Special Olympics Great Britain National Summer Games 2017

You have probably seen in the news that the 2017 Special Olympics Great Britain National Summer Games were held in Sheffield this month. ACT was very proud to be part of the games as the Safeguarding and Welfare Directors.

Running from 7th to 12th August, the games were the largest multi-sports event for athletes with learning disabilities this year. Hosting over 2,500 athletes from across the UK and further afield, the four days of competition saw the culmination of months and years of training for athletes as they competed in a range of sports from athletics and cycling to boccia and bowls in 13 venues across the city.

As the Safeguarding and Welfare Directors this year, the team at ACT were pleased to be part of the games and were lucky enough to catch some of the live events while managing and supporting a team of dedicated safeguarding volunteers who were on hand to provide support to the athletes.

Our Safeguarding Adults Manager, Lisa Curtis, said, ‘It was lovely to see people with learning disabilities being respected and celebrated as competitors and athletes. They were athletes first. There was also a wonderful buzz at the venues that made all the planning for the event feel worthwhile’.

Even after all the events were over, it was amazing to see the impact that being part of the Special Olympics has on people’s lives. You can meet some of the competitors and find out more about them and their sport from the BBC Disability Sport coverage which includes interviews, videos and articles all about the athletes who competed this year.

If you run a sporting event or are involved in a sport or activity club and want to find out more about how you can work to safeguard everyone involved, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Safeguarding Adults in Sport and Activity Manager, Nicola Dean at n.dean@nottingham.ac.uk or take a look at our safeguarding in sport and activity resources.