Kinetic has helped more than 750 athletes arrive in Launceston for five days of competition as part of the 12th national Special Olympics.
Supporting the athletes is an army of 600 volunteers, support staff, coaches and family and friends as they compete in 10 sports.
Kinetic’s Tasmanian team have also come together to support the success of the event with airport and accommodation transfers, venue transport and passenger transport to the Opening and Closing ceremonies.
Kinetic Tasmania general manager Drew Freeman says the team was excited to support the major event and had come from across the state to get involved.
“Over the next five days a team of 30 drivers and our support staff will unite to deliver almost 500 passenger services to the Special Olympics in addition to our regular services,” he says.
“Not only does it showcase our capability to support major events, but it also shows the pride our team has in our role connecting people from all walks of life, and the opportunity to support participation and inclusion is something we are deeply passionate about.”
Special Olympics Australia has offered sports participation for people with an intellectual disability since 1976.
The organisation provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type events giving athletes opportunities to develop physical fitness and friendships and share the joy of participating and achieving success.
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It’s not just Kinetic’s Tasmanian team supporting the Special Olympics. For the past 15 years Melbourne-based driver Rick Gatto has coached bocce players, some of whom have made the trip to Launceston to compete in the Special Olympics.
Gatto organised Kinetic Melbourne to donate a bus and has volunteered his time to transport around 30 athletes to the airport as they began their quest for medals.
He is excited to see how his team performs but says the real value of the event is the connections athletes will make over the five days of competition.
“The Special Olympics is about connecting athletes to life-long friendships and providing opportunities for people with disabilities to live a full life. People with disabilities also often rely on public transport to access local communities so it is nice to be able bring my work life and personal life together to make a difference,” says Gatto