The countdown to the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games 2024 officially launched Wednesday in Calgary.
The event will see athletes from all over Canada descend on the Alberta city Feb. 27 to March 2, 2024.
The organization is hoping the city’s longstanding reputation for community spirit will see 750 volunteers sign up in the year leading up to the event.
Karen Dommett is general manager of the upcoming games. She said volunteering is a great experience and a true lesson in what it means to be inclusive.
“Lots of people often don’t have a pre-existing relationship with working with an individual with an intellectual disability, there’s a lot of fear and intimidation there,” she said.
“It takes being on the sidelines of a Special Olympic event for about five minutes to completely turn a switch in the way you think.”
The games are expected to bring roughly 4,000 visitors to Calgary. The event is estimated to inject $10.7 million into the local economy.
Finding volunteers will not be an issue, said Canadian curling legend Cheryl Bernard, who is also event co-chair. She said Calgarians have a wonderful history of getting the job done.
“I see us step up every time there’s a big event,” Bernard said.
“We volunteer, we step up, we sponsor. So it’s always incredible to me and I’m sure our website will be overloaded with people wanting to be a part of it.”
Teams from across the nation will compete in eight sports at venues across the city. Those sports include five-pin bowling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing and speedskating. It’s a qualifier for the Special Olympics World Winter Games in 2025.
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But beyond medals and results, organizers say it’s about spirit.
“It’s the highest level of sportsmanship that you can possibly witness and everything that is good about sport,” Dommett explained. “So if you need a reason to fall back in love with sport, this is the event.”
For more information on how to donate, visit calgary2024.specialolympics.ca
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