All set for Special Olympic Games
THE Irish Special Olympic Games is being launched this week with the opening ceremony being held in Tallaght Stadium this Thursday.
With over 1,200 competitors competing across 12 different sports, the games are Ireland’s largest inclusive sporting event and will run across the weekend culminating this Sunday on the 21st.
There are a number of local clubs that will be competing at the games.
Flying Trojans Special Olympics Club from Terenure where Dara Kiernan will be competing in badminton as well club member Gary Bathe who plays basketball with South Dublin Special Olympics Sports Club while Lourdes Celtic Football Club from Crumlin will also represent D12 in football.
(Clock wise Top Left: Knocklyon’s Grace Walsh is competing in the 50m and Softball, Knocklyon’s Mark Brennan is competing in the 100m, 200m and 100m x 4 race, Palmerstown Wildcats – Anita Forde, Kate O’Brien, Serena McClean and Tekhisti Abbay playing basketball at Ireland games and Tallaght Tornadoes athletes James, Jamie, and Adam
Rathcoole’s United Warriors Special Olympics Club will be present at the event with the club fielding athletes in football as well as athletics.
Footballers include Roy Cullen, Mark Duffy, Omer Teko and James Keating while Stephen Fagan will compete in the 100m walk and softball throw.
Viking Swimmers will of course be taking part in the swimming event while the South Dublin Special Olympics Sports Club has 13 Athletes along with three chaperones and two head coaches representing the Eastern Region at the Ireland games.
Seven of their athletes will take part in Athletics, one in Basketball and five in Rhythmic Gymnastics.
(Top:) South Dublin Strikers Ciaran Dwyer from Springfield will be competing in Bowling, James McWalter from South Dublin Strikers Club will play ten pin bowling in Ireland games and Alan and Barry will compete on track
Tallaght based South Dublin Strikers will be taking part in the bowling category with four athletes, Mark Maher, James McWalter, Ciaran Dwyer and Luca Malocco, while Clondalkin’s Speisialta Special Olympics Club have a large contingent of individuals competing in Badminton, Football and the MATP.
Lucan Special Olympics Club has members competing in basketball, bocce, floorball and in the young athletes section.
Palmerstown Wildcats basketball club has four members in the basketball team with other members representing different sports such as bowling, football and swimming.
Table Tennis and Badminton
Anita Forde, Kate O’Brien, Serena McClean and Tekhisti Abbay make up the basketball contingent while member Shannon Corrigan will be bowling. Mark O’Meara from the club is swimming while Nathan Cummins and Luke Reddin are both involved with the football team.
Knocklyon’s Special Olympic Club will be involved in athletics with Grace Walsh and Mark Brennan both competing across several events and also Alan Power in athletics in the 5,000m, Long Jump and 100m relay, he is also a member of South Dublin Special Olympic Club .
Artistic Gymnastics and Open Water Swimming
18 year old Grace is a student at Sancta Maria College, Rathfarnham and will compete in the 50m and softball events while 20 year old Mark is a big time runner and will compete in 100m, 200m and the 100m x 4 events.
Tornadoes Special Olympics Club are another local club that will be taking part at the games with three of their athletes on the Eastern Region bowling team. Jamie FitzGerald, Adam Young and James Clarke will all proudly be representing their club.
