EDMONTON, AB, July 4, 2017- The Flame of Hope torch was lit 51 days ago and will light up the hopes and dreams of over 900 athletes from across Alberta and N.W.T. at the 2017 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games in Medicine Hat on July 7.
“Our city is ready to welcome all the athletes, coaches and volunteers from across Alberta and N.W.T.,” said Brian Varga, chair of the 2017 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games Organizing Committee and Medicine Hat councillor.
“From incredible sport venues and partners to the 800 games volunteers, our city can’t wait to make this the best games experience.”
The opening ceremony will take place Friday, July 7 at 7 p.m. at Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Cypress Centre Fieldhouse. Dignitaries like Her Honour, the Honourable Lois E. Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, Honourable Robert E. Wanner, Medicine Hat’s Member of Parliament Glen Motz, Medicine Hat’s Mayor, Ted Clugston and Special Olympics Champions Network members Catriona Le May Doan will be in attendance. The ceremony is expecting to have over 2,000 spectators and is free and open to the public.
Catriona Le May Doan will be joined by fellow Special Olympics Champions Network members Jamie Sale and Craig Simpson to cheer on our athletes as they compete.
“We’re looking forward to this amazing weekend,” said Johnny Byrne, president and CEO of Special Olympics Alberta.
“We are thankful that this city has embraced the spirit of Special Olympics and has set out to dedicate the weekend to celebrate our athletes and their limitless abilities. We have strong partners that ensure we had the resources to make this weekend possible. The City of Medicine Hat, the Law Enforcement Torch for Special Olympics Alberta, the Government of Canada, Sobeys, Alberta Sport Connection and Tim Hortons all contributed to making this opportunity possible. This is our flagship event to highlight our athletes and the movement. We couldn’t be happier to be sharing this with Medicine Hat and its amazing people.”
The Medicine Hat Games will be used to select Team Alberta who will compete at the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Nova Scotia in 2018 and can continue to be part of Team Canada who will travel to the World Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
For fans and families that are not able to attend the Summer Games, live streaming of the opening ceremony will be available on the Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games website: www.medicinehat2017.ca along with the live stream of competitions for basketball and rhythmic gymnastics. The Summer Games website is also the best resource on all Summer Games information from schedules to results. Special Olympics Alberta will be covering all the action on its social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with #MedicineHat2017 #WitnessPureJoy. Daily Games photos will be available on the Special Olympics Alberta Flickr account.
2017 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games- Medicine Hat
Over 1,100 athletes, coaches and mission staff representing over 60 communities from 24 affiliates (Airdrie, Barrhead, Brooks, Calgary, Camrose, Edmonton, Edson, Foothills, Grande Prairie, Lacombe, Lakeland, Leduc, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Olds, Red Deer, St. Albert, St. Paul, Strathcona, Vegreville, West Central, Wetaskiwin and Whitecourt) and N.W.T. will compete in the 2017 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games in Medicine Hat from July 7 to 9, 2017. The Provincial Games will feature 11 summer sports: 5-pin bowling, 10-pin bowling, athletics, basketball, bocce, golf, powerlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, softball and swimming in venues throughout Medicine Hat. The opening ceremony will be held on July 7, 2017 in the Fieldhouse Cypress Centre of the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede. For more information on the 2017 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games, visit www.medicinehat2017.ca and follow the journey of athletes and the host town on social media with #MedicineHat2017 and #WitnessPureJoy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Special Olympics Alberta
Special Olympics Alberta is dedicated to enriching the lives of Albertans with intellectual disabilities through the transformative power and joy of sport. Our vision is that sport will open hearts and minds towards people with intellectual disabilities and create inclusive communities.
Special Olympics Alberta’s programs cater to all ages and a wide range of abilities to over 3,000 athletes in more than 140 communities. We provide world class sports programs that are run daily by over 1,000 volunteers. For more information on Special Olympics Alberta, visit, www.specialolympics.ca/alberta and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.