Special Olympics Athletes Compete in State Summer Games Swimming Event this weekend
Concord, NH (May 19, 2022) – Several of the more than 3000 athletes served by Special Olympics New
Hampshire (SONH) will be busy this weekend participating in the State Summer Games Swimming
Competition. The event will be held in Claremont at the Claremont Community Center on Saturday.
Events and competitions have yet to work their way back to pre-pandemic levels, but SONH Competition
Manager Andrew MacLeay says this is a great step in the right direction. “In lieu of our traditional Summer
Games, we will offer smaller season ending competitions” he says.
Prior to the pandemic the SONH State Summer Games were held annually each June on the campus of UNH in
Durham. The games showcased the skills of nearly 1000 athletes from every corner of the state making it
SONH’s largest annual competition.
New Hampshire’s COVID numbers have yet to decline, and a full State Summer Games competition wasn’t
possible this year. The event takes months of planning and requires nearly 1200 volunteer workers. “We
haven’t turned that corner yet” according to SONH President and CEO Mary Conroy. The lack of a full Summer
Games doesn’t mean that SONH isn’t busy. The quadrennial Special Olympics USA Games are June 5-12 at the
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disneyworld in Florida. “Alongside smaller in-state competitions we
are sending 113 athletes and volunteers to Orlando in two weeks for the USA Games” she notes. This marks
the largest-ever USA Games delegation ever fielded by SONH.
This weekend’s regional competition will be a Swim Meet in Claremont at the Community Center on South
Street. The meet commences at 11 am with more than 35 athletes scheduled to compete.
“All swim events that would traditionally be offered at a Summer Games will be offered at this one-day event,
and medals and ribbons will be awarded” according to MacLeay.
For more information about Special Olympics New Hampshire visit www.SONH.org.
About SONH:
Special Olympics New Hampshire (SONH) is an accredited program of Special Olympics International (SOI) and is part of an
international global movement that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports, every day around
the world. We empower people with intellectual disabilities to become accepted and valued members of their communities, which
leads to a more respectful and inclusive society for all. Using sports as the catalyst and programming around health and education,
Special Olympics is fighting inactivity, injustice and intolerance.
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