The Lewisporte Arena now bears the name of local Special Olympian, Mike Austin.

Proud dad Norm Austin told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly the family was approached by the mayor and deputy mayor about three weeks ago after council discussed the possibility of naming the stadium after Mike, who spends much of his time there cheering on athletes and players.

Austin says a special ceremony at the arena this week was overwhelming.

He describes the stadium as “Mike’s life,” spending time there from 8:00 a.m. until the last event of the evening.

Mike has difficulty with speech, his fine motor skills and balance due to a chromosome translocation, and has undergone numerous operations over the years. He got involved in Special Olympics in 1999 moving from bowling to track and field and snowshoeing.

Dad Norm says the special naming ceremony at the stadium Monday night was kept a secret right up until the moment Mike arrived.