The 41st Special Olympics Gibraltar National Games concluded on Friday after three days of competition, bringing together athletes from Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Algeciras and Estepona.

A statement from Special Olympics Gibraltar follows below:

The curtain came down on the 41st Special Olympics Gibraltar National Games on Friday evening following three days of outstanding sporting competition, friendship and inclusion, making the 2026 Games another memorable celebration of the Special Olympics movement.

Athletes from Gibraltar were joined by visiting teams from the Isle of Man, Algeciras and Estepona, competing in athletics, futsal, bocce, bowling and swimming before enthusiastic crowds of family members, supporters and volunteers.

The Games officially opened on Wednesday evening at the Lathbury Sports Complex with the traditional Parade of Athletes, the raising of the Special Olympics flag, the athletes' oath and the lighting of the Special Olympics cauldron. The opening ceremony was followed by an exciting athletics competition with 17 track events, with Gibraltar and the Isle of Man producing some closely contested races before the evening concluded with the ever-popular relay event, which was comfortably won by Team Gibraltar.

Thursday featured a busy programme at the SOG Sports Complex. The futsal tournament saw teams from Gibraltar, Algeciras, Estepona and the Isle of Man compete in an excellent display of skill, teamwork and sportsmanship. The Gibraltar team won all 3 of their matches, beating the Isle of Man 3 – 0, Apadis Algeciras 7 – 2 and Aprona Estepona 7 – 1, and walked away with the gold medal position. Algeciras came in 2nd winning 2 matches, and the Isle of Man beat Estepona 4 - 0 to take the bronze medals with Estepona coming in 4th. 

Later in the day the bocce competition provided another afternoon of closely fought matches and friendly rivalry. The gold medals were shared with Gibraltar and the Isle of Man each winning one of the two doubles divisions, thanks to Miguel Rubio and Malcolm Miel in Division 2 for Gibraltar and Nicola Wooldridge and Elizabeth Tinkler in Division 1 for the Isle of Man, before Gibraltar finally won the team game by 6 points to nil and retained the Paola Poggio Bocce Shield. The Gibraltar team consisted of Marvin Zammit, Dorian Zammit, Francis Avellano and Miguel Rubio.  In the doubles Division 1 Frederick Barker and Seth Gracia won silver, brothers Marvin and Dorian Zammit won bronze and Francis Avellano and Samyr Anakkar came in 4th. Whilst in Division 2 Liam Borland and Natasha Keig from the Isle of Man claimed silver, Julian de las Heras and Dominic Hemmi bronze and Alfred Celecia and Manolo Spiteri 4th place. 

The final day of the Games began with the bowling competition at Kings Bastion Leisure Centre, where athletes competed in singles, doubles and team events. Athletes Shane Martinez, Kaylan Manasco, Scott Buckley and Jeffrey Migliori claimed the gold for Gibraltar in the team event beating the Isle of Man by 875 points to 740. The Games concluded on Friday evening with the swimming competition at the Lathbury Swimming Pool, where athletes produced some outstanding performances across a full programme of races before the Closing Ceremony officially brought the Games to an end. The team swimming event of a 4 by 25m mixed relay was particularly hard fought this year with Team Gibraltar – consisting of Glen Wimbleton, Christopher Joyce, Sallyann Mauro and Francis Mauro  - losing to Team Isle of Man by just 2 seconds.

Throughout the three days, athletes demonstrated not only their sporting abilities but also the values that make Special Olympics unique—determination, courage, friendship and inclusion. The Games also provided an opportunity for athletes from different countries and communities to meet, compete together and form lasting friendships.

Special Olympics Gibraltar National Director and Director of Games, Annie Risso, thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the event:-

"The National Games are always the highlight of our sporting calendar, and this year's Games once again showcased the incredible ability, commitment and enthusiasm of our athletes. I would like to thank our coaches, volunteers, officials, sponsors, supporters and the many families who helped make the Games such a wonderful success. Never forgetting the impressive entry of the Flame of Hope and the amazing job LETR Gibraltar does in creating the awareness, and as fundraisers. And to all those amazing athletes who we are honoured to dedicate our time to, congratulations—you are all winners."

Special Olympics Gibraltar also extended its sincere thanks to all those who attended the competitions and supported the athletes. The support received from the public throughout the Games created a fantastic atmosphere and once again demonstrated Gibraltar's commitment to inclusion through sport.