German President Becomes Patron for German Paralympic Youth Programme

IPC

The Youth Department of the National Paralympic Committee of Germany (DBSJ) has announced that Prof. Dr. Horst Koehler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, has become the official Patron of the German initiative “Youth Training for Paralympics” in Germany.

The programme is an official contest aiming on getting more young students with a disability involved in sport and enabling them to train for high-level competitions. The programme has already been successfully in place in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia since 2002, with clear positive results which are to be spread throughout the country. The first national finals will take place from 8-10 June 2010 in the Sport Centre in Kamen-Kaiserau.

Furthermore, a DBSJ Commission has recently nominated the participants taking part in the first German Youth Winter Camp in Vancouver in 2010. A total of 12 youth participants between the ages of 14-17, along with six advisors and two delegates, will be travelling to Canada next March, to experience the Paralympic Winter Games. Showing the power of sport as a tool for integration, three able-bodied youths will be amongst the delegation, experiencing the Games firsthand.

The German Youth Winter Camp will be set up for the first time at the Paralympic Winter Games, following success at the Paralympic Summer Games in Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008). The ultimate goal is for the participants to have a once in a lifetime experience, while making friendships that will in fact last a lifetime.

The German Youth Winter Camp is supported by IPC Gold Patron Deutsche Telekom.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from 12-21 March 2010, with approximately 600 athletes from 45 countries expected to compete in five sports: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Ice Sledge Hockey and Wheelchair Curling.

For more information about NPC Germany and its activities, please visit www.dbs-npc.de.