The Special Olympics Ontario Summer Games is coming to the region this week, and to turn up the excitement levels in anticipation, the south-central Ontario chapter’s school program visited West Lynn Public School in late June.

"Today we have eight stations set up throughout the gym and school yard, giving students a chance to try out some sports they might not be familiar with, in a fun, supportive environment," said Fatima Bhatt, program consultant with Special Olympics Ontario. "Curling is new for a lot of students, so they're getting exposure to the sport, and the teamwork and communication skills that come with it." 

The sports festival-format of the school program focuses on social inclusion and fostering accepting environments for students with and without intellectual disabilities, offering sports training, competitions and school-wide engagement activities. At West Lynn, the day also provided leadership development for intermediate students, who explained the rules, demonstrated each sport, supervised the activities and ensured younger students had the chance to make the most of each station. 

"Sports should be accessible to all," said Bhatt. "Everybody has the right to play sports." 

That's essentially the credo of the Special Olympics, which, through the power of competitive athletics, champions equity and inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Taking place over July 10 to 13 in Brantford, the summer games will be welcoming more than 750 athletes from across Ontario. 

"We're really excited; this is set to be the biggest Games since the pandemic," added Bhatt. 

The Special Olympics Ontario Summer Games is coming to the region this week, and to turn up the excitement levels in anticipation, the south-central Ontario chapter’s school program visited West Lynn Public School in late June.

"Today we have eight stations set up throughout the gym and school yard, giving students a chance to try out some sports they might not be familiar with, in a fun, supportive environment," said Fatima Bhatt, program consultant with Special Olympics Ontario. "Curling is new for a lot of students, so they're getting exposure to the sport, and the teamwork and communication skills that come with it." 

The sports festival-format of the school program focuses on social inclusion and fostering accepting environments for students with and without intellectual disabilities, offering sports training, competitions and school-wide engagement activities. At West Lynn, the day also provided leadership development for intermediate students, who explained the rules, demonstrated each sport, supervised the activities and ensured younger students had the chance to make the most of each station. 

"Sports should be accessible to all," said Bhatt. "Everybody has the right to play sports." 

That's essentially the credo of the Special Olympics, which, through the power of competitive athletics, champions equity and inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Taking place over July 10 to 13 in Brantford, the summer games will be welcoming more than 750 athletes from across Ontario. 

"We're really excited; this is set to be the biggest Games since the pandemic," added Bhatt.