Team Munster excited as they prepare for theSpecial Olympics Ireland Summer Games in June

In preparation for the upcoming Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games in June, the Team Munster badminton squad recently held their first official team bonding session at the Special Olympics Munster office, marking an exciting milestone on the road to the national event.

In addition, the squad, alongside Team Munster Head of Delegation Róisín Howard and Special Olympics Munster Regional Director Eóin Ó Béará, were delighted to receive a supply of first aid kits kindly donated by local businessman and Managing Director of PharmaCare, Billy Cotter at one of the recent training session.

"PharmaCare are genuinely delighted to support all the athletes, coaches and coordinators of Team Munster,” Billy said on the day.

“We have no doubt the opportunities, friendships and memories created will last a lifetime for the athletes and their families. 

"We wish you all much joy as you prepare for and take part in the Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games this year.

“We look forward to meeting you all again in June and sincerely hope the games will be a tremendous success,” Cotter added.

Roisin Howard, Team Munster Head of Delegation was full of praise for Mr Cotter for his generosity that will be a great help for all the athletes.

“We’d like to extend a massive thank you to Billy at PharmaCare for equipping our squads with first aid kits ahead of the upcoming Ireland Games,” Roisin said.

“With 13 different sports taking place, this support is vital to ensuring the safety of our athletes.

“This generosity is helping us make sure our squads have everything they need to succeed,” Howard added.

Munster Regional Director Eóin Ó’Béará was very thankful for the generosity from PharmaCare and he thanked all the volunteers for giving their time to all the athletes.

“We extend our sincere thanks to PharmaCare for their generous donation, which is making a real difference as we prepare for the Summer Games,” Eóin said.

“We’re also grateful to all the volunteers across our local clubs whose dedication and hard work are helping our athletes get ready for June. 

"With Munster bringing the largest delegation of 500 people—including athletes, coaches, and management and this support means so much. 

"We truly appreciate everyone who is playing a part in our journey,” Ó’Béará added.

Led by Head Coach Mags Curtin of Mallow United Special Olympics Club, the squad comprises of 18 athletes drawn from Mallow United Special Olympics Club, Cork Special Olympics Badminton Club, Waterford Special Olympics Club and Tipperary Special Olympics Club. 

The session provided a valuable opportunity for athletes from different clubs to meet one another, build friendships, and begin forming the strong team spirit that will carry them into training and competition. 

There is already huge excitement among the group for the upcoming squad training sessions and the Summer Games themselves.

From June 18th to 21st more than 1,200 athletes and thousands of volunteers and supporters will come together for the Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games, a thrilling competition and a celebration of the skill, determination, and abilities of the athletes.

Sports will include Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Bocce, Bowling, Equestrian, Football, Golf, both Rhythmic and Artistic Gymnastics, Kayaking (including a doubles event at this level for the very first time), Swimming, and Table Tennis.

Curtin explains a little about the great day everyone had in the team’s first training session and is really excited about working with all the athletes in the coming months.

“We had a fantastic team-building day with Team Munster Badminton last month and are really looking forward to our first training session last Saturday in Mallow,” Mags said.

“The squad of 18 athletes will be coming together from Mallow, Waterford, Tipperary, and Cork City, and we’re ready to train hard and have lots of fun as the excitement continues to build,” Curtin added.

One of the athletes, Nicholas Tarrant from Mallow United is really looking forward to playing badminton matches, seeing Mags and the rest of the team dancing at the disco.

Another athlete Nicola Dwyer also from Mallow United is really excited to be representing Munster in her new sport Badminton. 

Nicola has been on Munster Teams in football and swimming before, so she can’t wait to start training and getting to know all the team, have fun, as they will at Ireland Games in June.

Also featured at the Games will be a Motor Activities Training Programme (MATP) event which introduces a new format where athletes can select from a range of gross motor skills and movements to demonstrate their development.

With preparations now firmly underway, Team Munster is looking forward to an inspiring and memorable journey toward the Summer Games.