Australian and Mongolian teams are among the first of 30 nations and 2500 athletes and carers to arrive in Newcastle for the 2013 Special Olympic Games.

The first of 2500 athletes and officials have arrived in the New South Wales city of Newcastle for the first Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games to ever be held in Australia.
Teams from 30 nations, all from the Asia-Pacific region, will participate in the Games.

The first to arrive were the Australian and Mongolian squads. The opening ceremony of the Special Olympics was held at the Hunter Stadium on Sunday, December 1.
The teams will compete across seven venues in the Newcastle-Hunter region of New South Wales.

Asia Pacific Games project director Chris Heverin told SBS Radio it was an exciting time for Newcastle.

“The Special Olympics movement is a global movement, and it”s been international events for the Special Olympics in North America and in Europe, and now we got the first-ever Asian Pacific Games here in Australia,” he said.

“It feels wonderful. It”s challenging, because we haven”t had another Games to compare it with, but it”s exciting to be the first. It”s very, very exciting.”