A number of Okanagan based athletes and coaches are preparing to head to Austria for the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games next month.
There are three athletes and two coaches from Kelowna, an athlete from Vernon and a coach from Penticton who are all prepared to make the trip overseas.
From Kelowna, Tracey Melesko and Francis Stanley will be competing in cross-county skiing with Garth Vickers coming along as a coach and wax technician.
Meanwhile, Kelowna’s Tony Wilkinson goes for gold in snowshoeing along with snowshoeing coach, David Wilkinson.
Vernon’s Justin Sigal will be heading to Austria to compete in cross-country skiing while Penticton’s Ray Huson will be coaching the cross-country skiers as well.
In total, there are 108 Canadian athletes with another 35 staff and coaches who are heading to Austria for the competition that runs from March 14th to 25th.
Team Canada is the third-largest team at the games and, along with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, will be competing in four other categories.
The other sports include figure skating, floor hockey, alpine skiing and speed skating.
“Our Team Canada athletes, coaches and mission staff are well prepared for this year’s World Winter Games,” said Marian Coulson, Chef de Mission for Special Olympics Team Canada. “The passion and skill level of our team is unmatched; we expect great results at these Games and, as always, a lasting impact on communities across the country.”
The 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games is one of the world’s largest sporting and humanitarian events to be held this year.
The nine-day competition brings together 3,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and 1,100 coaches from over 100 countries.
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