(Photo by Amal Abdulsalam, via the Goulbourn Skating Club.)
Ottawa City Council has approved the renaming of an ice rink in the Goulbourn Recreation Complex for Katie Xu and Jack Fan. It will commemorate the Special Olympics medalists who have been ambassadors for the special needs community.
“It’s so exciting for them, the Goulbourn Skating Club and the special needs community,” says Cathy Skinner, a long-time coach with the Goulbourn Skating Club. “Especially since this year is the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics, so how appropriate that we are celebrating these athletes achievements instead of focusing on any disability they might have!”
The pair joined the Goulbourn Skating Club in 2011 and have received acclaim from Skate Canada and Special Olympics Canada, for their success in competitions over the years, achievements that have made them decorated figure skaters. Among many notable achievements, Katie and Jack recently became World Champions as each skater scored three medals at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria in 2017