Lothian Special Olympics at National Games - Leicester July 2009

In great excitement and anticipation 71 athletes and 29 coaches and carers left Meadowbank Sports Centre on Friday 24th July.  We arrived in Leicester at about 4.30pm where we were met by Solly the Games Mascot, Steve Humphries the Games Director and a large number of volunteers who helped us to unload all the luggage.  We then had time to allocate all the rooms and unpack a little before we went for our evening meal.  

Most sports had a rest day on Saturday with some time to relax and enjoy the surroundings and to look forward to the Opening Ceremony, which was to be held that evening.

The Opening Ceremony was held at the Walkers Stadium, home to Leicester City football Club.  Many famous people, including the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah, and Tim Shriver, the son of the Founder of Special Olympics, graced the Ceremony.

This Ceremony was a fantastic spectacle.  All the teams marched into the stadium one at a time to rapturous applause from the crowd made up of friends, family, volunteers and well wishers.  The athletes and coaches were overwhelmed by the amazing welcome that was given to us. 

After all the teams had marched in, the entertainment began.  This consisted of dance troupes, gymnastics displays and an amazing fantasy spectacular with costumes encompassing everything from dragons to swans, and of course some speeches.  The speeches were kept to a minimum and were fairly short, which suited all.  The Olympic Torch was run into the stadium by Law Enforcement Officers as is the tradition.  The Torch itself was one, which had been used at the London Olympics in 1948.  The Olympic Cauldron was lit and the Games were officially declared open.  Let the Games begin!

After our late night at the opening ceremony most sports started the next morning, so, many bleary eyed athletes headed off to various venues across Leicester.  In most sports divisioning takes place prior to competition to ensure fair and even competition.  After divisioning all the sports started in earnest.  Some sports had more competition than others.  On days off the athletes and coaches could travel to the Walkers Stadium where the Games Village had been set up.  There they could participate in the Healthy Athlete Programme, arts and crafts and buy souvenirs of their time at the Games.

Each evening athletes and coaches from different sports met up in the dining hall and could catch up on their day and how the athletes had performed.  It was fantastic to see athletes with medals or participation ribbons round their necks so proud of their achievements.  The coaches and all the support staff were amazed at how well the team performed in their sports and how well they conducted themselves everywhere.

The Closing Ceremony was held at Abbey Park in the centre of Leicester and was less formal than the Opening Ceremony.  There were activities for the athletes to try like a climbing wall and an Abba Tribute band to dance along to.  It was a time to say goodbye to all the friends that we had made from all over Great Britain.  A marvelous time was had by one and all.

The team returned home with 37 Gold Medals, 28 Silver Medals and 14 Bronze Medals.

What an incredible achievement!  Well done all the athletes, coaches and carers.

To see a full list of results and photos from the Games go to

www.specialolympicslothian.btik.com.