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Fantastic news!!!!! Special Olympics GB outlines new concept for 2026 National Summer Games

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The Board of Trustees of Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) has approved plans to stage a newly structured National Summer Games in 2026, which could provide competition opportunities for around 1,700 children and adults with an intellectual disability.

Easy Read Version

Following extensive consultation with the Special Olympics GB network, the Athlete Leadership Team and National Sports Advisors, a hybrid concept has been approved for the event, consisting of:

– Multi-sport (four-five days) event held at a single cluster of venues/location, prioritising Special Olympics GB’s most popular participation sports:

   * Athletics, Boccia, Football, Artistic Gymnastics, MATP, Swimming

– Single-sport (one-two day) national competitions, following the successful 2022 Summer Series of Sport model, hosted in different locations for:

   * Remaining Tier 1 and selected Tier 2 sports, including: Badminton, Basketball, Bowls, Cycling,    
      Equestrian, Golf, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Tennis

   * Competitions may be expanded versions of current national single-sport events

Special Olympics GB’s National Office team is now working with multiple venues, local stakeholders, and partners to identify the most appropriate location and dates for the multi-sport event.

“The National Summer Games has been an important topic of interest among our membership since our return to competition in 2022, following the pandemic,” said Laura Baxter MBE, Chief Executive of Special Olympics GB. “We recognise the passion of our membership for this event so we undertook an extensive consultation process, which the vast majority of accredited clubs engaged with. We’ve listened hard to their feedback and ambitions for this event and are delighted to now have a concept to take forward.

“Not only does this hybrid approach provide competitive sporting opportunities for a significant number of our registered athletes, but it is also consistent with the financial sustainability of our movement.

“The world has changed a lot since our last major National Summer Games, in Sheffield in 2017, and it is imperative that we consider the increased cost of living and the reduced amount of external funding that we can access. Borrowing or taking financial risks on behalf of Special Olympics GB is not something we can consider.

However, we believe that this model can change the lives of many people with an intellectual disability, giving them an opportunity to meet fellow athletes from around the country, make new friends and be part of an event that celebrates their participation. It will also provide a pathway for our athletes to qualify for selection for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.By Laura Baxter MBE

“We have already held very positive discussions with venues and potential partners regarding our primary multi-sport event. Discussions are also continuing with our National Sports Advisors, who have played an integral part in this process, regarding the additional single-sport competitions to be staged over the summer.”

Further details on the date and location of the 2026 National Summer Games will be confirmed in winter 2025/26. In the meantime, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Special Olympics Suffolk compete in Action packed Badminton Tournament

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Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner, ActivLives, held an Inclusive Badminton Tournament recently at Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich. The event, delivered by ActivLives, in partnership with Special Olympics Suffolk, was action packed with 30 competitors from inclusive groups in Ipswich, Wimbledon, Canterbury and Lincoln taking part.

These inclusive events are specifically for athletes who have an intellectual (learning) disability, they are sanctioned and supported by Special Olympics GB, as part of their calendar of events held across the country.

Allison Boggis, Chair of Special Olympics Suffolk, said, ‘The event was really successful. The standard of play was high and there was some fabulous competition with new and experienced badminton players from Suffolk and beyond taking part. It was fantastic to see the great support the players received from coaches, volunteers and family members’.

Many thanks to the brilliant team of volunteers who made the event happen, and to all of the partner organisations involved – including,  ActivLives, Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, Suffolk Community Foundation and Ipswich Borough Council.  

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with badminton for players with a learning disability, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike@activlives.org.uk  

Time to celebrate the 10th Year Anniversary of Special Olympics Suffolk!

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Have you heard people exclaim “How time flies!”? Well, for Special Olympics Suffolk, not a truer word has been spoken…

This month, we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Special Olympics Suffolk and the great thing is, there are many athletes, volunteers and coaches who remember the day back in November 2014 when the months of hard work came to fruition and Waveney Gymnastics Club hosted the launch of the organisation. You may recognise some of the faces in the photographs below – these people played a pivotal role in getting SO Suffolk started in 2014 and still play a huge role in the running and organisation of it today.

Since then, SO Suffolk has gone from strength to strength, with our athletes training hard and competing at local, regional, national and international level in Alpine Skiing, Athletics, Badminton, Boccia, Equestrian and Gymnastics. Our coaches and volunteers have worked tirelessly with athletes and behind the scenes to ensure the very best support has been available.

The athletes have been on TV and radio, featured in news paper articles and on the bill-boards high above Piccadilly Circus in London, and even visited Number 10 Downing Street to showcase disability sport and inspire others to join in.

Over the past ten years, SO Suffolk has grown and flourished thanks to a team of dedicated athletes, devoted coaches and an army of supporters and well wishers. We would like to thank them all for playing their part in making SO Suffolk so successful.

On 9th March 2025, we aim to host a Celebration of Sport to mark the 10th Anniversary of Special Olympics Suffolk and will be sending out invitations to past and present athletes, coaches, volunteers and friends – please save the date!

Scavenger Hunt raises a whopping £600 for Special Olympics Suffolk

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Twelve Special Olympics Suffolk athletes met at Ipswich train station on September 8th to take part in an organised Scavenger Hunt around the historic town of Ipswich. The intrepid explorers and their supporters navigated their way around the 3k route following a map, checking in with volunteer marshalls at given points along the way. They had clues to solve and questions to answer. The final point was Christchurch Park where they gathered for a picnic lunch and a game of rounders.

Not only was the Scavenger Hunt a great opportunity to get active and meet up with other athletes from Special Olympics Suffolk, but also to raise some funds to go towards the affiliation fees paid each year to Special Olympics Great Britain.

Between them, the athletes (Grace, Rhys, Ed, Donna, Ollie, Liam, Jordan, Hamish, Joe, Cameron, Ami and Simon) raised just over £600 in sponsor money! Liam and Ami shared joint first place by answering all Scavenger Hunt Questions correctly – their affiliation fees for 2025 have been paid by an anonymous donor. Jordan raised a whopping £129 in sponsorship and in doing so won a complimentary family swim at Crown Pools, Ipswich (kindly sponsored by Ipswich Borough Council) and a £20 Sports Direct voucher (kindly donated by an anonymous donor).

Congratulations and huge thanks to the athletes, their supporters, the sponsors and the volunteers who helped out on the day.

Special Olympics Suffolk gymnasts bring home medals from Oslo, Norway

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Our fabulous gymnasts from Waveney Gymnastics Club, Lowestoft brought a stash of medals back to the County from their recent travels to Oslo, Norway.

Funded partly by East Suffolk Council ‘Enabling Communities Budget’ but mostly self-funded by months of fundraising at the club, the gymnasts travelled to Oslo where they were hosted by the Norwegian Federation of Gymnasts. The standard was high as they competed against gymnasts representing 13 other countries. Months of hard work in training in the gym paid off and the gymnasts performed to very best and were cheered on and supported by family and friends, and volunteer Sandra and coaches Ellen and Alex.

The athletes journey was documented by using some of the digital equipment that was funded by East Suffolk Council and will be ready to view very soon – watch this space!

Huge congratulations to the gymnasts, coaches and supporters from all of us at Special Olympics Suffolk – you did us proud!

Inclusive Boccia Tournament hosted in Suffolk – July 2024

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Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner, ActivLives,held the second Inclusive Boccia Tournament recently in Stowmarket, Suffolk. The event attracted 42 competitors, who played a total of 70 ends of boccia, over 26 matches, scoring 123 points. There were over 75 people attending the event, during the course of the day.

Boccia (pronounced ‘botcha’), is a target game, played with balls, where all of the participants are required to sit down whilst they play. “It is one of those sports that is relatively easy to play, but devilishly tricky to play well”, said Mike McCarthy, from ActivLives. The sport is particularly suitable for players with a disability, and will be part of the Paralympic programme being held in Paris next month.  

The tournament in Stowmarket consisted of three divisions, where players competed in teams of three, in a round-robin format. The day concluded with a ‘spider decider’ mass team event, with all 42 players involved.

“The atmosphere has been absolutely brilliant, with plenty of very close matches throughout the day. It has also been great to welcome visiting players from Special Olympics Peterborough and Kent”.     

Many thanks to all of the athletes, to our brilliant team of volunteers, to our supporting partners Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, the Suffolk Community Foundation and to our hosts for the day at Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre.

If you would like to find out more about how to get involved with boccia in the Stowmarket, Ipswich or Felixstowe areas, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike@activlives.org.uk     

Gymnastics training camp and competition a huge success!

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Waveney Gymnastics Club (WGC) hosted a magnificent three day gymnastics training camp and competition 19-21st July in Lowestoft. Head Coaches of WGC, Ellen and Alex spent many hours preparing for the event and their hard work paid off as the event was very well supported by over 50 gymnasts representing 13 gymnastics clubs from all over the UK.

Ellen and Alex are both National and International coaches and judges, and are no strangers to hosting big events and competitions, but they paid tribute to the judges who travelled long distances to officiate at the event, the coaches who travelled with their teams, the raft of volunteers, supporters and staff at WGC who gave up their time to make the day such a success.

Special Olympics Great Britain proudly supported the event, as did SO Suffolk.

Huge congratulations to all at Waveney Gymnastics Club for hosting such a successful competition, SO Suffolk thank you for your hard work and are proud of your endeavours.

Special Olympics Suffolk Badminton Players flying the County Flag in Kent

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Suffolk badminton players flew the county flag successfully at a Para-Disability Badminton tournament held recently in Gillingham, Kent. The event was hosted by Kent Badminton, in partnership with Badminton England and was attended by the President of Badminton England, Derek Batchelor and the CEO, Sue Storey.  

In addition to our local athletes, the event attracted competitors from Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Lancashire and Devon.

Seven athletes from Special Olympics Suffolk/ActivLives competed with great distinction, in divisions for athletes with an intellectual (learning) disability, across the singles and doubles events.

“We have seen some brilliant performances from our players today, which have resulted in medals of all colours being won”, said Mike McCarthy, Badminton Coach from ActivLives and Special Olympics Suffolk. “As well as being competitive though, the positive, exuberant and fun attitude of our athletes is a privilege to witness, they are a credit to Suffolk!”.

The full results for this event can be found at https://be.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/winners.aspx?id=9ad0c9ca-67f4-4f5a-86e1-0e8e6be2707a     

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with badminton for players with a learning disability, particularly in the Ipswich area, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike@activlives.org.uk     

Inclusive badminton tournament in Ipswich a huge success!

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Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner,ActivLives, held another Inclusive Badminton Tournament recently at Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich. The event, delivered by ActivLives, in partnership with Special Olympics Suffolk, and with the support of Special Olympics GB, was a tremendous success with 26 competitors from inclusive groups in Ipswich, Wimbledon and Southampton, taking part.

The programme consisted of four divisions, where players competed in doubles and singles groups in a round-robin format. The day concluded with a team relay event, with all of the players involved. There were some very close matches and divisions with one of the gold medals being decided by just a single point!

“Each time that we host one of these tournaments, the standard of play just keeps on rising”, said Mike McCarthy, ActivSport Development Officer. “These inclusive events, which are targeted at athletes with an intellectual/learning disability, are very important for us. They are a great way to help showcase the sportsmanship, commitment and talent of all the athletes who take part.   

Many thanks to our brilliant team of volunteers and also to our supporting partners Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, Suffolk Community Foundation and Ipswich Borough Council”.  

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with badminton for players with a learning disability, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or emailmike@activlives.org.uk     

Boccia tournament a huge success

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Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner, ActivLives, held another very successful Inclusive Boccia Tournament recently at Gainsborough Sports Centre, in Ipswich. The event attracted 40 competitors, who played a total of 85 ends of boccia, over 30 matches, scoring 185 points. There were over 70 people attending the event, during the course of the day.

“Boccia (pronounced ‘botcha’), is a sport that can be played by anyone”, said Mike McCarthy, from ActivLives. “It is a target game, played with balls, where all of the participants are required to sit down whilst they play. It is one of those sports that is relatively easy to play, but devilishly tricky to play well”. The sport is particularly suitable for players with a disability, and will be part of the Paralympic programme to be held later this year in Paris.  

The tournament in Ipswich consisted of three divisions, where players competed in pairs, or teams of three, in a round-robin format. The day concluded with a ‘spider decider’ mass team event, with all 40 players involved.

“The atmosphere at this event has been absolutely brilliant, we will definitely be doing this again soon!”

Many thanks to all of the athletes, to our brilliant team of volunteers and also to our supporting partners Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, the Postcode Places Trust and the Together Fund.

If you would like to find out more about how to get involved with boccia in the Ipswich, Stowmarket or Felixstowe areas, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike@activlives.org.uk