International Paralympic Day to Offer Taste of London 2012

British public will get a taste of what the London 2012 Paralympic Games 05 Sep 2011

Oscar Pistorius (RSA), April Holmes (USA), Jerome Singleton (USA) and Heinrich Popow (GER) preparing for a friendly 100m race during the 2011 International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square in London, Great Britain

Oscar Pistorius, April Holmes, Jerome Singleton and Heinrich Popow prepare for a friendly 100m race during the 2011 International Paralympic Day in Trafalgar Square in London.

ⒸLOCOG

By IPC

"All the activities that take place between now and next year’s Closing Ceremony will raise interest levels in the Paralympic Movement to a new high."

The British public will get a taste of what the London 2012 Paralympic Games will be like at this Thursday’s (8 September) International Paralympic Day, which will be held in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London.

Just one day prior to tickets going on sale for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, International Paralympic Day will showcase the 20 sports featured at the Games, with demonstrations in Wheelchair Basketball, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Rugby, Rowing, Table Tennis and many more.

Nearly 100 British and international athletes will be in attendance and spectators will have the opportunity to see 100m Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius and his rival, world champion Jerome Singleton, and witness a Guinness World Record attempt in Sitting Volleyball.

Two of the world’s fastest women will also go head-to-head in a 50m sprint on a purpose- built track in front of the National Gallery. The USA’s April Holmes, the defending 100m T44 Paralympic champion, will race against France’s world champion Marie-Amelie Le Fur.

“All the activities that take place between now and next year’s Closing Ceremony will raise interest levels in the Paralympic Movement to a new high,” said IPC President Sir Philip Craven.

There will also be the chance to meet and greet top Paralympic stars from Great Britain, including rower Sam Scowen and swimmers Ellie Simmonds and Sascha Kindred.

Those in attendance can visit BT’s Road to 2012 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. This Cultural Olympiad project features stunning photographic portraits of British Paralympic athletes alongside those of Olympic athletes and people who are working behind the scenes to make the Games a success.

To complete a week of spectacular Paralympic activity, on Saturday (10 September), Sainsbury's will be hosting Sainsbury's Super Saturday on Clapham Common. The day will feature demonstrations of Paralympic Sport and live music from top British acts including Pixie Lott, The Saturdays and Olly Murs. All profits from the event will go to the Paralympic Legacy Fund, set up in conjunction with ParalympicsGB.

Tickets for London 2012 will go on sale on Friday (9 September), with applications open until 26 September. In total, approximately two million tickets will go on sale and already more than one million people have registered their interest online. More than half of the tickets on sale will be priced at £10 or less and 75 percent at £20 or less.

Sports fans who want to come and experience the unique passion, drama and emotion of the Paralympic Games are able to sign up and register their interest for tickets before they go on sale at www.tickets.london2012.com.