The 2006 Visa Paralympic World Cup will be staged over seven days of action in Manchester between 1-7 May.
Following the success of the inaugural event in 2005, the event organisers Fast Track and the British Paralympic Association – with key partners IPC, Visa, BBC, UK Sport, Manchester City Council and Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) – have decided to extend the event which is the global centerpiece for multi-sport performance for athletes with a disability.
In 2006, four sports will again form the programme of events: Athletics, Cycling (Track), Swimming and Wheelchair Basketball.
Wheelchair Basketball will now be staged at the increased-capacity Manchester Velodrome.
The venue has been selected in consultation with BBC Sport and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation to increase BBC production capabilities and allow for increased coverage of the competition.
Manchester Velodrome will also stage Track Cycling.
Swimming will be staged at Manchester Aquatics Centre.
Athletics will be staged at Manchester Regional Arena, Sportcity.
This years Visa Paralympic World Cup was staged between 12-15th May and received praise for the calibre of its organisation and the outstanding performances of many athletes.
In 2005, 334 competitors from 44 countries competed in the inaugural Visa Paralympic World Cup.
Global elite athletes with a disability such as Tanni Grey-Thompson, Nathalie Du Toit, Chantal Petitclerc and Oscar Pistorius all won gold medals during four days of intense competition.
The event was also supported by the attendance of TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Mrs. Cherie Blair and achieved television coverage in 154 countries world-wide.
The event was organised with invaluable support from the original key funding partners Manchester City Council, Northwest Regional Development Agency and UK Sport and utlises facilities created for the highly-successful Commonwealth Games in 2002.
Manchester continues to develop a strong legacy from the Commonwealth Games.
Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee said:
“This year’s Visa Paralympic World Cup proved that spectators in Great Britain and Manchester are committed to Paralympic sport. We will be able to prove this again in 2006. This is a wonderful opportunity for the spectators to get to know some of the top Paralympians that might also be competing in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. I look forward to watching an exciting level of competition in Manchester in 2006.”
Phil Lane, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association said:
“Following last year’s inaugural event I am looking forward to an even greater demonstration of elite disability sport and to being joined by the British public who have shown their support home and abroad for our athletes and been rewarded with continual success. Our challenge now is to inspire a new generation of young athletes to hopefully replicate that success in 2012. The Paralympic World Cup is the ideal showcase to illustrate the level of performance that an aspiring Paralympian must attain and there will be no better place than Manchester for the stars of the future to meet the stars of today”.
Colin Grannell, Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of Visa UK, said:
“As a sponsor, Visa recognises the immense skill, dedication and determination that it takes to excel in any field of sport – whether it be able-bodied or disabled – and as such has been a key global supporter of both Olympic and Paralympic Games sport for many years. The Visa Paralympic World Cup is a superlative event – raising as it does, not only awareness but also the standard of elite disability sport at the highest level. We are proud and delighted to be involved in the development of this pioneering event.”
Councillor Mark Hackett, Manchester’s executive member for leisure said:
“It is an honour and a privilege to welcome the Paralympians back to Manchester for an event that will build on the outstanding success of the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2005. Manchester is a sporting city with world-class venues and we look forward to some superb sports competition.”
Peter Mearns, NWDA Director of Marketing said:
“The 2006 Visa Paralympic World Cup will strengthen Manchester and Northwest’s impressive reputation for hosting major events. Following on from the success of the inaugural event in 2005, we look forward to welcoming more visitors to the region as we prepare for an even bigger and better event next year.”
John Scott, UK Sport’s International Director said:
“Following an extremely successful inaugural event this year, UK Sport is delighted to once again support the Visa Paralympic World Cup. Through it’s National Lottery funded World Class Events programme, UK Sport has contributed some £250,000 towards the staging of this event.
The 2006 Visa Paralympic World Cup has been extended to a full week of competition, and we welcome the opportunity to bring the best disability sport athletes in the world to the UK and to showcase Manchester’s world-class sporting venues to a global audience.”
The Visa Paralympic World Cup 2006 programme of events is as follows:
Monday 1 May – Thursday 4 May: Wheelchair Basketball (Manchester Velodrome)
Friday 5 May: Cycling (Track) (Manchester Velodrome)
Saturday 6 May: Swimming (Manchester Aquatics Centre)
Sunday 7 May: Athletics (Manchester Regional Arena)
Tickets for the Visa Paralympic World Cup 2006 are on sale from TODAY and can be purchased as follows:
(i) Phone the ticket hotline number on 0870 165 2005
(ii) Visit the Visa Paralympic World Cup website: http://www.visaparalympicworldcup.com/
All tickets are unreserved and the individual sports will be sold as all-day tickets.
The Wheelchair Basketball will be sold in 2 game sessions (each session including a GB match).
Editors Notes:
The Northwest Regional Development Agency is responsible for the sustainable economic development and regeneration of Englands Northwest and has 5 key priorities: Business Development, Regeneration, Skills & Employment, Infrastructure and Image. For further information and to view previous press releases please visit http://www.nwda.co.uk/
In the six years since the NWDA was established we have:
– Created or safeguarded 170,000 jobs
– Created 9,000 new businesses
– Reclaimed 3,500 hectares of brownfield land
– Levered £2 billion of private investment
The Northwest Regional Development Agency – Investing in England’s Northwest.
View images of the region – www.englandsnorthwest.com/imagebank
UK Sport s World Class Events Programme aims to secure events of strategic importance that deliver a range of lasting benefits. The include economic, social and cultural benefits as well as improving sporting performance by home athletes, encouraging participation and leaving a legacy of facilities and development initiatives. Over 100 sporting events have been staged in the UK through the Programme since 1997.