Special Olympics will head to European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup

Special Olympics Gibraltar will once again be represented at the European Aquatics Open Water Swimming Cup 4th Leg in Barcelona, with swimmers Ivan Gomez Mannion and Adam Stewart returning to compete in the 800m event on Saturday, October 3.

Both athletes will compete as unified swimmers, swimming alongside their respective unified partners, Adrian Lopez and Charles Harrison, in the inclusive 800-metre open water event. They have been in training with open water practice swims every week since the beginning of August.

The Barcelona competition forms part of European Aquatics’ 2026 Open Water Swimming Cup programme and will be the concluding leg of this year’s series. The Special Olympics event follows the successful introduction of an inclusive 800m competition in Barcelona last year, when 27 Special Olympics swimmers from nine countries took part.

Ivan and Adam both competed in last year’s inaugural event, gaining valuable international open water experience. They produced a fantastic result, with Ivan coming first and Adam second in the race. The 2026 competition represents a further opportunity for them to compete alongside athletes with and without intellectual disabilities on a major European Aquatics stage.

The event is part of an ongoing partnership between European Aquatics and Special Olympics Europe Eurasia, which is creating new opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in European aquatics competitions. The 800m Special Olympics race will take place at the Moll de Bosch i Alsina in Barcelona, as part of a major day of open water swimming.

The team leave on Thursday and Special Olympics Gibraltar wishes Ivan and Adam, together with their unified partners, every success as they once again represent Gibraltar in Barcelona.