Trinidad & Tobago Beach Games 2018

Fun in the sun was had by all during the 2018 Trinidad & Tobago Beach Games held in Las Cuevas, Trinidad. This year’s games featured open water swimming, volleyball, football (soccer), bocce, powerlifting and a swim-run competition. Additional activities included the first-ever Law Enforcement Torch Run at a Beach Games event and a friendly football match between a Special Olympics unified team and local beach goers. Additional local flavor came from the DJ booth pumping Soca and Calypso music and, the “bake and shark” lunch provided to athletes and staff.

The Beach Games, known in Trinidad and Tobago as the “Seaside Games,” were first held in 2016. The brainchild of Kester Edwards, a former Special Olympics athlete and current Special Olympics International employee, the Beach Games have been held in other countries like Sri Lanka and Ecuador. This year, an ESPN television crew covered the 2018 Trinidad & Tobago Beach Games for a profile about Kester that will air as a part of the 50 Game Changers series.

The first-ever Law Enforcement Torch Run at a Beach Game event.

Volleyball medalists are joined by Aldis Berzins, 1984 Olympic volleyball gold medalist.

Powerlifting competitors wait for their turns to lift weights.

Richard’s Bake & Shark provided fried shark sandwiches.

Unified bocce partner, Kevin, says playing on sand is preparing his team to compete at the 2019 World Games 2019 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai because it will help them play well on any type of surface.

Open water swimmers get final instructions before the competitions.

Special Olympics unified soccer/football team in a friendly match with the local beach goers in Las Cuevas, Trinidad.

Tamika just before scoring all the points in a 4-0 unified soccer/football match. Tamika, who played on the Trinidad & Tobago national soccer/football team before joining the Special Olympics as a soccer, basketball and field hockey athlete says “Playing on sand if very different from playing on grass but is still a lot of fun.”