By Bonny Burrows
Pakenham played host to more than 200 athletes of all abilities at the weekend, as teams from across South East Australia went head to head in 58 basketball games at the Victorian Special Olympic Games.
The biannual games cater to different sports, with the local games hosting basketball and bowling.
The event again kicked off on Saturday morning with the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR)- a partnership between the Special Olympics and Victoria Police and other law enforcement agencies- followed by the ultimate test of athletic skills.
Participants as young as eight and as old as 59, battled it out in Cardinia Life Leisure Centre’s sports arena in the hope of qualifying for the Special Olympics Australia National Games, to be held in April 2018.
Special Olympics Australia National Sports Development and Partnerships manager Simon Rodder said the games provided an opportunity for people living with a disability to be seen for who they really were.
“It was fantastic to see a whole weekend of activity at a major basketball centre focused on celebrating the ability of 200+ basketballers,” Mr Rodder said.
“Much of their life is focused on their disability. When sinking a three-pointer the crowd see them as a basketballer, not a person with a disability.”
While 180 medals were won over four divisions of competition, with the Dandenong Casey Titans named gold medallists in the A Division, Mr Rodder stressed winning wasn’t the sole focus of the tournament.
“These events are a wonderful opportunity for people from across Victoria to reconnect,” Mr Rodder said.
“It is also about catching up with old friends – including athletes and families”.
Mr Rodder said the games would return to Pakenham next year, bigger and better.
