Canadian Paralympians to Celebrate Sports Day in Canada

From setting records in London to inspiring Canadians back home, Paralympic swimmer Summer Mortimer is ecstatic to have landed a spot on CBC's Sports Day in Canada's broadcast airing live on Saturday (29 September).

Mortimer will appear Saturday afternoon at the Play On! Street Hockey Championship in Niagara Falls. Her four-medal performance in the pool (two gold, one silver and one bronze) at the London 2012 Paralympic Games were Team Canada's highest medal haul by an individual athlete.

"London was my first Paralympic Games and it was an amazing experience that really blew away my expectations," said the 19-year-old. "Now that I'm home, I'm finding more and more people have become aware of parasport and are following the Canadian Paralympic Team. I'm so excited now to help keep up the momentum and be part of increasing the awareness about the opportunities in sport for people with a disability. My dream is to inspire more people to get involved."

In Whitehorse, Yukon, three-time Paralympic swimmer Stephanie Dixon will be at the Canada Games Centre and appear on the CBC broadcast from there. Now working as a swim coach in Whitehorse, Dixon competed at the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and won 17 medals overall - tallying seven gold, eight silver and two bronze.

The timing of Saturday's broadcast is particularly special for the Canadian Paralympic Committee, as 29 September 29 marks exactly one month since the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

"The London 2012 Paralympic Games set new records every day - competition records, attendance records, records for media coverage and records for Paralympic spirit," said Henry Storgaard, CEO of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. "Sports Day in Canada is a fantastic opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate and embrace the power of sport, strengthen our national spirit and encourage healthy, active living. With only three per cent of Canadians with a disability currently involved in organized sport, recruitment and awareness will be key to building Canada's medal potential as we prepare for future Games."

The Canadian Paralympic Committee's "Get Involved" campaign invites Canadians to experience parasport for themselves, whether as an athlete, coach, official, parent, volunteer, educator or health care provider.

Help connect someone to parasport or find a local parasport club in your area by visiting www.paralympic.ca/get-involved.