The New Zealand Special Olympics swim squad will be hitting their straps in Palmerston North this weekend for their final training camp ahead of the World Summer Games in Berlin.

The Special Olympics World Summer Games are the largest inclusive sports event on the planet with 7000 athletes from 190 countries competing in front of half a million fans.

Palmerston North-based Head Coach Carla L'Huillier has been providing training instructions to her squad of four swimmers across the country and will put them through their paces at the Makino Aquatic Centre this weekend, before swimming at a regional competition on Sunday.

All local eyes in Manawatu will be on Jesse Williams, or better known as self-dubbed The Bald Guy, who has been training his socks off for the past four years to be selected for the Berlin World Summer Games, which start on June 17 with an sold-out opening ceremony where the New Zealand team will march into the famous Olympiastadion in front of 80,000 spectators.

The four-yearly event for athletes with an intellectual disability will be the pinnacle competition for the Manawatu swimmer who has been working towards this goal for more than two decades.

Williams says he has been training hard to be in top-shape with extra swim sessions and additional fitness work.

He can't wait to get on the plane on June 7 when the team will first travel to Munich to enjoy the host city programme, before they bus to Berlin to move into their team headquarters.

Photo: Supplied.

'I can't wait to meet new people and do new things,” says Williams, who adds that making new friends and having fun are the main reason he has stuck with Special Olympics for more than two decades.

The 38-year-old is employed by a local gym and pool complex, so he does not have to travel far for his fitness work.

Like other athletes, much of his preparation has gone into fundraising to raise the $18,000 each athlete needs to contribute towards travel, accommodation, training camps and support staff.

Williams says that his brother Reuben has been his biggest supporter, and the younger sibling has launched a thriving social media campaign with other supporters to get brother Jesse to Berlin.

'We have a pretty special relationship,” explains the chief fundraiser.

'There has always been just the two of us, so if I wanted to play with someone, Jesse was the guy.

'The fact that Jess has Down Syndrome did not matter. The only difference was that even though Jesse is two years older, I sometimes had to step into the role of older brother,” says Reuben, who plans to be poolside in Berlin with their father Barry.

'I am so incredibly proud to be the brother of an Olympic swimmer and will be doing everything I can to support him.”

For the final training camp this weekend, Jesse Williams will be joined by Matthew Smith from Te Awamutu and female swimmers Bella Lammers from Rolleston and Haven Drinnan from Rangiora, who are representing the South Island in the team.

Smith has been part of Special Olympics for 13 years and has been clocking up the laps at the Livingstone Aquatic Centre under guidance of experienced coach Shelley Blair.

'What I am looking forward to the most in Berlin? Representing my country,” smiles Smith, whose main hobby outside of swimming is music.

Smith and his fellow team-mate Bella Lammers both want to step into the footsteps of their sporting hero Richie McCaw and bring home a gold medal from New Zealand.

'I want to be famous and get on TV,” grins Lammers when she is asked about her motivation for training five times a week at the Selwyn Aquatic Centre.

'I am working really hard with my own coach in Rolleston to get even faster,” says Lammers, who also loves to dance and holds a green belt in karate.

For many years, Lammers has been competing regularly against Haven Drinnan, but next month they will be on the same team.

The Rangiora swimmer is a real sports nut and enjoys long-distance running, riding horses, playing touch rugby, and also enjoys the outdoors, gardening, puzzles and her creative group.

'The cross training in other sports like horse riding and running helps me to stay fit for my swim training,” explains Drinnan, who has been involved in Special Olympics for eight years.

The North Canterbury swimmer says that Special Olympics has learned her to be more independent, including travelling without family to training camps and the World Games. 'I really like travelling and meeting new people.”

Head coach L'Huillier will be coaching at her second World Summer Games and says growing the independence and confidence of the athletes is even more important than winning medals.

'I have experience first-hand how the confidence the athletes gain at the Olympics will help them in the community and in employment for the rest of their lives. This is truly and experience of a lifetime.”