Rehearsals begin for volunteers at 2015 INAS Global Games

The event will begin 20 September in Ecuador, the first time it has been held outside of Europe. 06 Sep 2015

A swimmer says thank you to the crowds at the para-swimming World Championships in 2015

Dutch swimmer Marc Evers is one of the world's best intellectually impaired swimmers, with multiple world and Paralympic titles.

By INAS

“Tennis is really close to his heart and being selected to represent Great Britain in Ecuador in September is such a great honour for Peter."

With just over two weeks to go until the Opening Ceremony, rehearsals have begun for the volunteers who will be the workforce at the 2015 INAS Global Games.

The Global Games are a week-long competition which take place every four years and feature the world’s best athletes with an intellectual impairments across nine sports. The fourth edition of the event begins on 20 September in Ecuador – the first time the event has been held outside of Europe – and is the pinnacle event in the INAS calendar (the International Federation for sport for athletes with an intellectual disability).

Training for the event volunteers took place at the Eloy Alfaro Military School (ESMIL) in Quito, Ecuador, and included an overview of the competition venues, Opening and Closing Ceremony details, and their specific roles within the Games.

Thirty-five nations and more than 650 athletes are expected to compete at the event, including Great Britain’s Peter Millar.

Having started to play tennis as early as four years of age, Millar began playing competitively at the age of 12. At 16, he was selected to the Great Britain team for the INAS World Championships.

Millar said that being part of such an amazing setup and participating in the INAS Global Games 2015 in Ecuador means the world to him.

''Peter is really excited about Ecuador and will put his heart and soul in it,'' Millar’s mum Susan said.

“Tennis is really close to his heart and being selected to represent Great Britain in Ecuador in September is such a great honour for Peter. Not only does he take his sport seriously, his rigorous training regimes are also an inspiration for others. Apart from practicing four to five times a week on the clay courts at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton with the rest of the tennis squad, Peter spends most of his time in gyms for fitness work.”

She added that her son wants to share his story as to encourage others to take up sport so that they can achieve their goals in life.

For more information on the INAS Global Games, visit the event website.