Three Tauranga athletes head to Germany in June to compete in the Special Olympics World Games 2023 – and are fundraising to make their dream trip come true.

The Special Olympics World Games 2023 is on June 17-25 in Berlin, Germany, and will host 7000 athletes from about 170 countries, competing in 24 sport codes.

This will include very grateful Tauranga athletes Len Just, Caroline Tangitau and Hayley Little.

'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Special Olympics athletes like us, so we want to get the word out to everyone, to have a go and try different things,” says Hayley.

All three secured their spots after competing in the National Summer Games in Hamilton late- 2022, winning medals in their respective sports.

Heart and soul

Hayley, 30, will compete in track and long jump.

'I joined a running group called ‘Heart and Soul' and that's basically how my running journey started. Then I thought ‘I want to do something more than just running and enjoy it with people who I can relate to and feel a part of a team'. So I joined Special Olympics in October 2020 and never looked back.”

She placed second in the 1500m and third in long jump at Nationals.

Meanwhile, powerlifter Caroline goes the distance for her weight training. After her Tauranga regular coach became unavailable, she had to look elsewhere – Morrinsville to be exact!

'I approached the Waikato's team coach Bryce Robinson and he took me to the National Summer Games where I won four medals – two gold, one silver and one bronze.”

Tenpin bowler Len, who has been playing for about 30 years, will aim to avoid the gutter at all costs in Berlin. 'I went and played one game and bowled well. Then someone saw me bowling and decided to put me in the games straight away.”

First time

Len won gold in pairs and bronze in the team event at Nationals. He began training for worlds last month. 'I'm hoping to get a couple of strikes in and a couple of spares at the games.”

This is the first time all three athletes will head to Germany. 'I'm just looking forward to the culture part of it but also competing in a different country.

'I think that will be the highlight of 2023,” says Hayley. Caroline is just keen to get through the flight. 'I can't wait to get there and put my feet down!” And when it comes to competition time, Len says: 'We'll just do our best. We're just there to try and support each other.”

To support these athletes, visit: givealittle.co.nz/ cause/world-games-in-berlin