Chicago youth participates in sports with Paralympic athletes; delegation travels to Berlin

CHICAGO (July 13, 2009)—Last week, Chicago 2016 participated in International Paralympic Day with celebrations in Chicago and Berlin, Germany. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) holds International Paralympic Day as a biennial event to promote all aspects of Paralympic sport.

The IPC hosted a celebration in Berlin attended by a Chicago 2016 delegation, including Linda Mastandrea, Director of Paralympic Sport and Accessibility for Chicago 2016, Mike Roberts, Vice Chairman for Chicago 2016, and Paralympian Karin Korb. Chicago 2016 hosted a booth to share details about Chicago’s Paralympic Games plan and took part in demonstrations of a number of sports, including football 5-a-side, long jump, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair dance, as well as winter sports biathlon and ice sledge hockey.

In Chicago, the bid committee brought youth from a Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago camp together with Paralympic athletes Ed Cockrell, Kenny Johnson, Paul Moran, Sam Williams and Mike Frogley to play boccia and wheelchair basketball. The athletes shared their personal stories and spoke to the kids about how they could aspire to be Paralympians and the benefits sport can bring to their lives.

“Building off the City of Chicago’s commitment to accessibility, Chicago 2016’s Games plan is designed with the athlete and spectator in mind and our goal is to deliver a spectacular Games experience to all involved,” said Mastandrea. “We refer to our Games plan as ‘Two Events. One Games.’ This means Chicago 2016 will deliver a unified Games experience, and a festival of sport, welcoming the world to our doorstep to experience elite athleticism against the backdrop of our beautiful city.”

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About Chicago 2016
Chicago 2016 is a 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to seek the privilege of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Chicago. The committee’s board consists of business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Patrick Ryan serves as the organization’s chairman and CEO.

Contact:
Chicago 2016 Media Line
+1 312-861-4826
media@chicago2016.org