads used to bigger things.
But it meant a lot.