BY HARRY WALSH
NINE young athletes from Donegal are busy preparing for the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in China.
Five local footballers - Chris O'Donnell (Letterkenny), Oliver Boyle (Portnoo), Gareth Egan (Lifford), Ryan Doherty (Lifford) and Adrian Clarke (Lifford) have been selected to represent Team Ireland on the Irish 11 a side football team.
They will be joined in Shanghai by Falcarragh woman Anne O'Brien, Sean O'Hare Unit and Lorraine Burke, Burt in Equestrian, athlete Marion Gallagher from Glenfin and golfer Oliver Doherty (Buncrana) from the North West Special Olympics Club. Tom McMullen is also travelling to China as the Equestrian Coach for Team Ireland.
A total of 143 athletes and 55 coaches have been chosen to represent Ireland in Shanghai in October.
All of the young athletes from Donegal competed with distinction at the Special Olympic All Ireland Games in Belfast last year with all gold medal winners putting themselves in line for selection.
"All of our athletes did well in Belfast and we're happy that eight of them are now on the plane for Beijing," Mr Seamus Campbell, Special Olympics Regional Network Officer, said.
Buncrana's Oliver Doherty won gold in the golf at Belfast while the 11 a side Football team won silver, losing 2-1 in the decider against a Dublin team who won the First Division league title this season. Athlete Marian Gallagher won gold in the 400m Walk while she was 5th in the Shot.
All seven members of the Team Ulster Equestrian team were from Donegal and each one won gold, including Anne O'Brien and Lorraine Burke.
"The young Donegal athletes will spend the coming weeks and months preparing for the Games and no doubt they will do their towns, region and family proud," Mr Campbell said.
The Donegal athletes travel to Dublin each month for group squad training sessions while the footballers play for Donegal in an All Ireland league competition.
Gareth Egan (Lifford), Adrian Clarke (Lifford) and Oliver Boyle from Portnoo were members of the Irish squad at the 2003 World games which were held in Dublin.
Chris O'Donnell's brother Daniel was also a member of that squad while Gareth Egan, Ireland's goalkeeper back in '03, is now playing centre half.
"It's a busy time for the lads. Ryan (Doherty) is married with a child while Adrian, who got married last year, is expecting his first child in August," Mr Campbell said.
"A number of local families will also travel to China in support of the athletes. The athletes get their vaccinations this week. They travel to China towards the end of September to get acclimatised for the Games," he said.
