Hard yards, big gains: Special Olympics basketballer sheds 30kg to shine at home event

Thursday, 27 November 2025

Special Olympics athlete is excited about a home crowd

Carlton Vivian’s alarm goes off before 5am every day. The 32-year-old heads to the gym, then pushes himself for a 30-minute run during his lunch break each day.

For seven months he has maintained this punishing routine with a singular goal: competing for Canterbury at the Special Olympics National Summer Games in his hometown of Christchurch next month.

Once sidelined and treated differently for his disability, his dedication has paid off. Vivian has lost 30kg over his training period, dropping from 126kg to 96kg.

“You have to commit,” he said. “You have to be disciplined, make sacrifices.

“This has been taxing on me physically and mentally, but playing in Christchurch is what is pushing me this year.”

The event brings more than 1200 athletes with intellectual disabilities from around the country together to compete across 10 sports at six venues, including the yet-to-open Parakiore Recreation and Sports Centre, where Vivian will play basketball.

The National Summer Games, taking place from December 10 to 14, is the four-yearly pinnacle event for these athletes, who can qualify to later represent New Zealand at the next Special Olympics World Games in Chile in 2027.

For Vivian, a Hornby resident who has dyslexia, basketball became his calling 15 years ago after a disheartening experience in rugby. A social worker at his high school connected him with Special Olympics, and the sport transformed his life.

Carlton Vivian says his Special Olympics career has “not only given me confidence in basketball, but also outside in life as well”.

“I left rugby because my coach found out I had a disability and I got treated differently for it,” he said. “[Basketball] just changed my life. It’s given me so much.

“My confidence when I first came in wasn’t as big as it is today. I’ve got more confident dribbling and being a leader on court, which I strive to do.”

This will be Vivian's fourth National Summer Games representing Canterbury. Christchurch last hosted the event in 2005, a few years prior to Vivian starting the sport, so it has been a long-held goal for him to play a major tournament at home.

Vivian says the experience of playing in a major tournament in your hometown only come around once, so he has to grab it and put everything he has into it.

Over his playing career, representing New Zealand at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019 has been his proudest moment. The team came fourth.

His Canterbury team-mates have been together for years, creating strong “chemistry”. Players have a range of disabilities, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, and Down syndrome.

“Some [opponents] are surprised that we’re from Special Olympics, considering the level of basketball we’re playing,” Vivian said.

Vivian says his Canterbury team-mates are great and are always learning from each other.

“Every time people get shocked is a good thing. Having disabilities and coming from Special Olympics, it’s great to shock people and surprise people.”

His teammates have revenge on their minds, finishing as runners-up at the last nationals in Hamilton.

Vivian, who works in customer service and sales, encouraged anyone to come and watch the event’s range of sports, which he hoped the public would get behind as a sport-loving city.

A 30kg weight loss, early alarms and a goal years in the making have fuelled Vivian’s push.

“This is the pinnacle of our sporting careers, these national tournaments are the biggest stage we’ll play in,” he said. The games will also feature athletics, bocce, equestrian, football, golf, indoor bowls, powerlifting, swimming, and tenpin bowling.

Special Olympics New Zealand chief executive Fran Scholey previously called it “the biggest sports event in Christchurch this year”.

Spectators can watch the athletes compete for free throughout the games.

Scholey encouraged the public to get a ticket to the free opening ceremony at Wolfbrook Arena on December 10, describing it as an unforgettable sight as athletes march or dance into the spotlight.

More than 700 volunteers will enable the athletes to compete.

For Vivian, his goal is to “be the best I can, [and] put in the best effort”.

The Special Olympics programme can be found online here.