THUNDER BAY – With less than a week to go, Thunder Bay is gearing up for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. Organizers gathered at city hall for a flag-raising on Tuesday, as volunteers put the finishing touches on preparations for the event.
Nearly 1,000 athletes will compete in the games, which run from Feb. 25 to 29. With coaches, support staff, and family and friends, the event is expected to draw around 2,000 people to Thunder Bay. The games are a multi-sport event for athletes with an intellectual disability, and serve as the qualifier for athletes to join Team Canada for the Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Barry Streib, chair of the Games Organizing Committee, urged community members to show competitors the city’s “pure heart” by showing up to support the athletes. There is no charge to attend the sporting events.
“I really want people to come out to whatever sport they wish to – hopefully all of them,” he said. “But come out and cheer on the athletes, because it’s important that they see we are there to support them.”
Streib says with final preparations underway, he's confident everything is ready to go.
“I can guarantee that our venues are fully prepared to ensure that everything goes smoothly for the athletes,” he said.
Athletes from across all provinces and territories will compete in eight sports: curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, speed skating, five-pin bowling, and alpine and cross-country skiing.
Inside city hall, acting Mayor Rebecca Johnson addressed a group of supporters, including a “cheer squad” that will support the athletes throughout the games. She said after the event is a much bigger undertaking than many people realize.
“The magnitude of this event – I had no idea, to be honest with you, when I started to volunteer, what this would mean,” she told the group. “It’s huge. Imagine feeding 1,000 people all at one time – those are some of the things that have to be pulled together.”
Luckily, said Streib, a small army of around 1,000 volunteers stands ready to take on that challenge. Streib also pointed to the economic impact the event will have on the city.
“When you have about 2,000 individuals coming into our community from across Canada, our hotels will be booked, our retail businesses will be serving all of those customers,” he explained. “We’ve estimated the impact to our community is going to be about $7.2 million.”
Streib said the organizing committee was still about $30,000 short of its $300,000 goal for the draft-an-athlete fundraising program. He called on community members to chip in if able, saying every little bit helps.
Residents can learn more about the games and how to get involved at their official website.
