Welcome to another daily recap of the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Calgary 2024!
Day 3 of competition continued to intensify, with athletes taking home medals in alpine skiing, speed skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and figure skating yesterday – and athletes from 5-pin bowling and curling looking to take their place on the podium later today.
Watch the Highlights from Day 3
Medal Count as of Feb 29
Livestream Sports from Home
More than 56,000 viewers tuned into the livestream of bowling, floor hockey, curling, figure skating and speed skating competition yesterday alone.
Check out the events streaming today:
Quotes of the Day
Team Yukon cross-country skier Owen Munroe, a proud member of the Kaska First Nation and Ross River Dena Council from Whitehorse, has been a Special Olympics athlete for an impressive 20 years. His journey has been one of perseverance and passion, and his dedication to his sport has taken him to the national stage nine times.
In the months leading up to the Games in Calgary, Owen dedicated himself to intense endurance training. He candidly shared that he was focused on improving his conditioning after he struggled with the hills at an earlier qualifying competition in Yukon.
“Those hills were like 140m – that’s a really high climb. I struggled with them so I was a little worried about the hills in Calgary. I’ve been riding my snow bike at home to get in top shape. But now that I’m here in Calgary, these hills are only about 10m, so I think us Yukoners are well prepared,” he shared ahead of competition.
Owen’s dedicated training paid off as he went on to beat his personal best in the 5K race at 26:18.40, taking home a gold medal for Team Yukon.
Floor Hockey Ceremonial Puck Drop Brings Community Together
The hockey community including 12 members of the Calgary Flames united at Seven Chiefs Sportsplex to drop the ceremonial first puck to not only mark the beginning of floor hockey competition but also in memory of Michael Van Ooteghem. Michael was a former hockey enthusiast from Calgary who had aspirations of volunteering with Special Olympics. In Michael’s memory, friends, family and Games Organizers have been raising money in support of the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Calgary 2024 where they have also sponsored the Floor Hockey Competition to honour his competitive spirit.
Calgary Flames player Michael Backlund, Tsuut’ina Leader - Minor Chief Tyson Heavenfire, Andrew Van Ooteghem (Michael’s Brother), Martin Kudla (Michael’s Friend), and Calgary Games Ambassadors, Darby Taylor and Leonka Kaluha, came together to drop the puck to formally kick off the competition.
“We got to meet the Calgary Flames, which was so cool,” shared Leonka. “I love floor hockey. Darby and I both play on different teams sometimes we get to face each other.”
Friends and Family Reception
Nearly 700 family and friends gathered at StudioBell in the heart of downtown Calgary to celebrate the accomplishments of each athlete competing at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Calgary and the legacy of inclusion that the impact of the Games will leave behind.
Special Olympics Canada CEO, Gail Hamamoto, shared her appreciation for the crowd of supporters
“We are so very proud of each and every athlete competing in Calgary – and we recognize behind every athlete there is a resolute team of individuals who encourage, support and believe in them. To the families – we applaud you for creating the launch pad from which the athletes soar. To the coaches and volunteers, thank you for your tireless dedication. You are the backbone of the movement,” she shared.
Pin Trading
Did you know there’s a 9th unofficial sport at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Calgary? Pin trading!
While most attendees are gathered in Calgary for the National Games to witness or partake in the thrilling competition, there are also fans like Wayne Ronald who come with a different mission in mind – to trade Special Olympics pins.
For Wayne, pin trading isn’t just a hobby; it’s a passion that has been ingrained in his life since he started a pin trading club while attending the 1988 Olympic Games. He now trades Olympic, Paralympic and Special Olympics pins - attending all the Games he can.
At all Special Olympics Games, you’ll see most athletes walking around with the lanyards of their accreditation hanging heavy with pins they’ve traded with fellow athletes from across Canada.
Here at the Games in Calgary, Special Olympics Team Saskatchewan figure skater Lauren Weigel has been on the hunt for a very specific pin - and meeting Wayne was her lucky day.
“I was looking for a figure skating pin from the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary and I knew my best chance of finding it was here!” shares Lauren.
After scoring her dream pin, Lauren’s hoping for another big score from the figure skating judges of her competition this week!
In the Media
As the Games approach, athletes from across Canada have been making headlines in various news outlets. Here are some notable features:
CBC: Special Olympics speed skater on Calgary games, living with 'invisible' disability
Whitehorse Daily Star: Yukoners strike gold on opening day of Special Olympics Canada Winter Games competition
Steinbach Canada Winter Games News: Snowshoer from Steinbach wins gold at 2024 Special Olympics
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We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our athletes at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Calgary 2024!