Competitive action set to get underway

THE 2010 Special Olympics Ireland Games kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony this Wednesday night in Thomond Park, but all competitive action gets underway this Thursday morning.
The facilities of the University of Limerick will be at the centre of the four days of activity.
Athletics, swimming, soccer, basketball, gymnastics and kayaking will take place in UL while other venues will include the Tailteann Sports Centre in Mary Immaculate College (badminton & table tennis), Adare’s Clonshire Equestrian Centre, Funworld Bowling on Ennis Road, Murroe Pitch and Putt and Limerick Golf Club.
Acton gets underway at 9am on Thurday morning at all venues and will continue until 5pm. However, Thursday is reserved for divisioning - the divisioning process is the fundamental difference that sets Special Olympics apart from all other sports organisations. Every athlete is recognised for their performance - medals are awarded to athletes who are placed first, second and third while athletes who are placed fourth to eighth are awarded with ribbons. The competition proper will run all day Friday and Saturday from 9am-5pm and then from 9am-12noon on Sunday.
In total the Special Olympics Ireland Games will bring approximately 10,000 people to Limerick over the coming days. Just short of 2,000 athletes from all 32 counties will compete in the 13 different sports, with over 500 coaches and an estimated 5,000 family and friends supporting them - 3,500 volunteers will run the games which were last staged in Belfast in 2006. Limerick will be represented by a team of 45 athletes.
“These Games are taking place in Limerick and we want them to be remembered for Limerick. The sports facilities are second to none in Limerick and we have seen already that the hospitality is great. This is an excellent opportunity to show how great Limerick is,” said Matt English, CEO of Special Olympics Ireland.
“The launch really set the barometer for how successful the Games are going to be, because at normal launches you get a few celebrities turning up, you get a few sports people, you get a few suits as they say but at the launch there was a thousand people at UCH. It gave us a really good, strong feeling as to the enthusiasm for these Games in Limerick.”
Further info: www.specialolympics.ie

Jerome O’Connell