Our History in Nelson
Within Special Olympics NZ there are 5,000 Athletes in New Zealand competing in a variety of different sports.
Basketball has the highest level of athletes in nearly all of the regions across the country.
Special Olympics Basketball in Nelson has three grades, A, B and C, each level feeding to the next and all newcomers typically start in C grade.
Proudly, our A team picked up bronze medals at the Special Olympics New Zealand nationals in Hamilton in December 2022, having beaten many of the far larger (and far taller) Metro cities across the country.
Given we play and train year round, head coach Wayne’s Bowans strategy of our team being fitter and faster played dividends at the end of every match. And those we did lose were all by a small margin.
Four or five of the A team have also represented New Zealand at various World Summer Games, so there are some impressive basketball skills and experience in the wider squad.
Pathways for Athletes
Special Olympics Nelson is a charitable trust administered by a board of trustees. Basketball is but one of nine sports provided for athletes.
Every fours years the NZ summer nationals are staged (the next are in Christchurch in 2025)
And then every four years the World Summer Games are staged, the next will be in Jakarta in 2027. And at the world games, Basketball is 3 on 3 with teams of five athletes in each side, playing on a halfcourt, it is fast and furious.
Join us
If you have a disability and love basketball, this is your invite!
If you have a disability of any type and you love Basketball, we’d love you to come along and train with us, every Wednesday night during school terms at Nayland College Gym.
We largely fill the gap between leaving school and remaining active, many of our athletes compete in three to four sports
While Basketball is considered a winter sport, the community benefits for our athletes are above basketball, in effect, ‘the love of basketball’ becomes the glue that holds us together. For this sole reason, we train year-round
Parents and caregivers also get involved on the court, and we ensure everyone gets to shoot baskets, regardless of how talented you may be.
For the parents and caregivers, to be on the court training alongside your child or client is unique, and it works beautifully.
Everyone is welcome, in short, we don’t judge people for race, gender, sexual orientation, or level of disability, but we do have a clear set of values, which is built on community and family, we support each other on and off the court.
