2018 Ireland Summer Games
Returning to Dublin for the first time in 16 years, the 2018 Special Olympics Ireland Games took place over four days in June across locations in Dublin, Meath and Kildare.
1,600 Special Olympics athletes from throughout the island of Ireland, supported by 600 coaches and official delegates, 3,000 supporters and 2,500 volunteers all contributed towards making these Games a momentous occasion and the largest event in the Special Olympics yearly calendar.
Home of Special Olympics head office, the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus hosted 6 sports; badminton, basketball, bocce, football, gymnastics, swimming and the non-competitive motor activities training programme. Across the city, athletics took place in Morton Stadium, equestrian took place in Cherry Orchard Equestrian Centre, table tennis at the Irish Wheelchair Association facility in Clontarf, golf at St. Margaret’s Golf Course, bowling at the Leisureplex in Blanchardstown, pitch and putt at the Royal Meath Pitch and Putt Club, kayaking at Salmon Leap in Leixlip and the open water swimming competition took place at Sandycove, Co.Dublin.
Athletes progressed through area and regional Games to qualified to compete and represent their region at Ireland level. The Ireland Games are the qualifying event for the World Summer Games.
A total of 2,144 medals (959 gold, 667 silver and 518 bronze) were awarded over the course of the four-day residential Games, with countless personal bests achieved by athletes from each of the five regions – Connaught, Eastern, Leinster, Munster and Ulster.
