The Special Olympics Summer Games in Bath are now only nine days away and the Able office is a buzz of excitement (especially with those of us who are going to the Games)!
In this, the last of our 'Knowledge' pieces on the sports featuring at the Games, we're setting the pace with the vital information on Athletics.
Special Olympics Athletics were established as a Special Olympics sport in 1968 and encourages athletes of all abilities and ages to compete at their optimum level. Through the track-and-field-based athletics training program, participants can develop total fitness to compete in any sport.
As with all Special Olympics sports, athletics offers athletes the opportunity to learn through skill development and competitive settings and to be involved in large social settings.
An athlete at Special Olympics can adjust their qualifying time to obtain a better grouping in a future running heat. Additionally Special Olympics Athletics modifies the heights in the high jump, conduct 10, 25, and 50 meter runs, walks and wheel chair events. These events don’t exist in International Association of Athletics Federations competitions.
A total of 342 athletes will be competing at Bath University's running track and you can check out the full event schedule here.
The Special Olympics is a fantastic organisation and there are great people working to make sure that the Games are a roaring success. These people, along with the awesome athletes, will surely make the weekend a sporting highlight of your year and you can share in it.
Head over to the Special Olympics GB website and find out how you can get involved.
You can check out all of our Special Olympics stories by clicking here.
Source: Special Olympics Factsheet
