Advertising sanctioned in wheelchair dance sport

Athletes permitted to display sponsors logos for the first time ever. 05 Aug 2013

By IPC

“It will greatly improve their chances of having a successful competition and I would encourage potential sponsors to take a close look at this hugely popular and compelling sport which draws in audiences from all over the world.”

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is aiming to gain more support for wheelchair dance sport athletes by developing regulations which allow sponsor advertising on competition dress and equipment for the first time.

The IPC, the international federation for wheelchair dance, hopes that introducing the rules will enable more athletes to compete in international competitions.

Alexis Schäfer, Commercial and Marketing Director for the IPC said:

“These guidelines have been developed for World Championships and other international wheelchair dance competitions, and we think that allowing sponsorship logos to be placed on athlete clothing and their equipment will ensure that more competitors are financially able to travel to these events.

“We also hope that with the extra support athletes will gain from sponsorship, that they will be able to dedicate more of their time to training.

“It will greatly improve their chances of having a successful competition and I would encourage potential sponsors to take a close look at this hugely popular and compelling sport which draws in audiences from all over the world.”

Wheelchair dance sport has most recently been popularised by the international success and revival of dancing on TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing (franchised in 38 countries) and Dancing with the Stars (42 countries).

It is incredibly popular with athletes from 24 countries licensed to compete.

Athletes and teams wishing to find out more information can view the new uniform and wheelchair advertising guidelines published at the wheelchair dance sport website or to the left of this page.