LONDON YOUNGSTERS GOING FOR GOLD IN ‘MINI PARALYMPICS’
More than 200 disabled schoolchildren from 25 schools in eight London boroughs will get the rare opportunity to compete in an Olympic and Paralympic venue on June 16 at the London Panathlon Finals - a ‘mini Paralympics’ for children.
With former Team GB Paralympians Liz Johnson and Steve Brown watching, teams from defending champions Croydon, last year's runners-up Barking & Dagenham, and final debutants Hillingdon and Enfield will compete at the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the right to be crowned 2016 London Panathlon champions.
Joining them at the iconic London 2012 venue will be teams from Sutton, Havering, Lambeth and Harrow, who will battle it out in the London Plate Final.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I want to ensure all Londoners can participate and compete in sport at all levels. The Panathlon Challenge offers thousands of young Londoners the opportunity to take part in competitive sport each year, where they might not have otherwise found an outlet for their talents. I am proud to support these inspirational competitors and I look forward to this event going from strength to strength in the future.”
Paralympic champion and Panathlon ambassador Liz Johnson said: “Very few people get the chance to compete at such an iconic venue as the Copper Box Arena. Without Panathlon, many of these children wouldn’t get the chance to play any sport at all, so to get the opportunity to compete here in the Olympic Park is very special.”
The Finals are the culmination of another packed season of Panathlon competition, which has seen more than 1,500 disabled youngsters from over 100 schools representing all 32 London boroughs compete in a series of multisport competitions to determine who would reach the Copper Box finale.
This is the third year that Panathlon has held its showpiece event at the Copper Box, the state-of-the-art London 2012 venue. In July the Olympic Park’s Aquatic Centre will host Panathlon’s second regional swim final.
Panathlon provides sporting opportunities for over 8,000 disabled young people each year. Over 500 schools will have taken part in 150 of Panathlon’s ‘mini Paralympic’ competitions by the end of 2015/16, with over 75,000 active hours of sport provided to disabled children this year.
The charity’s work is funded in London by the Jack Petchey Foundation, the Mayor of London and the St. James’s Place Foundation.
Jack Petchey CBE said: “We are delighted to have been able to give long-standing support to Panathlon and are exceptionally proud of what they have achieved. It is a pleasure to see young disabled people getting involved with such enthusiasm and commitment. The events provide much enjoyment for all involved.”
Mike Wilson, Chairman of the St. James’s Place Foundation, said: “We are extremely proud to support Panathlon and their vital work to improve the lives of so many young people and their families through participation in sport across the UK.”