At sunrise this morning, Special Olympics athletes and members from New Zealand Police lit the Flame of Hope at the Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch. The event took place to mark the 100-day countdown to the National Summer Special Olympics Games to be held at the new Wolfbrook Arena from Wednesday 10 until Sunday 14 of December.
The Flame of Hope will now traverse the country in collaboration with Police during the traditional Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) to get local communities excited about the games. The Torch Run is the traditional lead-in event for every National Summer Games around the world, where local police officers and local athletes carry the Flame of Hope through their cities to raise awareness for the games and allow the community to show their support.
“Lighting the Flame of Hope means that the games are just around the corner, so we hope Christchurch is ready for the biggest party of the year,” says Special Olympics Chief Executive Fran Scholey.
The National Summer Games is the four-yearly pinnacle event for over 1200 Special Olympics athletes with an intellectual disability, representing 42 clubs, and competing in 10 sports and six venues across the city, supported by over 500 coaches and thousands of families and supporters.
Scholey encourages Christchurch people to get involved in the games and not to miss one of the most exciting and unique sports events in the country.
“The National Summer Games are unlike any other event, from the opening ceremony at Wolfbrook Arena on December 10 until the Closing Ceremony Disco, which is the highlight for most athletes, so we hope people will come along to experience unforgettable memories and support our athletes,” says the chief executive.
Scholey says Christchurch is clearly embracing the games as over 600 volunteers have already signed up to help the athletes compete and move around the city.
“That is one of the biggest responses we have ever had, so anyone who wants to get involved should not wait too long to sign up as a volunteer.”
“Inspector Rupert Friend from New Zealand Police says “We are proud to take part in the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) to help raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics movement here. Known as Guardians of the Flame, law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes carry the Flame of Hope into Opening Ceremonies of local competitions. The Torch Run has grown over the years and now includes many fundraising platforms including Polar Plunges. We held two plunges in Wellington and Christchurch this year where a total of $26,000 was raised for our New Zealand athletes.
The LETR is a worldwide organisation and celebrated this year raising $1 billion to support the athletes of Special Olympics. We encourage all kiwis to come out and show their support at Torch Run events up and down the country from October to December leading up to the games.”
The New Zealand Law Enforcement Torch Run starts in Northland on October 4 and travels all the way down to Southland, before it ends up in Christchurch in the week before the games start.
“We can’t wait for all the teams to arrive in our city, and show off our fantastic new sports venues,” says Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger.
The Special Olympics athletes will be the first athletes to enjoy the brand-new Parakiore complex that will host the swimming and basketball competitions. “We have been working closely with Special Olympics New Zealand and we are confident this event will be a huge success,” says Mayor Mauger.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
Contact for New Zealand Police: Inspector Rupert Friend phone 0211911263.
Contact for Special Olympics: media manager Coen Lammers on 021-730239 or coen@lammers.co.nz
