The annual Special Olympics is about more than the love of the game — friendships are forged and sometimes true love is also discovered.
For an Otago couple, that is exactly what happened.
This year was basketball player Wade Elliott’s fifth Special Olympics National Summer Games, but his first as a married man.
Mr Elliott married his wife, Brittney Elliott, in October this year after they originally met at a previous games.
This year, the couple got to play on the same Otago basketball team.
“It is nice to play on the same team with my new wife,” Mr Elliott said.
“I really like the competition. Sometimes I get a bit angry in the games, but we are having fun — that’s what it’s all about.”
The games were held in Christchurch and Otago sent a strong cohort of about 80 people.
The event wrapped up yesterday with the long-standing tradition of a disco.
Mr Elliott said he was not much of a danger and there were no plans to sweep his new bride off her feet, across the dance floor.
Special Olympics chief executive Fran Scholey gave a “special shout-out” to the near 1000 volunteers who had stepped forward to make the games happen — that included the hundreds of health professionals who had given their time to take the participants through the Healthy Athletes Programme.
“The programme takes all 1200 athletes through five screenings, for eyesight, hearing, dental, footwear and general wellbeing … because many of our athletes often don’t complain if they can’t see or not hear properly.”
She said they handed out about 300 pairs of glasses this year.
— Allied Media