London, Ont. athletes representing province at Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary

The Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary are set to start Tuesday evening, with 64 athletes from the London-Middlesex area flying out west to compete.

They join 346 athletes and team members representing Ontario in Calgary over the five-day Games.

The athletes were sent off from London International Airport by friends, family and members of law enforcement as part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

“Law Enforcement Torch Run involves police agencies, Canada border services, corrections, probation and parole, all come together, and they hold different events throughout the year and raise money for Special Olympics in Ontario,” says Derek Spence, who manages the program.

“Anything we can do to help raise money and make (sports) accessible for people with intellectual disabilities, we’re more than happy to help.”

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest source of fundraising for Special Olympics worldwide. In 2023, over $2 million was raised, which went directly to Special Olympics Ontario.

Spence says promoting athlete inclusion for athletes with an intellectual disability is important work.

“There’s been studies done about the benefits of sport for people with intellectual disabilities, and it’s just astounding what those benefits are,” Spence said.

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Chris Lauzon, a member of the London Blazers floor hockey team, has been playing hockey for 20 years. He says getting to this point has been a long journey.

“London never had a team to the national games ever and my goal in those 20 years was to reach this point, and here we are,” Lauzon said.

Lauzon and his team have been training for the Games since the second week of October 2023. He says that while a medal would be nice, it’s not his main focus.

“The main goal is to have fun. If we win a medal, we win a medal,” Lauzon said.

“If we don’t, I’m just glad that I was there for the experience. Just have fun and leave everything on the floor when it comes time to play.”

Spence says the athletes are excited to compete and are proud of their accomplishments so far.

“These guys have been working hard at this for the last four years to qualify for these Games,” Spence says.

“They’re no different than any other type of Olympics where they got to work hard in qualifying their local competitions in order to be able to go out there and represent Ontario.”

Opening ceremonies are set for 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and can be watched on the Special Olympics Canada YouTube channel.