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In photos: Western hosts Special Olympics Ontario School Championships

In photos: Western hosts Special Olympics Ontario School Championships

May 29, 2026

Western University’s long-standing connection to Special Olympics deepened May 26 and 27 with a vibrant event on campus. The Special Olympics Ontario School Championships, hosted by the London Police Services in partnership with Western, brought over 1,100 student-athletes, educators, family members and volunteers for two days of games that celebrate inclusion, sport and community. Western helped create a meaningful experience for all participants, providing the athletic venues, overnight accommodations in residence buildings and free health assessments for Special Olympians. Athletes aged 14 to 21, with and without intellectual disabilities, participated in five different sports, competing in both traditional teams and unified teams, where unified partners play as team mates alongside Special Olympians. Hosting the games continues a long tradition of Western links to the Special Olympics. Former faculty member Frank Hayden, BA’55, who died May 16, sparked the movement in the early 1960s with his pioneering research revealing a lack of opportunities for physical activity was contributing to poor fitness among children with intellectual disabilities. His insights led to the launch of the first Special Olympics Games in 1968, and it has since grown into a global movement across 177 countries. His legacy lives on at Western through the Dr. Frank J. Hayden Endowed Research Chair in Sport and Social Impact, held by professor Laura Misener, director of the School of Kinesiology. At the opening ceremonies at Western on May 26, participants recited the Special Olympics athlete’s oath: “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt,” a commitment honouring the courage and hard-won efforts to make it to the championships.  

Opening ceremonies

Special Olympians high-fiving London Police Chief Thai Truong

The School Championships, held at Western University, are the flagship event of the Special Olympics Ontario Unified Champion Schools program, a movement to build respect and belonging through sport. In unified sports, students with and without disabilities play on the same teams in friendly competition that helps build inclusive school communities. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
Special Olympians high-fiving London Police Chief Thai Truong

Law enforcement officers, including London police chief Thai Truong, and officials from the City of London greeted participants from over 100 schools as they paraded in for the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships in Western’s Thompson Arena. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
Frank Hayden, founder of Special Olympics on a screen in front of crowd at Provincial School Championships at Western

Opening ceremonies included a tribute to Frank J. Hayden, BA’55, a Western University researcher who died earlier this month at age 96. He conducted pioneering research in the 1960s showing that children with intellectual disabilities could benefit from regular sport and physical activity, helping create the first Special Olympics Games in 1968 and sparking a global movement. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
London Police Chief Thai Truong holding the torch with a Special Olympian at the Provincial School Championships at Western

The Special Olympics program in Ontario is unique in that police services take a lead role in hosting the games, fundraising and building awareness through the Law Enforcement Torch Run. London police chief Thai Truong and Colton Smith, a student-athlete from H. B. Beal Secondary School in London, Ont. received the Flame of Hope and lit the cauldron to officially open the games. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 

Track and field

track athletes running to the finish line at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships

Track and field athletes at Western’s Alumni Stadium pushed themselves through three to five events, each one a fresh test of their speed and strength at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
track athletes lining up at the starting line during the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Athletes are grouped into divisions to ensure everyone has a fair chance to succeed at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships, making events both competitive and fun. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
Special Olympians running down the track at the Provincial School Championships at Wester

Track and field is one of the original sports in Special Olympics, dating back to the first games held in 1968 in Chicago. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

Basketball

basketball players on a Unified team at the Special Olympics Ontario Provincial School Championships

Basketball at the School Championships features both traditional and unified divisions in which students with and without intellectual disabilities compete together as teammates. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
smiling teenage girl holding basketball at Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Basketball is one of the most popular team sports at Special Olympics Ontario, drawing rosters on both traditional and unified teams in six different divisions at the School Championships held at Western University. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
Basketball players reaching for the ball during Special Olympics competition

Gyms in the Western Student Recreation Centre turned into six basketball half courts for the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
basketball players during game play at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships

Athletes compete in mixed-gender teams of three on half courts, with teams shooting on the same net. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
male and female basketball players hugging after a winning play at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships

At the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships, athletes celebrate each other’s big moments. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 

Floorball

Special Olympians playing floorball, with one player using a wheelchair while a team mate pushes him and another competitors runs for the ball

The rink in Western’s Thompson Arena was converted into four floorball courts, where athletes with and without disabilities competed together on the same teams in the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
Special Olympians playing floorball at the Provincial School Championships at Western University

Floorball is an indoor team sport played 3-on-3, plus goalkeepers, on a court measuring 20 metres long by 12 metres wide. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
floorball players celebrating a goal at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

More than 10,000 high school athletes participated in qualifying competitions across the province over the last year to earn their place at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships held at Western University. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
athletes playing floorball at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Floorball first appeared as a demonstration sport in the 2013 Special Olympics in South Korea, and was so well received, it became an official Special Olympics sport the next year. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 

Soccer

soccer playing kicking the ball toward the goalie standing in the net at the Special Olympics Ontario Provincial School Championships

Soccer at the Special Olympics School Championships on Mustangs Field at Western is played on shortened fields across a full-size pitch, creating a fast-paced game suited to 5-on-5 play. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
three soccer players all laughing at their team bench during the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Special Olympians (L to R) Logan Currie, Michael Corfield and Mike Caton build friendship and memories on the playing field and when spending time together. (Nadine Richards/Ingersoll District Collegiate)

 
soccer players chasing the ball at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Each unified soccer team has three Special Olympic athletes and two Unified partners on the field at all times. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
soccer players fist bumping each other after a good game at the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Soccer teams in the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships are sorted into divisions, with schools from across the province grouped by ability level to keep games competitive, regardless of the team’s experience. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 

Bocce

bocce ball players looking on while a team mate throws during the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Bocce players throw or roll a ball, aiming to be closest to the target ball, called the pallina. Special Olympics athletes competing in the School Championships at Western University enjoyed social connection and skill development through bocce. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)

 
Bocce ball players using their body language to direct a throw during the Special Olympics Ontario School Championships at Western University

Bocce originated as an Italian lawn game for all ages. Its accessibility and global popularity led to its inclusion as a Special Olympics sport. (Colleen MacDonald/Western News)