Special Olympics Canada Winter Games News

Special Olympics Newfoundland & Labrador’s Logan Firmage rarely bowls at a bowling alley – but that didn’t stop the 15-year-old from qualifying for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Thunder Bay 2020.

Saskatoon’s Madalyn Gramiak has spent many years cheering for her older sister on the soccer field. Now that she’s a Special Olympics Saskatchewan athlete, it’s Madalyn’s turn to be the “superstar” in the family.

Special Olympics Nova Scotia’s Dereck Boutilier always wanted to play floor hockey, but at 302-pounds it just wasn’t possible.

Two years ago, Special Olympics Manitoba five-pin bowler Christine Hoffman weighed nearly 400-pounds and struggled with high cholesterol at just 26-years-old. When she qualified for the Special Olympics Canada 2018 Bowling Championships in Prince Edward Island, she and her coach decided to make some much-needed lifestyle changes.

Richmond Hill’s Ezekiel Liu has grown up looking at a photo of his four-year-old self in a Team Canada costume, holding a toy medal from the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. While the photo has sat framed in the family’s living room for the past 10 years, they never expected Ezekiel, who has autism, to become a competitive athlete and hold a real medal – until they discovered Special Olympics speed skating.

At 74-years-old, the five-pin bowler from Port Alberni will be the oldest athlete competing at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Thunder Bay 2020. At 74-years-old, the five-pin bowler from Port Alberni will be the oldest, most mature athlete competing at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Thunder Bay 2020

At just 13-years-old, Special Olympics Alberta’s Wyatt Oostendorp is the youngest athlete out of more than 800 competitors gearing up for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Thunder Bay 2020 in February. The alpine skier is also new to the sport – it’s only his second year on the slopes.