2025 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Games are Coming to Brantford!
BRANTFORD – Special Olympics Ontario (SOO) is proud to announce that the Brantford Police Service, Brant County OPP and Six Nations Police will host the Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games Presented by the Wayne Gretzky Foundation in July of 2025.
SOO
has a unique partnership with policing agencies through the Law Enforcement
Torch Run in the Province and each and every Provincial Games since 1996 has
been hosted by a Police Service. Brantford Police will partner with Six
Nations Police and the Ontario Provincial Police to host these Games.
The Games will feature five sports: bocce, golf, track and field, soccer, and softball. All sports will be broken down into multiple ability divisions, where athletes will have the chance to compete against those similar to their ability level. In total, over 1,000 athletes and coaches will participate in the Games.
The Wayne Gretzky Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of the Games and Wayne Gretzky provided the following statement: "I am thrilled to support the 2025 Provincial Summer Games in my hometown of Brantford, Ontario. Sport and competition are a powerful force that unites us all and these Games will exemplify the spirit of inclusivity, acceptance and inclusion. Special Olympics is a cause near and dear to my heart and I wish all of the athletes luck in achieving their dreams and competing on the Provincial stage in Brantford!”
The community is encouraged to join us as we bring together exceptional individuals from our local communities and from across Ontario as we showcase their talents during the 2025 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games in Brantford.
For more information about the Games and how to get involved, please visit: https://provincialgames.com/2025-brantford/
For more information and to schedule interviews, contact:
Robin Matthews-Osmond
Corporate Communications Manager
Brantford Police Service
Rmatthews-osmond@police.brantford.on.ca
About the 2025 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games
The City of Brantford, County of Brant, Six Nations of the Grand River will welcome over 1,000 athletes and coaches in July 2025. They will be joined by their coaches, and cheered on in-person and at home by their families and friends. Athletes will be competing for a chance to qualify for Team Ontario and participate in the 2026 National Summer Games in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The Brantford Police Service, Brant County Ontario Provincial Police and Six Nations Police are proud to host the 2025 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Summer Games.
About the 2025 Summer Games Logo:
The focal point of the logo is the Special Olympics cauldron, utilizing gold and purple colours representing the unity between Brantford and Six Nations, infusing ceremonial significance into the Special Olympics Games. The logo incorporates the flowing waters of the Grand River surrounding the cauldron, visually indicating the location of the games in Brantford while symbolizing unity and harmony within the natural landscape.
About the Wayne Gretzky Foundation (WGF):
The WGF has been a longstanding supporter of Special Olympics as Wayne’s aunt, Walters sister, had an intellectual disability and the Gretzky family have been involved in the cause for many years. In Edmonton, Wayne would often play Floor Hockey with Special Olympics athletes in the community, most notably Oilers equipment manager Joey Moss who became a close friend. Wayne also befriended Harry "Red” Foster who founded Special Olympics Canada in 1969 and continued to grow closer to the cause as a direct result of this relationship. Wayne was the Honorary Chairman of the 1981 National Special Olympics Summer Games in Ottawa and also a part of the delegation who marched into the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics World Games in Minneapolis in 1991. Wayne stayed connected with Special Olympics throughout the remainder of his career and always was an advocate of individuals with an intellectual disability across North America. In 2019, Special Olympics celebrated its 50th Anniversary worldwide and the Wayne Gretzky Foundation proudly sponsored the Invitational Youth Games in Toronto.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Robin Matthews-Osmond
Corporate Communications Manager
Brantford Police Service
Rmatthews-osmond@police.brantford.on.ca
Hayley Plante
Visual Content and Marketing Officer
Special Olympics Ontario
hayleyp@specialolympicsontario.com