SPECIAL Olympics Ireland has called on the people of Limerick to support a parade of athletes through the city ahead of the official start of the 2014 Games.
As part of the build-up to the Games, 1,500 athletes from across Ireland will take part in a parade along O’Connell Street on Thursday June 12. The parade will begin below the Shannon Street Junction on O’Connell Street at 6pm and will continue along O’Connell Street, before turning left onto Mallow Street and then into the People’s Park.
A fully ticketed Opening Ceremony – sponsored by the City of Culture – in the People’s Park, presented by 2FM’s Will Leahy and featuring traditional music act Kila, among others, will start at 6.30pm.
The parade will be accompanied by the Special Olympics Torch Run Team, marching bands and street performers.
A limited number of tickets are currently available to members of the public for this event via Spin South West and Limerick Live 95FM. The application deadline for these tickets is Friday June 6.
Special Olympics Ireland chief executive Matt English said: “The people of Limerick have shown extraordinary support to Special Olympics Ireland during the long build-up to the 2014 Games. From local businesses getting behind the fundraising drive, to people signing up as volunteers, every call to action has been answered.
In a gesture to all of those attending the parade, local carpark operator and official 2014 Games parking partner, Q-Park, has announced that it will open up its Harvey Quay and Henry Street facility at a reduced rate of €2 for the evening from 4pm to midnight.
Meanwhile, Dell and Special Olympics Ireland have announced the availability of a free smartphone app designed by the team at Dell.
The app works on android, with the iPhone version due for release closer to the Games, and has a range of features including a location mapping function that enables users to identify where the different events are being held.
