The Rotary Club was delighted to welcome representatives of the Organizing Committee for the 2026 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games event, which will take place in Medicine Hat from August 11 - 15, 2026. Our Rotary Club has sponsored the swimming event, taking place at Big Marble Go Center. Swimming has an important historical tie to our club.
Natalie Sauer is the Vice Chair and spoke about the setup of the games, how as a national event there was a great deal of protocol to deal with and about the sports. Natalie is a long standing board member of the Medicine Hat Alberta Games Society, which is responsible for the bidding and organizing of large scale games over the past two decades.
Natalie worked for the City of Medicine Hat for over 30 years, primarily in Parks & Recreation.
Jenna Chaykowski, is the Communication & Experience Coordinator, who works closely with our own Mike Christie, in his portfolio as Director of Protocol. As a national event, both official languages need to be considered and many rules specific to this game affect everything from food service, transportation, and accommodations.
Jenna spoke about the Health for Athletes program, which will be run at the MH College in conjunction with the 10 different sports.
Mike Christie also took the stage and spoke about his experience with the committee and the event.
Volunteers are being sought for most of the venues and for the sports. It will be an incredible event for our City and lets hope a memorable one for all the participants. Volunteers can begin the signup process at www.socmedhat2026.ca/volunteers.
