IPC Sign PERFORM as Host Broadcaster for Swimming European Champs

"PERFORM have a track record of broadcasting global sports events to huge audiences and we believe by working with them we will take our coverage to a new level."

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has appointed leading digital media company PERFORM as the host broadcaster for July’s 2011 IPC Swimming European Championships in Berlin, Germany.

PERFORM will produce a high quality HD television signal for international distribution using up to eight HD cameras, including a 50m track camera, three underwater cameras and a slow motion camera. They will also provide a live stream of the event for the IPC’s official online TV channel www.ParalympicSport.TV.

Besides producing a live signal of all morning and afternoon sessions, PERFORM will also produce a daily 26 minutes long highlights programme of the Championships, which will be distributed to interested broadcasters via BT Tower in London.

Xavier Gonzalez, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are very pleased that with PERFORM’s support we are in the position to offer to broadcasters a high level broadcast quality coverage of these Championships. PERFORM have a track record of broadcasting global sports events to huge audiences and we believe by working with them we will take our coverage to a new level.

“In fact the coverage from Berlin will be to the same standards as during the Paralympic Games and will further support our goal of raising the awareness of Paralympic Sport and our athletes ahead of London 2012.”

Oliver Slipper, Joint-CEO, PERFORM said: ”We’re delighted to be working with the IPC. In the run up to the 2012 Paralympics there is a tremendous amount of interest in these games and the athletes and we’re proud to be broadcasting them to the world.”

The 2011 IPC Swimming European Championships are taking place from 3-10 July at the Swimming and Diving Centre in Europasportpark in Berlin, Germany. In what will be one of the last major international gatherings before London 2012, more than 450 swimmers from 39 countries will compete against each other.

Swimmers set to compete for the medals include Great Britain’s Paralympic and World champion Eleanor Simmonds, two-time Paralympic champion Frenchman David Smetanine and Ukraine’s Maksym Veraksa, the fastest Para-Swimmer in the world.

For further information please visit www.ecswimming2011.com or follow the Championship’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ipcswimming.

Broadcasters interested in obtaining footage of the World Championships, please contact Eva Werthmann, IPC Media Manager, at eva.werthmann@paralympic.org or via phone +49 228 2097 143.

Media interested in attending the event can register for media accreditation via the official event website at www.ecswimming2011.com.

About the IPC

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organization formed and run by 170 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.

For further information, please contact Craig Spence, IPC Media and Communications Senior Manager on e-mail: craig.spence@paralympic.org or call +49-228-2097-230. Alternatively, please visit www.paralympic.org or www.ParalympicSport.TV.

About PERFORM

PERFORM is a market leader in the commercialisation of multimedia sports content across internet-enabled digital platforms. Through production, technical and commercial solutions, PERFORM powers digital platforms that distribute content in a number of forms - video, editorial, audio and data – to millions of sport fans around the world

www.performgroup.com