<![CDATA[Prince Harry and The Earl of Wessex have publicly announced their support today for National Paralympic Day on the 30th August.
The day will be marked with free to attend events taking place in Birmingham and Liverpool and an elite sports competition will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, which will see Great Britain face tough competition in a range of sports.
The Earl of Wessex, Patron of the British Paralympic Association, is a long-term supporter of the British Paralympic team and will attend the competition at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Speaking of the event, Edward said:
“Once again, National Paralympic Day will celebrate all that is excellent about the Paralympic Movement. Once again, present and future Paralympians will have the opportunity to show us that disability is no barrier to competitive and spectacular sport. After the success of para-sports at London 2012, as well as Sochi and Glasgow this year, here is a chance to remind ourselves just how exciting they can be at first hand. I hope that many will want to cheer on the teams in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”
Prince Harry has already shown his active involvement with disability sport with his support for the Invictus Games. The Games, which are an international sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick service personnel, are due to be held at the same venue, alongside the Lee Valley Aquatics Centre, two weeks after National Paralympic Day from the 10th to the 14th of September.
Harry, who also attended numerous Paralympic events at London 2012, spoke of the opportunities that National Paralympic Day will provide:
“Through my work with Invictus Games and in seeing ParalympicsGB in action at London 2012, I have seen first-hand how disability sport has the power to change and influence people’s lives for the better. These men and women are not defined by their disabilities, but by their incredible sporting achievements. National Paralympic Day is another opportunity for the public to acknowledge this and hopefully be inspired by it.”
The event is supported by funds from the Spirit of 2012 Trust and will run between 12pm and 8pm on Saturday 30th August with events in Boccia, Goalball, Swimming and Wheelchair Basketball taking place. Tickets for these sessions are available from £5. Access to the Park will be free-of-charge and feature the Mayor of London’s Liberty Festival, which showcases the work of deaf and disabled artists in street theatre, dance, live music, film, installations and children’s activities.
For more information about the competition and to book tickets, please see the links below:
British Paralympic Association Website
Tickets
photo credit: MilitaryHealth via photopin cc]]>