2011 INAS GLOBAL GAMES
Nearly half are Special Olympics GB athletes
Special Olympics Great Britain, the country’s largest provider of year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with learning disabilities, is proud to announce nearly half of the 2011 participants in the UK Sports Association’s GB Team at the 3rd INAS (International Federation for Sport for para-athletes with a learning disability) Global Games in Liguria, Italy from September 24th – October 4th 2011 are current or former athletes with Special Olympics Great Britain.
Karen Wallin, Special Olympics GB CEO said: “We are very proud to have so many of our athletes qualifying for the 2011 INAS Global Games. I know all of them will be eager to do their absolute best with the aim of qualifying for the Paralympics and elite-level competition.”
UK Sports Association & INAS are different to Special Olympics. UKSA promotes performance led elite competitive sport and has just one classification group in events. UKSA & INAS are part of the pathway to Global Games and Paralympic opportunity. Special Olympics competitions are segmented so that athletes compete with other athletes of similar ability in each sport. Special Olympics competitions are non-elite catering to all-ability levels. High ability athletes may progress to the Paralympic level through UKSA & INAS.
The GB Team is a strong mix of experience and ambition with identical twins Alistair and Duncan Feltham of Bournemouth joining the table tennis team.
The 2011 INAS Global Games is the largest performance led multisport elite Championships (45 countries, 1500 participants) for athletes with a learning disability in the world and is the pinnacle of the INAS programme.
Leading the GB Team to the Games is British, Commonwealth and European multi-medal winning athlete Verona Elder MBE. Mrs Elder said “The Global Games will provide a vital opportunity for athletes to gain experience in a highly pressurised environment in the lead up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This will be excellent preparation to face the challenges that performance sport will throw at them in the months to come.”
Special Olympics Athletes by Region:
East Midlands
Patrick Cox, Table Tennis
Club: Leicester & District;
Games and Medals:
2011 Special Olympics World Games, Athens [1 Gold; 1 Silver]
2009 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games [1 Gold]
North West
Jeffrey Jarvis, Table Tennis
Club: Cheshire North & West
Games and Medals:
2009 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games Leicester [1 Gold; 2 Bronze]
2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games Shanghai [3 Gold]
2005 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, Glasgow [1 Gold; 2 Silver]
Adam Thompson, Table Tennis
Club: Cheshire North & West
Games and Medals:
2009 Special Olympics National Summer Games [3 Gold]
2005 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, Glasgow [3 Gold]
Southern
Alistair Feltham, Table Tennis
Club: Bournemouth
Games and Medals:
2009 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games
2008 Special Olympics GB National Indoor Athletics [2 Gold]
2005 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, Glasgow [1 Bronze]
Duncan Feltham, Table Tennis
Club: Bournemouth
Games and Medals:
2009 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games [1 Bronze]
2008 Special Olympics GB National Indoor Athletics [2 Gold; 1 Bronze]
2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games [1 Gold; 1 Bronze]
2005 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, Glasgow [2 Silver]
West Midlands
Victoria Bromley, Table Tennis
Club: Wolverhapton
Games and Medals:
2009 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games [2 Gold;1 Silver]
2005 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, Glasgow [2 Gold; 1 Silver]