Special Olympics Great Britain, the United Kingdom’s biggest provider of sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities, has announced that five athletes from Special Olympics West Wales will participate and represent their region at its first National Winter Games.
Taking place in Folgaria, in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtiro, Special Olympics GB will stage alpine skiing and figure skating events for athletes with intellectual disabilities from 27 January to 3 February.
In total, 73 athletes from across England Scotland and Wales will participate in the Special Olympics GB National Winter Games, including the five local athletes listed below.
| Name | Sport | SO Region/Club |
| Josh Davies | Alpine Skiing | SO Wales – SO West Wales |
| Llinos Gilmore-Jones | Alpine Skiing | SO Wales – SO West Wales |
| John Hayes | Alpine Skiing | SO Wales – SO West Wales |
| Steffan Hopping | Alpine Skiing | SO Wales – SO West Wales |
| Lizzie Williams | Alpine Skiing | SO Wales – SO West Wales |
Colin Dyer, Chief Executive of Special Olympics GB, said: “We’re delighted to expand our programme of competitions by staging this first National Winter Games.
“Competing in national and international events has proven to be transformational for many of our athletes, inspiring them to develop new life skills and make changes, which support their independence and career.
“We’re incredibly grateful to Special Olympics Grampian club for investing so much time in planning this event, as the host club, and to Inclusive Skating for being our delivery partner on all figure skating events. Special thanks also go to our partners as their funding ensures that our athletes receive a world class sporting experience during this event.”
Special Olympics GB is being supported in its delivery of the National Winter Games by The Ski Company and Alpe Cimbra.
The competition will support the selection process for the subsequent Special Olympics World Winter Games, which take place in Torino, Italy, from 8 to 16 March 2025. Here, eight alpine skiers and two figure skaters will represent Team Special Olympics GB for the first time in a Special Olympics World Winter Games since 2017.
Across England, Scotland and Wales, Special Olympics GB provides regular sporting opportunities for more than 6,600 athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Its 95 accredited clubs offer training and competition in 27 different sports, which are delivered by a devoted team of 3,800 volunteers.
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