Zimbabwe Attracts More Attention to Paralympic Movement

While the majority of the world will celebrate International Paralympic Day on 8 September, the Zimbabwe Paralympic Committee (ZPC) held a pre-cursor to the worldwide occasion with their own event last Saturday (27 August).

The ZPC joined up with the U.S. Embassy to attract nearly 200 people to Magamba Hockey Arena to celebrate Zimbabwe’s emerging Paralympic Movement.

The event was designed to raise awareness for Zimbabwe’s participation in the 2011 All-Africa Games – which are currently taking place in Maputo, Mozambique – as well as the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Saturday’s activities included a 5K Fun Run/Walk, and Zimbabwe’s para-athletes engaged in friendly matches and exhibitions with participants from the general public.

“We are a young organization, but we are encouraged by the progress we have made in such a short time,” Lewis Garaba told the ZPC. “This event is a testament to that progress and tells us that we need to keep pushing the Paralympic Movement forward.”

Zimbabwe participated in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games but did not win any medals.

It is expected to be one of 150 nations participating in the London 2012 Paralympic Games, which begin in less than a year from now. To sign up for your tickets, please visit www.tickets.london2012.com.