SPECIAL OLYMPICS IS GIVEN STAR BACKING

SPECIAL OLYMPICS IS GIVEN STAR BACKING

10:30 - 25 July 2008

Celebrities and sports stars were due to gather today to launch the countdown to the Special Olympics.

Leicester will welcome more than 2,700 athletes from around Britain in 2009 - and it make history as the first place to host the British games twice.

Among those in the city today was Special Olympics British chairman, Lawrie McMenemy.

He will be in Town Hall Square at 12.30pm for a two-hour ceremony, joined by celebrities including Engelbert Humperdinck, snooker player Mark Selby, cricket ace Paul Nixon and former Leicester City player Steve Walsh

Former Southampton FC manager Mr McMenemy, 71, who has been involved in sports for five decades, spoke of the vital role sport can play in changing lives for the better.

He said: "There are 1.2 million people in Britain with learning difficulties and seven to eight thousand of them now take part in sports.

"It's a reward when you see them enjoying themselves and it gives them enormous satisfaction.

"It changes their lives and helps their families, triggering the discovery of talents and ways that they can join in."

The Special Olympics began in 1962 and games are held as an international contest every four years - the last were held in Shanghai last year.

Britain holds its own games two years after each international contest.

Mr McMenemy said: "I've been an ambassador for the Special Olympics for six years. Five years ago, I went to the games in Dublin and I realised how massive it was.

"Leicester knows what to expect, having put on the British games before, so I'm sure it will be an excellent event.

"It needs co-operation from everyone, from the mayor and the council to businesses, to make it a success and Leicester is keen to do that."

Twenty-one Special Olympics athletes were to attend the countdown today, each representing one of the 21 Special Olympics sports. A countdown clock was to be unveiled.

Like the Paralympics - for people with physical handicaps - and the Olympic Games, the Special Olympics, which is for people with learning difficulties, is expected to give an economic boost to its host city.

Martin Traynor, managing director of Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, said: "What it will do is put Leicester on the map.

"There are only three events that can use the Olympic logo and this is one of them.

"This gives us a marvellous opportunity to market the city and attract people here to visit, and also reinforces our message to people who might invest in the city."

The Special Olympics British Games will be held from July 25 to July 31 next year.