Starting Feb. 27, seven Surrey-area athletes will compete in Calgary during the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, where Susan Wang will join them in a prestigious spokesperson role for the global sports movement.
Wang, a multi-sport athlete who has excelled as an alpine skier, was recently named one of 10 Sargent Shriver Global Messengers for the next three years.
Those chosen are “powerful communicators representing their fellow athletes to the world,” according to a post on specialolympics.ca.
“Their responsibility is to convey the urgency of inclusion, invite people into the movement, and demonstrate that Special Olympics is every day, everywhere, for everyone.”
Surrey’s Wang has been involved with Special Olympics B.C. for more than 13 years at the provincial, national and international levels.
“It’s such a huge honour,” she said of her selection as a Global Messenger.
In May, Wang and others in the new class will meet at Special Olympics headquarters in Washington, D.C., for training sponsored by Bank of America. The other Global Messengers are from Argentina, Guatemala, Ireland, Malta, Mongolia, New Zealand, Oman, South Africa and the U.S.
This month Wang will be at the Games in Calgary not as an athlete – she’s battled injuries lately – but as a Global Messenger and member of Special Olympics Canada’s Board of Directors.
Named for the late Sargent Shriver, husband of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Sargent Shriver Global Messengers have been selected through an application process for more than 20 years. The 2024-2027 class of 10 was selected from 99 nominations from 25 U.S. states and 29 countries.
“Special Olympics offers many leadership opportunities for athletes to be role models and develop confidence,” Wang noted. “Not only does Special Olympics help athletes with intellectual disabilities succeed in sport, it helps them in life and athletes can make a difference in their community.”
In Calgary from Feb. 27 to March 2, athletes will compete in speed skating, alpine and cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing and bowling.
Surrey athletes at the Games include Sean Beddows (cross-country skiing), Stephanie Divin (figure skating), Thien Lam and Thuc Nguyen (floor hockey), Hilary Birkett, Mark Hamblett and Zack Thibeault (speed skating). They’re joined by figure skating coach Tannis Marshall and floor hockey mission staff member Phoebe Lau.
Stories and photos of the 142 Team B.C. athletes are found on soteambc2024.ca.
