LONDON ONE OF FIFTY COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE PROVINCE CELEBRATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS MOVEMENT
Kicking off the 50-day countdown to the Invitational Youth Games
LONDON, ON (March 25, 2019) – London is one of 50 communities across Ontario celebrating Special Olympics Day today. This day honours the legacy of the last 50 years of Special Olympics, while enthusiastically looking forward to the next 50.
Members of the London Police Service (LPS) held a special ceremony recognizing longstanding supporters Chief (Ret.) Murray Faulkner and Bill Mills, and raised the Special Olympics flag at headquarters. Joined by a group of Special Olympic athletes from Central Secondary School, the event also marked the start of the 50-day countdown to the inaugural 2019 Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth Games (IYG) which will be held in Toronto May 14-17, 2019.
“Special Olympics has the ability to break down barriers, foster inclusion and acceptance, and unite the world,” LPS Deputy Chief Daryl Longworth told the gathering.
Schools from around the province have already qualified for the Games, with more than 100 teams from Ontario alone and more to qualify in the coming weeks. The IYG are among several events marking the 50th Anniversary of Special Olympics worldwide.
These games will break new ground, hosting athletes with and without intellectual disabilities who will compete against and alongside each other. More than 2,500 student athletes (ages 13-21) from across Canada, the U.S. and around the world are expected to participate. Hosted by the Toronto Police Service, with the support of the Province and the City of Toronto, the #YouthGames2019 will create a worldwide sporting and communal legacy during the 50th Anniversary year of the Special Olympics movement.
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For more information contact:
Sgt. Derek Spence
dspence@londonpolice.ca
Jasmina Vranesevic
Marketing and Communications Specialist, 2019 Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth games
jasminav@youthgames2019.com
C. 905-746-3653