Empowerment and joy: NZ's Special Olympics Summer Games remind us what sport is about

Abstract

One of New Zealand’s biggest sporting events of this year, at least in terms of the number of participants, may not be one you expected. From December 10 to 14, the Special Olympics National Summer Games will see 1,200 athletes with an intellectual disability converge on Christchurch from around the country. With thousands of family members, coaches, volunteers and support crew in attendance, the four-yearly games will certainly be a highlight of the city’s sporting calendar.