Special Olympics GB announces venue for 2017 National Summer Games
Special Olympics GB is delighted to confirm the opening ceremony for the 2017 Special Olympics GB National Summer Games in Sheffield will be held at Sheffield United’s famous Bramall Lane stadium.
Special Olympics GB’s National Summer Games is the 10th in the history of the charity and will be held in Sheffield from Monday 7th August until Friday 11th August 2017. The date of the opening ceremony will be Tuesday 8th August 2017. This will be the second time that the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games have been held in Sheffield – the last time was in 1993.
Other venues for the Games will include the Sheffield Hallam University City Athletics Stadium; Sheffield City Trust’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre; Hillsborough Leisure Centre; Concord Sports Centre; the English Institute of Sport (all operated by the Sheffield City Trust); Sheffield Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre; and Forge Valley School - all helping to host the UK’s biggest disability sports event in 2017.
Special Olympics GB is the largest registered charity providing year-round sports training and competition opportunities for people with intellectual (learning) disabilities. Almost 1.2 million people in the UK (2% of the population) have a learning disability.
Special Olympics GB’s National Summer Games is the showpiece event every four years for the organisation and its athletes.
Special Olympics Great Britain serves over 8,000 registered athletes annually through almost 150 volunteer-led local clubs and 19 regions. Special Olympics GB is also a registered charity and is supported annually by individual and corporate donations.
Sheffield United’s Managing Director, Mal Brannigan, said:
'This is great news to announce when the club is celebrating the 160th anniversary of its stadium. We are thrilled that Bramall Lane has been chosen to host the showpiece opening ceremony of Special Olympics GB’s National Summer Games.
'The stadium will be a great place for people from the Sheffield City Region and beyond to attend and get right behind this impressive event which will have a real impact when it is held in Sheffield in August 2017.'
Special Olympics GB Chief Executive, Karen Wallin said:
'The Opening Ceremony is a significant occasion at any Games which brings together the athletes, coaches, volunteers and their families, setting the tone and building the excitement for the rest of the event. We are thrilled that Sheffield United have agreed to host the event in 2017 at their historic and impressive Bramall Lane stadium and look forward to a rousing and unforgettable evening!'
Before the National Summer Games in 2017, Special Olympics GB are heading to Los Angeles this summer with a team of athletes to complete at the Special Olympics World Games. From 25 July to 2 August over 7,000 athletes, 3,000 coaches, 30,000 volunteers will take the global stage to showcase sport for people with a learning disability at its finest.
