A Big Thank You!
After some time to reflect and decompress, we’re even more impressed and thankful for our Games team and all we’ve accomplished together.
Hosting a successful Ontario Parasport Games is not an undertaking for the faint of heart.
It entails caring for hundreds of participants’ basic needs (food, accommodations, and transportation) with many unique individual needs, while delivering a spectacular opening ceremony, 11 sport competitions and four demonstration and try-it sessions.
It means welcoming thousands of spectators, interacting with officials, venue operators, and one another.
It means problem-solving on the fly without losing sight of ongoing accountabilities.
But we didn’t stop there. We launched partnerships that grew awareness and support for accessibility, inclusion, and parasport in our community:
- AccessNow mapping of our Games venues and all municipal facilities
- A pilot training program for accessible sport athletes
- Sensory support kits at our libraries and Games venues
- A pilot program to add more adaptive sport and recreational opportunities at Durham College and Ontario Tech
- An inclusive Athlete’s Lounge where participants gathered between competitions
- Collection of donations in support of Feed the Need in Durham
Phew! Anybody else starting to feel tired again?
Once more, we thank our Games volunteers, partners, venues, and community at large for sharing your capabilities, time, and commitment to help host a most memorable Games with long-lasting legacies that will continue to grow awareness and support for accessibility, inclusion, and parasport in our community for years to come.
Filed under: