First Paralympic School Day in Croatia Excites Students

More than 930 students in Croatia have taken part in the country’s first Paralympic School Day staged by the country’s National Paralympic Committee (NPC).

As part of the day the pupils from Eugen Kumicic primary school in Velika Gorica, a town 10km south of Zagreb, learned about the Paralympic Games, the Paralympic Movement and experienced what it is like to be a Paralympic athlete.

Besides getting some practical experience in Boccia and Wheelchair Basketball, students were also given the chance to watch a demonstration game of Sitting Volleyball between the Croatian champions HAOK Mladost and the Croatian national team.

Croatian Paralympians like Mihovil Spanja, a Swimming bronze medalist in Athens, and Branimir Budetic, an Athletics bronze medalist in Beijing, took part in the day to convey to the children the dedication needed to become a Paralympic athlete.

The Paralympic School Day in Croatia is part of a wider promotional campaign, which is aimed at raising awareness for Paralympic Sport and recruiting more athletes with a disability in Croatia. The NPC plans to visit more than 250 schools until the end of 2012.

The Paralympic School Day (PSD) is an educational programme initiated by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which aims to create awareness and understanding in schools about persons with a disability.

The IPC created a PSD kit containing a set of activities and background information, which can be used to educate children and youth about Paralympic sport, individual differences and disability issues in a fun and playful environment.