IPC Announces Shortlist for August Athlete of the Month

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced its shortlist for August’s Athlete of the Month Award.

The public has until 23:59 (CET) on 7 September to vote for who they think had the best performance last month on the para-sport scene. Fans can vote on the IPC’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/paralympicsporttv.

The full shortlist for August includes:

• Great Britain’s Sonar Sailing Team: First set of athletes selected to London 2012, finished fourth at Sonar Open World Championships and seventh at Sonar Open European Championships (both able-bodied competitions).

• Ellie Cole (Australia): Won six gold medals at the Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

• Jeon Ho Won (Korea): Maintained his No. 1 world ranking with a first-place finish in the BC3 class at the Boccia World Cup.

• Christine Selinger (Canada): Won a gold and a silver medal at the Para-Canoe World Championships.

• Abilio Valente (Portugal): After being previously unranked, defeated world champion Nigel Murray in the BC2 class at the Boccia World Cup to take home gold.

Previous winners of the award in 2011 are as follows:

January: Yon Santacana (Spain’s world champion Alpine Skier)

February: Italy’s Ice Sledge Hockey European Championship team

March: Neil Fachie (Great Britain’s world champion track Para-Cyclist)

April: Mikhalina Lysova (Russia’s world champion Biathlete and Cross-Country Skier)

May: Kristy Pond (Australia’s multi-medal winner at the Arafura Games)

June: Zoe Newson (Great Britain’s junior world champion in Powerlifting)

July: Danielle Brown (Great Britain’s three-time medallist at the Para-Archery World Championships)

Notes to the Editor:

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organization formed and run by 170 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.

For further information, please contact Craig Spence, IPC Media and Communications Senior Manager on e-mail: craig.spence@paralympic.org or call +49-228-2097-230. Alternatively, please visit www.paralympic.org or www.ParalympicSport.TV.