ANTIGONISH: In just under one week, athletes from across the country will gather in Antigonish for the Special Olympics Canada 2018 Summer Games.
In specific, the games will be hosted at StFX University and facilitated by a partnership between the Special Olympics National Summer Games 2018 Organizing Committee, The Province of Nova Scotia, Michelin Corporate Foundation, The Government of Canada, and the Town and County of Antigonish.
Opening Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, July 31, at the Keating Millenium Center at St FX University. The event starts at 8 p.m. While most of the events take place at StFX, other facilities like the Antigonish Golf and County Club will be used as well as the softball field at Dr. J.H. Gillis Regional School.
Games begin on Wednesday, August 1, and run until August 4.
One of the athletes attending is Port Hawkesbury’s Sasha Repko. This will be Repko’s second trip to the Summer Games, as she competed there four years ago in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“It’s coming up pretty fast,” she said, talking to The Reporter just last week. “I’ve been training for months – running, doing 5k runs, going to the gym, some heavy lifting too.”
Repko is ready to lead the pack in running events, and she’s open to giving the field events a chance too.
Having the Games in Antigonish is a big thing for local athletes, she said, and she encourages everyone to come out and watch the athletes do their thing.
“It was in Vancouver last time, so there were a lot of people there and a lot of things going on,” she said. “My grandma and my aunt are going to come watch me, and stuff like that, so will my dad and my mom – a whole crew.”
Repko recently was named Athlete of the Year for sportsmanship by Special Olympics Nova Scotia.
Also representing the area will be Carey Clannon, a local guy who the Port Hawkesbury ROC Centre sent out a special Facebook shout-out to, regarding the games.
“Carey has been extremely dedicated to his training and is greatly looking forward to participating in the games,” the post read. “We are all wishing you the best of luck, Carey, and can’t wait to hear all of your exciting stories!!”