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Local Special Olympics athlete honoured with nomination for Athlete of the Year

December 5, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Local Special Olympics athlete Ryan MacBean was nominated for the 2024 Special Olympics Athlete of the Year at the International Law Enforcement Torch Run conference held in San Antonio, Texas last month.

Ryan was nominated out of a group of over 6 million athletes worldwide.

With swimming as his chosen sport, Ryan has been involved in the Special Olympics for around 15 years. He started playing soccer, then got into swimming in Georgetown as there wasn’t a local chapter for the sport at the time.

He recently won gold and silver medals during the spring games in Kitchener-Waterloo. The 30-year-old athlete also has a black belt in karate.

“Ryan swims with the Caledon Swim Club for the Special Olympics,” explained Ryan’s dad, Kevin, who accompanied him on the trip to San Antonio. “He was just at the spring games this year where he got a gold and silver in swimming.”

The nomination for Athlete of the Year is a big deal considering the total number of athletes involved in the Special Olympics.”

“Every year, Special Olympics has a conference – last year it was in Chicago,” Kevin explained. “He was nominated last year as well. It’s quite an honour. He was the only athlete in Canada whose name was put forward. Ryan was nominated by Torch Run Ontario Special Olympics. He was nominated for not only his athletics but for his participation in Torch Run events.”

The conference also features sessions on how to do fundraising events like how to do a Torch Run or how to do a polar plunge, and other sessions on how to become involved with a torch run.

The Torch Run is now a worldwide event.

Ryan’s not only a good swimmer, he has a hearty disposition as he has taken part in 20 freezing cold polar plunges to support the Torch Run.

The nomination of Athlete of the Year places Ryan in a very special group of people who have been nominated for their efforts as not only athletes but also as supporters of the Special Olympics.

The International Law Enforcement Torch Run conference was held in San Antonio, Texas from Nov. 14 to 16.

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