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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