Police Commissioner lights up CBD for Special Olympics
The Flame of Hope was carried through the CBD this morning for a ceremony ahead of a major national sporting event. See the photos.
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens – soon to be Governor of South Australia – helped illuminated the Adelaide CBD this morning after receiving the Flame of Hope from Western Australia, marking the start of the 2026 Special Olympics Australia National Games.
The day started at 9am at Angas Street SA Police Headquarters and included a ceremony at Victoria Square.
“Law Enforcement Torch Run is essentially police officers, not just here in South Australia but around the world, who carry the Olympic-style torch… around the world,” said Law Enforcement Torch Run Partnerships Director Matt Volk.
“We’re known as the guardians of the flame. We run [the torch] into opening ceremonies of state games, national games, any sort of events that involve Special Olympics athletes from Adelaide, from South Australia.”
Volk described the atmosphere at this morning’s event as “fantastic”, with many joining Commissioner Stevens at the event.
“Most importantly, the Special Olympics athletes… you could see what it meant to them. There were smiles on their faces. They got to be the stars of the show, which is the recognition they all deserve,” he said.
The Flame of Hope will travel along two national routes — one from Queensland and another from WA — before converging in Melbourne ahead of the opening ceremony on October 19 that runs until October 23.
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Thousands of athletes, coaches, volunteers, families, and supporters would gather from across Australia to celebrate inclusion through sport.
For Volk, focusing on athletes’ abilities in a positive way is key to the National Games.
“I think it’s important to see that the police are supporting our athletes. Some people, I think, see police just through that lens of enforcing the law,” he said.
“When we’re more inclusive as a policing organisation, as a community, as a society, everybody wins, and it goes back to that saying that we’re stronger together.”
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