Halifax Oval a Marathon of Sports this weekend
Goal to raise $100,000 for Special Olympics athletes
The Halifax Oval is a bevy of activity this weekend as hundreds of athletes sweat it out to raise money for Special Olympics Nova Scotia and the Special Olympics Foundation of Canada.
The 2016 Motionball Marathon of Sports, held annually, has close to 300 participants making up 27 teams and the goal is to raise $100,000. The activities include an inflatable obstacle course, basketball, soccer baseball, flag football, road hockey and ultimate Frisbee.
Bonding experience
Jones said there are 32 Special Olympic athletes taking part in the event. He said the best part of the event is how everyone bonds.
"People that don't have experience with someone with an intellectual disability. By the end of the day, they're best friends," Jones said.
'A long way to go'
Paul Etherington, cofounder and chairman of Motionball, said the organization holds 20 other events across Canada. He said more than $6 million has been donated.
"Here in Canada, there's 40,000 Special Olympic athletes enrolled, but in Canada we have 900,000 Canadians with an intellectual disability, so we have a long way to go," Etherington said.
With files from Steve Berry