More than 1,400 athletes, coaches, and mission staff, representing all ten provinces and Yukon and Northwest Territories, are expected to gather for this seven-day sporting event, as will more than 1,000 volunteers and event officials.
Deborah Bright, president and CEO of Special Olympics Canada, said, “For Special Olympics athletes across Canada, these Games are a dream of a lifetime – one which could lead them to competing on theinternational stage.”
This national competition will serve as the qualifying event for athletes to become members of the national team that will compete at the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece.

Athletes will compete in eight official sports, including athletics, five- and ten-pin bowling, powerlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, softball, and swimming. Competitions will be held in venues across the city, as well as at the University of Western Ontario, a site that holds historical significance, as much of Dr. Frank Hayden’s research into the benefits of sports forindividuals with an intellectual disability was conducted here. This sport scientist’s work was the impetus behind the Special Olympics movement.

“The Games Organizing Committee draws upon some of the finest talent, skill, and experience from within the academic, business, sporting, and tourism communities in London,” Bright added. “This collaborative team is focused on delivering the Special Olympics brand promise, and I am confident that they will deliver an exceptional Games experience.”

The Games Organizing Committee is led by chairpersons Dianne Cunningham, Chief Murray Faulkner, and Dr. Darwin Semotiuk. Ms. Cunningham is the director of The Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management at the Richard Ivey School of Business; Chief Faulkner is head of the London Police Service; and Dr. Semotiuk is a professor of kinesiology in the Faculty of Health Sciences at The University of Western Ontario.
Special Olympics Canada is supported by 22 national partners and sponsors, including the federal government.
Special Olympics Canada is dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport. It is a national not-for-profit organization that provides training and competition opportunities to more than 32,000 athletes of all ages and abilities through local sport clubs and that benefits from an extensive network of 13,000 volunteers, including 10,000 certified coaches.

For more information, please visit www.specialolympics.ca
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:Susana PettiDirector, Marketing and Public RelationsSpecial Olympics CanadaT: 416 927 9050, ext. 237C: 416 455 8932E: spetti@specialolympics.ca