Table tennis joins Australia's national Special Olympics
Queensland will send 14 table tennis players, including three Bundaberg clubmates, to the Melbourne games from 19 to 23 October.
Athletes will compete in table tennis for the first time at the Special Olympics Australia national games in Melbourne from 19 to 23 October 2026. Chief executive Jamie O'Connor said the event would bring together 850 athletes across 13 sports.
The Queensland table tennis squad has 14 members, including Bundaberg clubmates Oscar Quarrell, Taylah and Nicholas. Oscar, 16, is practising his pendulum serve, while Nicholas has been playing for 13 years.
Oscar said the game gave him a break from thinking and a chance to spend time with people whose company he enjoyed. Queensland head coach Kim Hammermeister said Special Olympics sports offered opportunities to build friendships, particularly for people who could become isolated after leaving school.
The Australian Special Olympics movement is marking its 50th anniversary. It supports community clubs and sporting participation for people with autism, intellectual disabilities or cognitive delays. O'Connor said participation mattered more than gold medals, with pathways connecting community programs to local, state, national and international competition.
Dance sport will also feature as a demonstration sport for the first time, O'Connor said. About 60 successful competitors from the national games will progress to the Special Olympics World Games in Santiago, Chile.
