Sep 05 - Gibraltar Travels to Special Olympics 'Games of the Heart'
Every four years the Special Olympics organise the European Summer Games. This year the event will take place in Antwerp, Belgium and has been dubbed ‘Games of the Heart’.
From 9th to the 20th September 2,000 athletes suffering intellectual disabilities, from 58 European and Eurasian countries will get together to participate in the Games. Gibraltar will be represented in 3 of the 10 Olympic sports. Sallyann Mauro, Glen Wimbleton. John Joshua Buttigieg, Francis Mauro and Douglas Pitaluga will take part in aquatics, Virginia Wink, Marvin Zammit, Nigel Baglietto will take part in athletics and Dorrian Zammit and Aloha Finlayson will take part in bocce.
Gibraltar, together with Portugal will be hosted in La Louviere, a city which dates from the 12th century offering lots of variety, before the Games.
For the first time in the history of Special Olympics, all participants will get to spend the competition days of the Games in an Olympic Village. All delegations will be housed in “Sunparks”, an all weather holiday complex in the Mol district of Antwerp of green flat surroundings offering tranquility. The opportunities of getting together and sharing down time with athletes from other countries will be an opportunity not to be missed.
Equality Minister Samantha Sacramento will travel to Belgium to attend the Opening Ceremony on 13th September.
