Orla Sweeney, Special Olympics Ireland

My name is Orla and I am 25 years old.  I live in Dublin where I work as a primary school teacher.  In 2019 I started volunteering with a new Special Olympics club opening in my area, working with young athletes who are between about 4 and 12 years old.  It was because of this that I decided to run the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon last year, raising nearly €300 for Special Olympics!   

This year things are a little different for us all, but the importance of the Special Olympics for athletes hasn’t changed.  Now more than ever they need our support to help get the clubs and programmes back up and running.   

I am taking part again this year in the Vhi Virtual Women’s Mini Marathon to raise funds to ensure that Special Olympics can continue to support and celebrate its amazing athletes during these challenging times and into the future. I urge anyone thinking about taking part to join Team Special Olympics and help make sure there is a strong programme to look forward to for the athletes once they return. 

Visit www.specialolympics.ie to find out more about the incredible work of this organisation.