The 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games will be benefitting from the wisdom of three accomplished Special Olympics BC – Prince George athlete leaders serving in the new role of Athlete Ambassador.
Co-Chairs Lyn Hall and Renee McCloskey proudly announce that SOBC – Prince George athletes Chase Caron, Adam Spokes, and Marinka VanHage have joined the 2025 SOBC Games Organizing Committee as Athlete Ambassadors.
In Special Olympics BC’s Athlete Leadership programs, athletes with intellectual disabilities train to share their stories and insights in leadership settings such as committees, public speaking, and advocacy roles. Special Olympics BC’s athlete leaders and perspectives have always been front and centre during Games planning, but the 2025 SOBC Games mark the first time that athlete leaders are officially serving on the Games Organizing Committee in the newly created role of Athlete Ambassadors.
The 2025 SOBC Games Athlete Ambassadors will provide vital input on Games planning and operations. They will also build awareness for the 2025 SOBC Summer Games and for Special Olympics BC – Prince George’s year-round programs through community engagement opportunities leading up to the Games, which are set to be held July 10 to 12.
“We’re proud that the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games in Prince George will model inclusive leadership, and we’re grateful to benefit from the insights of these dedicated and passionate local athletes. Their achievements on and off the fields of play are very impressive, and their perspectives are valuable and appreciated,” 2025 SOBC Games Co-Chair Renee McCloskey said.
VanHage, Spokes, and Caron each have more than a decade of Special Olympics experience to their credit, and they actively train in multiple different sports in the year-round programs offered by Special Olympics BC – Prince George. All three are preparing to compete in the 2025 SOBC Summer Games, and have previously competed at Special Olympics BC Games and Special Olympics Canada Games. VanHage has also competed at the Special Olympics World Games level. Please read the attached backgrounder to learn more about each SOBC Games Athlete Ambassador.
To provide a high-quality competition experience and a welcoming, inclusive experience for the 1,200 Special Olympics BC Games athletes from across the province, the 2025 SOBC Games will need the support of approximately 1,000 local volunteers, along with the generous support of sponsors and donors. Details can be found at sobcgames.ca. SOBC Games volunteer registration will officially open in spring 2025.
“Getting involved with Special Olympics is a memorable and fun way to change lives, including your own, through the power of sport. There are many rewarding roles available with the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games as well as the empowering year-round Special Olympics programs here in Prince George. We invite everyone to join our joyful community and help celebrate the abilities of athletes with intellectual disabilities,” 2025 SOBC Games Co-Chair Lyn Hall said.
Special Olympics BC – Prince George runs weekly sport, youth, and health programs for local athletes with intellectual disabilities, offering meaningful opportunities year round. Details can be found here
2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games Athlete Ambassador Chase Caron
Chase Caron has been a multi-sport success story throughout her 11 years as a Special Olympics BC – Prince George athlete. Currently, Caron participates in athletics, basketball, Club Fit, curling, floor hockey/floorball, rhythmic gymnastics, and soccer. Caron is known for a passion for speed and for athletic ability, and she is set to compete in the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games for basketball.
Caron has achieved significant competitive success in snowshoeing, including advancing to the 2016 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Newfoundland, racing to strong results in the 100M, 200M, and 400M distances.
Off the fields of play, Caron is an active leader with the SOBC – Prince George Athlete Input Council, advocating for equitability, diversity, and inclusion for LBGTQA+ and varying genders within the community. Caron also contributes to the Prince George community as a volunteer with the Northern Queer Connection Society, and as an artist.
Of the 2025 SOBC Games Athlete Ambassador role, Caron says, “It is a whole new level of being a role model for up-and-coming athletes of a newer generation.”
2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games Athlete Ambassador Adam Spokes
Through more than 12 years as a Special Olympics athlete, Adam Spokes has achieved significant personal successes, and is now passionate about introducing younger athletes with intellectual disabilities to the movement. He hopes more athletes can join Special Olympics earlier in their lives, so they can reap benefits as soon as possible.
Spokes participates in eight sports with Special Olympics BC – Prince George, and he is set to compete in the 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games for basketball. In 2020, Spokes successfully competed in the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with his 5-pin bowling team.
Spokes is also an active athlete leader as a member of the SOBC – Prince George Athlete Input Council and the provincial SOBC Athlete Input Council.
“For over a dozen years, in Special Olympics I have found a community, camaraderie, friends, and a place to belong. It has also given me things that are less tangible, like pride, purpose, and responsibility,” Spokes says.
2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games Athlete Ambassador Marinka VanHage
Marinka VanHage’s impressive athletic career spans more than 25 years as a Special Olympics athlete, and 12 different sports in which she participates. VanHage’s signature achievement is earning the opportunity twice to compete in the Special Olympics World Games, in two different sports. In 2008, she won the Special Olympics BC Athletic Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding abilities and record.
VanHage got her start as a Special Olympics athlete when she was eight years old. Today, every week she is busy with a Special Olympics practice five evenings out of seven, challenging herself on the fields of play and enjoying the many friendships she has formed.
VanHage is an active volunteer with all Special Olympics fundraising and awareness events. She is a noted athlete leader as a dedicated member of the SOBC – Prince George Athlete Input Council, and as a trained Special Olympics Health Messenger.
“I think everyone should get involved with Special Olympics so you can see all the amazing things that athletes can do,” VanHage says.
2025 SOBC Games Background
- The 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games will be hosted in Prince George on July 10 to 12. Full SOBC Games details can be found at www.sobcgames.ca.
- More than 1,200 athletes with intellectual disabilities from all over B.C. and Yukon will compete with pride in 10 summer sports, supported by more than 300 volunteer coaches and mission staff.
- Approximately 1,000 volunteers and sponsor support will be needed to make this life-changing event a reality.
- 2025 Special Olympics BC Games athletes earned their berths in the provincial competition through their performances in Regional Qualifiers, which were held throughout the province from February to July 2024. Top performers in Prince George will qualify for spots on Special Olympics Team BC for the 2026 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The 2026 SOC Games will be the qualifier for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.
- The 2025 SOBC Games sports are 10-pin bowling, basketball, bocce, golf, rhythmic gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, softball, swimming, and track and field.
- 2025 will mark the third time Prince George has hosted Special Olympics BC Games.
About Special Olympics BC
Special Olympics BC is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities through sport. In 55 communities around the province, we provide year-round training and competitive opportunities in 18 different sports to thousands of athletes of all ages and a wide range of abilities, thanks to the dedicated efforts of coaching and organizing volunteers. For more information, please visit www.specialolympics.bc.ca and find us on Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, TikTok @specialolympicsbc and on X @SpecialOBC.
To learn more about the empowering year-round sport, youth, and health programs offered by Special Olympics BC – Prince George, please find them online and on Facebook.