Welcome to the home web site dedicated to
Special Olympics East Midlands.
This site was updated on Dec 12th 2011
November 5, 2011 – Leicester– Special Olympics Great Britain – the country’s largest sports training and competition programme for people with learning disabilities -- is delighted to announce the formation of a new £100,000 Development Fund by its Premier Partner National Grid . The funds will be used to support projects within existing clubs and generate new clubs across the country
Zara and Tom at the Global Games Liguria < Italy
Special Olympics European Summer Games, Warsaw, Poland 14th – 24th Sept 2010
Great Britain’s Special Olympics tennis squad of six players has ended the 2010 Special Olympics European Summer Games in Warsaw, Poland with a total of seven medals. Led by GB Head Coach Lesley Whitehead and Coach Matt Whitehead, the team competed in singles and one doubles event playing preliminary and final rounds. Local players Michael Clarke and Zara Jurenko had a very successful games. Zara approached the final day of tennis competition undefeated in her Group 1 women’s singles round-robin matches against players from Kazakhstan and Poland and enhanced her position as the most successful female Special Olympics tennis player by beating Germany’s Carmen Lelittko with her third straight sets victory of the week. After winning mixed doubles gold with Zara earlier in the week, Michael also went into his last Group 3 men’s singles match undefeated after his opening two matches against Hungarian and German opponents. However, despite putting up a big effort against Monaco’s Christophe Mateu, Clarke missed out on the gold medal after Mateu won their match in a deciding third set. The GB team were part of the 66-strong Special Olympics Great Britain delegation in Warsaw competing in 6 sports. The 46 athletes won a total of 88 medals consisting of 36 gold, 29 silver and 23 bronze medals.
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Athletes from Special Olympics Lincolnshire took part in the Rotary Club swim marathon at Grantham Leisure Centre They achieved a fantastic 220 lengths in 1hour in training for the National Games in Leicester 2009
Congratulations to them!!!
the big countdown to SOL 09
SOGB Athletes Cycle to Victory in Germany
02/07/2008
July 1, 2008—London— Seven Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB) cyclists have returned victorious from Karlsruhe, Germany after competing in the Special Olympics Germany National Games, 16th-20th June, 2008.
All members of the squad hail from the East Midlands region, and the delegation was led by East Midlands Cycling Coach, Vivian Smith. The group brought home a grand total of 20 medals, with each team member winning at least two.
Jon Court won Gold in both the 5K and 10K Road Races, while his team-mate, Nick Doggett placed second in the 10K. Three members of the SOGB team excelled in the Trike Race events. Julian Gulian won Gold in the 100m and Silver in the 200m, Lisa Brown took Gold in the 200m and Silver in the 100m, and Ruth Hughes achieved Bronze in both the 100m and 200m. James Brigstock earned Silver in the 500m Time Trial and a Bronze in the 1K Time Trial, and Simon Franks won Gold in the 1K and Silver in the 5K.
The cycling events were just a small portion of the overall Games, which saw more than 3600 athletes competing in 17 different sports.
Vivian Smith says, "The competition was well organized, and the hospitality was excellent. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and they were excellent ambassadors for their sport and country.”
Happy 30th Birthday SOGB!!!
Tom Styles presenting the 30th Anniversary Cake to the Disability Tennis players at Edgbastion recently. Here he is with two of the sponsors from National Grid.
And with the young "budding" Tennis players!!
This Banner was unveiled at the Peepuls Centre Leicester on Friday 16th May,, where the new incoming Mayoress Manjura Sood named Speical Olympics as her chosen chariety.
The new Lord Mayor of Leicester is presented to Lee Tom and Fluer
Photo launch for the Leicester Braunstone Grove Mile
Sunday March 16th
On Wednesday 5th March 08, 1230 -1300hrs, the photo launch included the Lord Mayor, Mark Selby, partners and members of the Special Olympic team (Zara and Tom) For the 2nd year running we will host the Sainsbury Sports Relief, and this year we have two event over two days.
Sat 15th March 08, 1200 - 1630, will be the Mini Fun Challenges - monies raised will be going to Special Olympics.
Sun 16th March 08, 1200 - 1630, will see people running the miles. People can enter for 1,3 or 6 miles. There are 2 different start times - 1400hrs & 1500hrs.
ALL WELCOME!!!
TO ENTER NOW GO TO sportrelief.com/themile or call 08712001515 or just turn up on the day!!
Fleur was nominated and won the Disabled Sports Person of Nuneaton & Bedworth
9th Dec BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR NEC
WELCOME to our Special Olympics East Midlands homeblog page: First for news in our region.
SPECIAL DAY FOR CITY SPORT
Athletes, sports chiefs and politicians gathered at the Walkers Stadium on Thursday 6th December 2007 to launch the countdown to the Special Olympics 2009 in Leicester.
The stadium will host the opening ceremony of the Games on July 25, 2009.
More than 6,000 people are expected to head to the city to be part of the event.
Steve Humphries, sports marketing manager for the city council, said: "This will be a partnership games for the city.
"It's going to be one of the best occasions in our city's history." Tim Davies, Leicester City Football Club chief executive, said: "We're delighted to be here for the first day of the Special Olympics countdown. There is going to be a fantastic lead up to a fantastic event."
Council leader Ross Willmott said: "We're all getting excited - it seems a long way off but it will get here fairly soon. We're going to put Leicester on the national and international map."
Lee Penfold, 25, from Hinckley, plays for Leicestershire and District Special Olympic Basketball Team and is aiming to compete in the Leicester Games.
He said: "I'm looking forward to the Leicester Games. We hope lots of people will come and follow us in July 2009."
About 2,500 athletes with learning disabilities will compete in more than 21 sports over eight days during the games. For details call 0116 238 5000.
Leicester: Host City 2009 Special Olympics Summer Games!!!! East Midland Team GB China 2007 get their hands on Flag
Browse the different sport pages and see what Special Olympics is up to here in the East Midlands and where you can find your nearest club or branch of each sport
First and foremost and most exciting news is that Leicester won the bid for hosting the next Special Olympics Summer Games in 2009!!!
News NEWS News NEWS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!as it happens
MEDALS GALORE AS COUNTY STARS SHINE IN SHANGHAI
BY DAN NICE
10:30 - 24 October 2007
Leicestershire athletes have brought home an excellent medal haul from the World Summer Games in Shanghai.
The athletes combined to win 10 gold medals, seven silvers and two bronzes from a successful event.
Melton's Jeffrey Jarvis took three golds in the table tennis. He won the singles by beating players from Holland, China and Macau.
He also won gold in the mixed doubles alongside partner Emma Jones, from Shropshire.
Jarvis and Jones beat teams from China, Slovenia and Iceland in the preliminary stages. They then won all their matches against the UAE, Japan, Mauritius and Bangladesh.
Jarvis also combined with Duncan Feltham to take gold in the men's doubles, leaving his mother Beryl proud of her son's achievements.
She said: "Jeffrey did exceptionally well, it was a dream for him.
"He enjoyed it and did not stop smiling the whole time he was out there.
"The whole team got a great reception at Heathrow airport on their return, and it was very emotional.
"He now looks forward to the World Games coming to Leicester in two years time."
Leicestershire duo Thomas Styles and Zara Jurenko also hit the medal trail.
The 20-year-old Styles, from Melton Mowbray, won two gold medals in tennis. He won the singles by beating Salvatore Famao, of Germany, 6-1 in his final, and beat Youssef Gadalla, of Egypt, by the same score earlier in the event to reach the final.
Styles also teamed up with the Wirral's Peter Millar to win the men's doubles.
Kirby Muxloe's Jurenko took gold in the women's singles by beating Karla Galan, of El Salvador, 6-2. She also won silver in the women's doubles with Wales' Lucy Pethig.
In gymnastics, 15-year-old Leicestershire-based athlete Ricky Blampeid had a fantastic haul as he won two gold medals and five silvers.
Blampeid took gold on the parallel bars and pommel, and silver in the floor, vault, rings and horizontal bars. He also took silver for his overall performance.
In basketball, Hinckley's Lee Penfold took silver as Great Britain lost to Australia in the final.
Groby's Rachael Jarvis was just unlucky to miss out on a medal, as her team lost to Serbia in the battle for bronze.
In equestrian, Leicestershire-based Fleur O'Donohue took two golds in dressage and equitation.
In swimming, Aidan Montgomery, who is from Grantham but based in Leicestershire, won bronze in both the 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly races.
Overall, the Great Britain team won 84 golds, 83 silvers and 57 bronzes, and Angela Morley, of Special Olympics East Midlands, was delighted with the team's achievements.
She said: "All the athletes have excelled in all sports, we are so proud of all their achievements. I cannot wait to hear all about the experiences they have had.
"Thanks must go to the Special Olympics Great Britain team and coaches who have organised the trip, plus the coaches back home who have prepared our athletes for the big event."
Steve Humphries, sports marketing manager at Leicester City Council, said everyone is proud of the athletes.
He said: "They have been great ambassadors for the city and county. They have had a great time, thoroughly enjoyed themselves and done magnificently well.
"They will all now be looking forward to the event in Leicester in 2009. Preparation is under way, and everyone is excited about it already."
For more information about Great Britain's achievements in this year's games, including a full list of results, go to:
more details to follow:
SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD GAMES SHANGHAI
On Tues 25th September we waved our athletes off to Heathrow from Leicester Forest East Service station with the help of BBC Radio Leicester raido car on their long journey to Shanghai. With lots of good luck wishes and a tear in our eyes we said our goodbyes...
Aiden, Lee, Fleur, Tom , Zara, Ricky and Rachel travelled together from Leicester to meet up with the rest of the 155 athletes from around Gt. Britain in their quest to participate in the Games which are being held in Shanghai 2 - 11 October. We wish them good luck here and will post news as and when it comes in.
SOME OF OUR ATHLETES WITH RADIO LEICS CAR 25.09.07
Apologies to Fleur for putting this on so late!
Fleur winning the Disability Sportswoman of the year award at Coventry
