Special Olympics athletes to compete in Nevada Summer Games

Special Olympics athletes from the region are preparing to head to Reno later this coming week to take part in the 2019 Special Olympics Nevada Summer Games.

“Our Nye County delegation has 14 athletes and four coaches attending,” Bobbi-lee Ward, Pahrump area director, said in a May 24 email to the Pahrump Valley Times.

The athletes finished their track and field regional competition in Las Vegas on May 11, she wrote. On Thursday, May 30 they head Reno to compete at the 2019 Nevada Special Olympics Summer Games, she wrote.

In the Reno area, about 325 Special Olympics athletes, along with 85 coaches are set to gather, according to the Special Olympics Nevada webpage.

“Summer Games is the culminating competition for our spring sports season and is one of the premier sporting events offered by Special Olympics Nevada,” it states.”After weeks of training and participating at a qualifying competition, the athletes compete in bocce, swimming, or track & field.”

Earlier this month, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office announced it participated in the annual Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The Special Olympics Torch, the Flame of Hope was on its way to the 2019 Special Olympics Nevada Summer Games, according to the Special Olympics webpage.

“Hundreds of law enforcement personnel from all over Nevada will escort the Special Olympics torch, the ‘Flame of Hope,’ throughout their local communities in a relay across the state to the 2019 Special Olympics Nevada Summer Games opening ceremony on the Reno High School campus,” it stated.

On its Facebook page, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office posted a video and photos of the May 18 torch run through Pahrump.

“Had a great time participating in the Torch Run with Special Olympics this morning,” the sheriff’s office said in its post. “We have got some amazing Special Olympic athletes and deputies.”

The torch run also was publicized on the “Pahrump Special Olympics” Facebook page.

“Our Pahrump athletes did fantastic jogging just over three miles from the Calvada Eye to the Nye County Courthouse right along the Nye County Sheriff’s Office,” a post on that page said. “We had five members of NCSO running today and a lot of others blocking off the road doing traffic control.”

Check for updates on this story in the Pahrump Valley Times and pvtimes.com