Hundreds of special olympic athletes are settling into Thunder Bay after arriving at the Thunder Bay airport Sunday afternoon.
The Winter Games officially get started Tuesday night at the Fort William Gardens, which are now sold out.
Athletes will be competing in alpine skiing, five-pin bowling, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, speed skating and snowshoeing. Organizers say these games are the qualifying event for athletes to become members of Team Canada attending the Special Olympics World Winter Games.
The Games start Wednesday and end Saturday.
Adam Lloyd, born in Moose Jaw, but playing floor hockey for Manitoba, tells us he’s prepared himself for the tough teams he’ll face this week.
“Ontario is very strong, very competitive. BC is another one, and Quebec. Usually the bigger provinces have bigger opportunities, they have a bigger team,” says the floor hockey player.
He’s been in Special Olympics for 15 years, and says the greeting they received from Thunder Bay at the airport was incredible.
“National games and world games… it’s what I love to do. The competition is always good, and the friends you keep meeting over the years, and meeting CEO’s across the board is fantastic. I wouldn’t change it for a bit,” adds Lloyd.
Games organizer Barry Streib adds he is very pleased with how well the thousand volunteers are with getting the games underway for a successful week.
“When you have over a 1000 volunteers stepping up at an event like this, that’s pretty cool. It exceeds anything that I’ve been involved with before,” points out the games organizer.
Athletes from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island were the first to be greeted.
