Police help with Special Olympics torch relay

DANDENONG police will take part in a torch relay to mark the opening of the 2008 Special Olympics this weekend.
Police will help to light the cauldron inside Dandenong Stadium to start two days of games in the Dandenong region for a range of sports including basketball, aquatics, bocce and ten pin bowling.
Senior Sergeant Chris Thynne said Victoria Police had been involved in the Law Enforcement Torch Run segment of the Special Olympics for several years now.
“The Special Olympics relies almost entirely on volunteers to give people with an intellectual disability the chance to compete in sport, and it’s a real honour to be involved in the torch run.”
The Law Enforcement Torch Run was first initiated in 1981 by police in Kansas, USA. It has since then been adopted around the world.
Approximately 200 athletes will take part in the Special Olympics this Saturday and Sunday at three different venues in Dandenong, Endeavour Hills and Narre Warren.