Last day of 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games brings thousands of smiles

“Picture the athlete, who, for so many years or a big portion of their life, has been excluded from everything. They’ve been excluded from maybe school activities, they’ve been excluded from the community, and now they’re able to come out and participate at great facilities and have a crowd there cheering them on. No longer are they being excluded. They’re the centre of attention. People are calling them inspiring for the wonderful performances, the behaviour, the incredible attitude that they have. What a wonderful way to celebrate people with intellectual disabilities, when you have a bunch of people who may not know them, coming out to cheer for them and being inspired by them. It’s fantastic,” Howe said.

“One of the things I loved yesterday was seeing signs with their names on them and people cheering and photographs being taken. They were excited. Obviously, they want to do their best. We’ve seen an incredible number of personal bests throughout the games,” Bond added.

Howe was impressed not just with the athletes themselves and the community support, but also the city and its facilities.

“The key part that we look for when we host games is having top quality facilities that athletes can come out and perform at their best without worry of being injured, without worry of being in a facility that maybe isn’t up to the standard other athletes would expect. In Prince George, your facilities are fantastic, we couldn’t be happier with the quality of the facilities, the level of care in those,” Howe said.

Howe’s glowing endorsement could mean good things for the City of Prince George’s bid to host the 2030 Special Olympics National Games. While SOBC has no involvement in that decision, both Howe and Bond believe Prince George has proven it has what it takes to host a National Games.

“There’s no question that the facilities are here. The people are here. The experience is here,” Howe said.

“We’ve demonstrated, I think, without doubt, that we have the ability, the desire, and the passion to host those 2030 National Games,” Bond added.

Even though these provincial games are concluding, Special Olympics will still be around, as it is a year-round organization that is always working to build a sporting community for athletes with intellectual disabilities to thrive. Bond encourages everyone to join, as she says it truly is a life changing experience.

“It’s been said that Special Olympics changes lives, including your own. And I can certainly say that in my case, that is true. This has been a remarkable personal experience, and I know that many volunteers will feel exactly the same way,” Bond said.

The provincial games saw 900 volunteers step up to help deliver this incredible experience, and Bond and Howe both say they are extremely grateful to the commitment shown by all the volunteers in making this a provincial games to remember.

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by Tommy Osborne

Last day of 2025 Special Olympics BC Summer Games brings thousands of smiles

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