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Show Spec. Olympics Indoor Games expects more than 1,000 participants More than 1,000 mentally handicapped handi-capped children and adults from throughout the state will compete in team basketball competition and individual skills events such as swimming, diving, gymnastics, and wheelchair bowling as part of the 1984 Utah Special Olympics Indoor Games Dec. 14-15 at the University of Utah HPER Complex. Family members, friends, and spectators will be joined by almost 1,000 volunteers from the university student body, local civic organizations organiza-tions and the business community during the two-day Olympic sporting event. i Athletes prepare for these games I through ongoing training programs 'Special Olympics teams are sponsored by schools, group homes, j institutions, community recreation 1 programs, workshops, and care centers, or are independently sponsored spon-sored and trained by their families. Special Olympics spokesman Craig Fisher said the program is designed to give mentally handicapped handicap-ped childrem and adults the continuing opportunity to develop physical skills while experiencing joy, building confidence, expressing courage and participating in a sharing of gifts, and friendships with family, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Training and competition is not limited to individual sports skills. In " addition to gymnastics, bowling, swimming, and diving, team sports competition at the Indoor Games will include swimming relays and basketball. basket-ball. Forty-eight basketball teams have registered to play in the single-elimination tournament that has become the largest basketball tournament in the state, Fisher said. The Associated Students of the University of Utah, and the Latter-Day Saint Student Association will host the event. Sponsors include Hardee's, the Utah State Prison Firefighters, Kiwanis Club of Salt Lake, and Telephone Pioneers of America. Host families are needed to provide one nights' lodging for athletes from outside the Salt Lake area. For more information on the 1984 Special Olympics Indoor Games or to volunteer to be a host family, contact: Utah Special Olympics, 550 North University Ave., Suite 220, Provo, Utah 84601 377-4156, or outside Utah County dial toll free 1-800-662-1616 |
