A full day of activity is planned to celebrate elite Paralympic sport at Trafalgar Square and give the public a chance to find out about each of the 20 sports that will take place at London 2012.

There will be demonstrations from a wide range of sports, including wheelchair basketball, powerlifting, sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby.

The chance for members of the public to meet Pistorius will be one of the highlights of the day but there will also be some of Britain's top disability athletes in attendance including multiple Paralympic swimming gold medallists Ellie Simmonds and Sascha Kindred as well as rower Sam Scowan.

Leading international Paralympic athletes including Heinrich Popow of Germany and April Holmes (pictured below) of the United States will also be in Trafalgar Square, while the day will see an official invitation from International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven to athletes and National Paralympic Committees around the world to participate at London next year.

"We are very excited that the fifth International Paralympic Day will be held in London following previous successful events in Bonn and Berlin and are delighted that so many leading athletes from around the world will be attending," said Sir Philip.

"Showcasing Paralympic Sport and our athletes in such a superb location, such as Trafalgar Square, will act as the perfect catalyst as we head towards tickets going on sale.

"It will give the public an opportunity to interact with our athletes, learn more about each sport and see for themselves just why the Paralympic Games is growing in popularity all the time."

Five of London 2012's sponsors have been announced as official supporters of International Paralympic Day with BT, Cadbury, Deloitte, Sainsbury's and Samsung all providing funding and expertise for key elements of International Paralympic Day.

The celebrations in Trafalgar Square, where the official Omega London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic countdown clock is located, come just one day before tickets for the London 2012 Paralympics are due to go on sale on September 9.

Ticket applications will take place from September 9 to 26 with approximately two million tickets on sale and over half of the tickets to be priced at £10 ($16.40/€11.39) or less.


"We've got a fantastic line-up of Paralympic activity due to take place in early September and hosting International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square is a great way to kick things off," said London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe.

"It will be an exciting day and a great way for the UK public to find out about each of the 20 sports at the Paralympic Games and to get a chance to meet some of the world's top Paralympic athletes.

"The London 2012 Paralympic Games will inspire unique passion and I would urge everyone to get involved and register their interest in Paralympic tickets before they go on sale from September 9."

To complete the week of Paralympic celebrations, Sainsbury's will be hosting Sainsbury's Super Saturday on Clapham Common on September 10.

The day will feature demonstrations of Paralympic sport and live music from top UK acts including Pixie Lott, The Saturdays and Olly Murs with all profits from the event going to the Paralympic Legacy Fund, set up in conjunction with the British Paralympic Association (BPA).

"The athletes are all working incredibly hard to produce their lifetime best performances at London 2012 and we want the whole nation to get behind them," said Tim Hollingsworth, the chief executive of the British Paralympic Assocation.

"We know that when people experience our sport and meet the athletes, it can really open their eyes to how exiting and engaging Paralympic sport can be.

"International Paralympic Day is a great way to encourage people to sign up for Paralympic tickets and show their support for the Paralympics GB team in just over a year's time."

Spectators in Trafalgar Square can also visit BT's Road to 2012 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

This Cultural Olympiad project features photographic portraits of British Paralympic athletes alongside those of Olympic athletes and people who are working behind the scenes to make the Games happen.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
April 2011: London 2012 to host International Paralympic Day