Bridging barriers through sports

One of the biggest community sports events made a return to City Park, celebrating its tenth year helping Special Olympics Canada.

The nationwide charity, motionball Marathon of Sport, had a record of 36 teams this year who participated in different sports throughout the day.

Among them were bocce ball, road hockey, ultimate frisbee, and a run through a blow-up obstacle course.

Event Director for motionball, Derek Fuhr, told Kelowna10 that being able to have everyone together face-to-face again is what makes the event so special.

“We need this in-person element,” he said. “Having this athlete element and having this tangibility of the people with the cause, that’s the most important part of our charity, [and] we’re just so grateful to have in-person events again.”

Around 50 per cent of attendees were first time participants and each team was paired with a couple of Special Olympic athletes as teammates.

Fuhr said having the athletes integrated within the teams brought a wonderful opportunity to connect with their teammates for the day.

“It’s an incredible experience, especially when you’re on the playing field having fun with them. You get to know their story, history, and we have some world class athletes that are here in Kelowna,” he said. “This event gathers up some incredible people in our city that understand how important it is to give back to the community and we’re surrounded by positive energy today.”

The goal was to raise $150,000 dollars for the Special Olympic Canada Foundation and to surpass $1 million in local donations.

Seventy per cent of those funds are sent to Special Olympic BC, where the money gets divided among different chapters in the province, helping with costs of uniforms, travel expenses, and equipment.

Susan Foisy, athlete liaison for Special Olympics Kelowna, said having an event like this brings great awareness to the organization and what it does for those involved.

“It is so exciting when the athletes come out and show their talent, while helping the people in this community get to know who they are and what they are about,” she said. “It is an opportunity for them to come alongside our athletes and get to know them and also bridge any barriers.”