Anticipation is high within the Special Olympics Jamaica (SOJ) camp, as athletes arrive in Italy for the 2025 World Winter Games.

The Winter Games are scheduled to begin on Saturday with the opening ceremony. After a week of action in various sports across the northern Italian city of Turin and its environs, the Games are set to close on March 15.

Jamaican teams won hearts with their mind-boggling performances and infectious charm at previous editions of the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

They were a big hit at the 2013 Winter Games in the Republic of Korea, claiming three medals. Jamaica won silver medals in two ice figure skating categories and also placed second in floor hockey.

Jamaicans won five medals at the 2017 staging in Austria — their best at a Winter Games. They won three gold and a silver medal in ice speed skating, while the floor hockey team walked away with bronze.

At these Games, their medal quest is tied to the country’s participation in ice speed skating and floorball.

Glendon West, the SOJ head of delegation to Italy, hinted to the Jamaica Observer that more fireworks could be in the pipeline.

“Everyone is excited and has vowed to be brave in the attempt. I definitely believe they will [do well],” he said.

“We’ll have a couple hours to recuperate before the opening ceremony and then we’ll have training for the skaters and floorball team on Sunday and Monday.”

West added: “This is the first time we’ll be participating in floorball – a game that originated in Sweden in the 1970’s. Five of the eight members have never attended an Olympics before.

“The Oddman twins, Dave and Dale, will [compete] in speed skating. Dave was at the Games in Austria and his brother is now joining him in Turin. Both have not had a chance to practise on ice this year [but] we’re keeping our fingers crossed that [despite] the lack of practice on ice both will do well.”

He noted the privilege to be leading the country to his fourth Winter Games.

“I’m happy to again be asked to head the [SOJ] delegation. In fact, this is my fourth stint as HOD — first in Idaho (United States), then South Korea, and Austria and now Turin, Italy,” West said.

The Special Olympics movement aims to provide year-round training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

It offers people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to develop physical fitness, experience joy, and participate in sharing gifts, skills and friendship with their families and other athletes.

The disabilities can either be acquired or genetic, and can include cases of down syndrome, autism, traumatic brain injury and cerebral palsy.

— Sanjay Myers