Flame Of Hope And First Teams Arrive For National Summer Games

The 2025 Special Olympics National Summer Games are about to take over Christchurch as the first of 1200 athletes arrived in the city on Tuesday, while the Law Enforcement Torch Run made its way along the banks of the Avon River.

After years of planning and preparation by Special Olympics New Zealand and the Christchurch City Council, the National Summer Games will be officially opened at Wolfbrook Arena on Wednesday afternoon in what promises to be a spectacular event to kick of four days of action.

The National Summer Games are is the four-yearly pinnacle event for over 1200 Special Olympics athletes with an intellectual disability who will represent 42 clubs and compete in 10 sports at six venues across the city, supported by over 500 coaches and thousands of families and supporters.

“It’s here, it’s finally here and we can’t wait for action to start. We hope Christchurch is ready,” said Special Olympics Chief Executive Fran Scholey.

“This is an enormous event and we only have a very small team who have worked overtime in the past few months. We would never be able to deliver these games without the wonderful support of our 800 volunteers and the Christchurch City Council,” said Scholey who was in the city centre on Tuesday to welcome the New Zealand Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The Flame of Hope was carried by local police officers and local athletes from Victoria Park to the Bridge of Remembrance where it was lit 100 days ago.

The arrival of the Torch Run is the signal that the National Summer Games are about to kick off after travelling through Whangarei, Auckland, Rotorua, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, Dunedin and Invercargill.

“New Zealand Police are proud to be involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics and we are pleased that local communities came to show their support when the Torch Run came through their towns,” said Inspector Rupert Friend.

Mayor Phil Mauger has been huge supporter of the National Summer Games and was pleased to see the athletes and the Torch Run arrive into his city.

“ What a wonderful way to kick off the National Summer Games,” said the Mayor.

“I can’t wait to see the many incredible athletes in action across our city’s stunning facilities.”

While the Flame of Hope was making its way through the city, the 16-strong team from Tamaki were the first club to touch down at Christchurch Airport with hundreds more athletes, coaches and support crew from other clubs pouring in on Tuesday.

From the airport, the teams travelled to the Athletes Village at the University of Canterbury where the teams are taking over the student accommodation on campus.

Teams will continue to arrive on Wednesday before the Opening Ceremony at Wolfbrook Arena, where the athletes will be welcomed by MC Jason Gunn, Mayor Phil Mauger, Games ambassador Scott Barrett, Minister Louise Upston and Special Olympics Asia Pacific president Dipak Natali.

Tickets for the Opening Ceremony are free, but need to be booked on through the National Summer Games website

https://events.humanitix.com/national-summer-games-2025-official-opening-ceremony

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