The Virtus Games, which is a competition for the intellectually impaired, will be holding its sixth edition from June 2 to 10.

Of the 12 athletes competing for New Zealand, 10 will be participating in swimming, while one will be in athletics and another in table tennis.

Lance Dustow, a swimmer who will be competing at the Virus Global Games for the first time, is looking forward to the II-3 classification event, which is for autistic individuals.

"It means so much to me, and I want to thank PNZ, Swimming New Zealand, and Cam (Leslie) for believing in my teammates and me," he said.

This will be the first edition that will feature the II-3 classification, joining II-1, which is the intellectual impairment class and II-2, which is the significant intellectual impairment class.

Helen Brookes, the head of delegation for New Zealand at the competition, spoke on the importance of Virtus.

"I have long believed that our athletes with intellectual impairments are capable of achieving to a much higher level, and the Virtus Global Games is their chance to prove that," said Brookes.

"At the Virtus OA Games, I witnessed the highs, the lows and ultimately, the comradeship that comes with being a part of a truly competitive team. 

"Since then, I know our athletes have been training even harder, and I look forward to celebrating their successes as a team.

"Whilst Virtus is still relatively small in New Zealand, these games will help us raise the profile showing other athletes back home what opportunities they can work towards."

Three of the athletes for New Zealand - Melissa Donoghue, Joseph Blake and Genevieve Watson- will be representing their nation overseas for the first time.

New Zealand will be up against 1,000 athletes, representing 80 nations from around the world.