LETTERKENNY’S Patrick Quinlivan and Buncrana’s Oliver Doherty have departed for Los Angeles to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
Gymnast Quinlivan (extreme left, back row) and golfer Doherty (second from left, back row) are part of an 88-strong Irish team that jetted out of Dublin Airport today, accompanied by 40 coaches.
The Donegal duo were named in Team Ireland which also includes 200 Irish volunteers.
Team Ireland will take part in 13 sports and the games are set to feature 7,000 athletes from 177 countries.
The opening ceremony takes place this Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and will be attended by 80,000 people.
Stevie Wonder, Avril Lavigne and Nicole Scherzinger will perform at the opening ceremony while America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama, Irish actor Colin Farrell and Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps are
other celebrities who will be in attendance.
John Treacy, the current CEO of the Irish Sports Council, won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, competing in the marathon, and will lead out the Irish team at the weekend.
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