International Paralympic Committee
Press Release


First International Paralympic Day was a great success "Integration Through Sport" was the motto of the first International Paralympic Day 2003, which took place from 26 to 27 September in Bonn, Germany. 20,000 visitors experienced the Paralympic Spirit by watching first hand demonstrations from Paralympic and Olympic athletes and having interactive experiences with Paralympic sports.
The beginning of the IPD 2003 was the Paralympic DanceNight on Friday, where 500 people with and without a disability danced and celebrated the entire night.
On Saturday the multi-sport event presented sport as a means of integration for people with a disability. More than 20,000 people gathered at the multi-sport area in the city centre of Bonn, where everyone could participate in Table Tennis, Wheelchair Fencing, Biathlon and Wheelchair Basketball and Rugby. Furthermore representatives from ATHENS 2004 and TORINO 2006, the German National Paralympic Committee and the City of Leipzig actively took part in the IPD and presented their work.
At the Opening Ceremony, celebrated with a flag parade and the official Paralympic hymn, the mayor of Bonn, Bärbel Dieckmann, IPC President Phil Craven and Ute Vogt, Parlamentary Secretary of State and representative of the IPD patron and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, inaugurated the International Paralympic Day.
A spectacular highlight was the parachute drop of Eberhard Gienger, former Olympic Gold medalist (Gymnastics), who brought the flag with the new IPC logo to the market place of Bonn. The sporting highlight of the day was the unofficial high jump world record of Reinhold Bötzel. With 2,00m he surpassed the previous record for athletes of class F46 (Below-and beneath-the-elbow amputation) by 4cm. Asked about his motivation for this outstanding achievement, he said: "The spirit at the Bonn market place was enormous and the support of the visitors the best motivation."
The end of a very successful day was the high-profile Wheelchair Basketball match between the German and Dutch national team. The match displayed the challenges and abilities of an exciting and fast moving sport. 600 visitors saw the Dutch team winning 70-57.
Due to the positive response of the people, sponsors and the good national and international media coverage IPC President Phil Craven announced that the International Paralympic Day will become an annual event.

Miriam Wilkens
IPC Media and Communication Manager
Tel: +49 228 2097 180
e-mail: Miriam.wilkens@paralympic.org
Web:http://www.paralympic.org




http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-january2004.htm