Partners Gear Up for International Paralympic Day


Bonn/Berlin - With 11 July just over three weeks away, partners for the International Paralympic Day (IPD) are preparing to make an impact in Berlin, Germany, where this major event will be taking place.

Located next to the Brandenburg Gate in the German capital, various partners have several tasks ahead of them throughout the day, mostly centered upon a particular sport which they are highlighting. In presenting a respective Paralympic Sport, partners give spectators the chance to experience athletes at their best.

As supporter of the German Women's National Wheelchair Basketball Team, IPC Gold Patron Deutsche Telekom will be presenting Wheelchair Basketball at the IPD. Several teams including the Alba Berlin Youth Team, the Sportgemeinschaft Handicap (SGH) Berlin Youth Team as well as the German and Dutch Women's National Team and the U21 Men's Berlin/Brandenburg Team will compete against each other throughout the day.

Event partner Deutsche Bahn, together with the German National Paralympic Committee will be presenting Football 5-a-Side. Athletes from the German National Team will be demonstrating their sport on a multi-functional court. Additionally, a goal wall will be set up for spectators to try their
Football skills blind-folded.

Biathlon will be presented by the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA). Paralympian Ambassador and Paralympic gold medallist Verena Bentele and her brother Michael will be on-site to demonstrate this fascinating Paralympic Sport. Visitors will have the opportunity to test
their skills at a shooting range for athletes with a visual impairment.

The German Social Accident Insurance Association (DGUV) will be offering physical performance assessment throughout the IPD, with results being printed on small cards and provided to all visitors.

Other partners, such as Allianz SE and Otto Bock Healthcare, will present further Paralympic sports during the day.

Following the enormous success of the IPD in Berlin in 2007, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin will once more build the backdrop for the demonstration of Paralympic Sport and enable spectators to experience first-hand the inspiration and excitement of Paralympic athletes.

An interesting variety of Paralympic sports will be demonstrated, including Football 5-a-side, Long Jump, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Dance Sport. With the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games on the horizon, the IPC has added the Paralympic Winter sports Biathlon and Ice Sledge Hockey.

The IPC is able to host this event through the active support of IPC Gold Patrons Allianz SE and Deutsche Telekom, the IPC World Wide Partners Samsung and Otto Bock Health Care, the event partners Deutsche Bahn, the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA), the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge, the German National Paralympic Committee (DBS), the German Ministry of the Interior (BMI) as well as media partners Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) and the Tagesspiegel.

For more information about the International Paralympic Day, please visit www.paralympic.org -> Awards & Events -> IPD 2009.