The Norman region will be represented at the 2010 Special Olympics Canada National Summer Games in London, Ont. by Thompson's Flora Francois, who will compete in five-pin bowling.

Francois, a member of the Thompson Stars Bowling Club, qualified for Team Manitoba by competing at the 2009 Special Olympics Manitoba (SOM) Provincial Games, and is the only athlete from the province's North at the national games.

Earlier this year, Francois was part of the Norman five-pin Special Olympics bowling team, along with John Cook, Debbie Ducharme, Peter Dumas and Shawn Hay, that won eight of 14 games and a tiebreaker over Winnipeg Gold, to claim a bronze medal at the 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games in Portage la Prairie. That medal was one of only three won by Team Norman at the games.

Seventy-three athletes and 26 volunteer coaches and mission staff from Manitoba departed for the national summer games July 12.

The games are a qualifying event for the 2011 Special Olympics International Summer Games in Athens, Greece.

Team Manitoba's athletes will compete in eight sports including athletics, five-pin bowling, 10-pin bowling, powerlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, softball and swimming.

Held every two years, the Special Olympics Canada National Summer Games is a first-class sporting event featuring intense competition and inspiring performances by the movement's greatest athletes. Over 1,400 Special Olympics athletes, coaches and official delegations from all the provinces and two territories of Canada will participate in the games.

"Earning the right to represent Team Manitoba is a tremendous achievement in any sport," said Jennifer Campbell, Team Manitoba chef de mission and SOM vice president of sport, in a news release. "SOM is proud to be able to provide our athletes with the opportunity to train and compete at such a high level."

With more than 2,000 athletes and 1,200 volunteers and coaches, SOM develops and delivers 129 athletic programs in 18 sports, designed to accommodate all ages and ability levels.