Successful Paralympic Day in Finland

The Mayor of Helsinki, Jussi Pajunen, officially opened the National Paralympic Day and well-known Finnish radio voice Arttu Harkki moderated the day and conducted interviews. During the event, spectators had the chance to try out different Paralympic sports, meet athletes and follow the sport demonstrations, of which Wheelchair Rugby was the most popular one. In addition, athletes gave a fashion show where they presented the Finnish Team collection for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Petri Pohjonen, President of Finnish Paralympic Committee, said: “The day has been wonderful. It was a good decision to bring the event to the middle of Helsinki in order to promote sport for persons with a disability and the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. It feels great to notice that people are interested in Paralympic sports and support our athletes.”

Due to the good weather and the excellent programme, around 2,000 people, including 300 school children took part in the event.