Nine athletes from Rossendale Special Ski Club selected for first Special Olympics GB National Winter Games

Special Olympics Great Britain, the United Kingdom’s biggest provider of sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities, has announced that nine athletes from Rossendale Special Ski Club will participate.

Taking place in Folgaria, in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtiro, Special Olympics GB will stage alpine skiing and figure skating events for athletes with intellectual disabilities from 27 January to 3 February.

The nine athletes from Rossendale Special Ski Club tnat will participate are as follows:

Mackenzie Baker.

James Barclay.

Jason Chu.

David Corr.

Cameron de Vial.

Matt Evans.

Jack Holgate.

Will Shepherd.

Emily Wild.

Colin Dyer, Chief Executive of Special Olympics GB, said: “We’re delighted to expand our programme of competitions by staging this first National Winter Games.

"Competing in national and international events has proven to be transformational for many of our athletes, inspiring them to develop new life skills and make changes, which support their independence and career.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Special Olympics Grampian club for investing so much time in planning this event, as the host club, and to Inclusive Skating for being our delivery partner on all figure skating events. Special thanks also go to our partners as their funding ensures that our athletes receive a world class sporting experience during this event.”

Special Olympics GB is being supported in its delivery of the National Winter Games by The Ski Company and Alpe Cimbra.

Across England, Scotland and Wales, Special Olympics GB provides regular sporting opportunities for more than 6,600 athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Its 95 accredited clubs offer training and competition in 27 different sports, which are delivered by a devoted team of 3,800 volunteers.

In total, 73 athletes from across England Scotland and Wales will participate in the Special Olympics GB National Winter Games, including the nine local athletes.

The competition will support the selection process for the subsequent Special Olympics World Winter Games, which take place in Torino, Italy, from 8 to 16 March 225.