Community Welcomed To Participate In Parasport, Meet Paralympic Athletes and Learn How to Get Involved during International Day for People with a Disability

HALIFAX – November 30, 2011 – The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), Sport Nova Scotia and the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic are excited to host their first-ever CPC Parasport Festival on Saturday, December 3 to mark International Day for People with a Disability.

Athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, guides, families, teachers and fans will come together in Halifax to teach various parasports and have participants learn first-hand how fun it can be to get involved.

Parasport is sport for people with a disability and is "para"llel to sport for able-bodied athletes, with adapted equipment or rules to make the game fun and accessible for everyone. Parasport Festivals offer Canadians, both able-bodied or those with a disability, a chance to try a parasport for themselves and discover opportunities to get involved – whether as a participant/athlete, coach, volunteer, guide, or classifier.

• WHAT: An interactive Parasport Festival featuring: wheelchair basketball, para-athletics, goalball, boccia, para-swimming, table tennis, wheelchair rugby, sailing, canoe/kayak, wheelchair curling, sledge hockey, waterski wakeboard and wheelchair tennis. Media will have opportunities to participate in all activities!
• WHEN: Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
• WHERE: Canada Games Centre, 26 Thomas Raddall Dr., Halifax, NS
• COST: Free!
• WHO: Everyone is welcome!
• MEDIA CONTACT ONSITE: Laura Ferris - Cell: 613-298-1195

Paralympic athletes* and Paralympic hopefuls attending: Dave Durepos* (wheelchair basketball), Jackie Marciano (athletics), Shayne Dobson (athletics), Dave Waters (canoe/kayak), Tom Swinkles (swimming), Daniel Murphy (swimming)

Volunteers, Coaches, Athletes and Administrators from: our festival partners Sport Nova Scotia and the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic as well as our sport partners from Nova Scotia Flying Wheels, Valley Athletics, Swim Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Table Tennis Association, Boccia Nova Scotia, Blind Sports Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Spokebusters, Sledge Hockey Nova Scotia, Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia, Sail Able Nova Scotia, Curling Nova Scotia, CADS Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Water Ski Association and Tennis Nova Scotia

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee
The Canadian Paralympic Committee is a non-profit, private organization with 46 member sports organizations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic movement. The Canadian Paralympic Committee's vision is to be the world's leading Paralympic nation. Its mission is to lead the development of a sustainable Paralympic sport system in Canada to enable athletes to reach the podium at the Paralympic Games. By supporting Canadian Paralympic athletes and promoting their success, the Canadian Paralympic Committee inspires all Canadians with a disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organizations. For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca

About Sport Nova Scotia
Sport Nova Scotia is a voice for amateur sport that promotes the benefits of health, personal development and achievement of all participants. Sport Nova Scotia is a non-profit, non-government organization representing over 60 provincial sport organizations and more than 160,000 member Nova Scotians.

About Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic
Since its inception in 1998, the Canadian Sport Centre Atlantic (CSCA) has coordinated and delivered sport services to coaches and athletes throughout Atlantic Canada. In the past 11 years, it has developed partnerships and implemented programs that have helped build Atlantic Canada's high performance sport structure. The CSCA provides Sport Science, Sport Medicine and Life Services to Atlantic Canada's top athletes with the goal of helping our region's top athletes maximize their potential on the international sport scene. The CSCA is represented in all four Atlantic Provinces with offices in Fredericton, Charlottetown, St.John's and Halifax. Presently, over 150 athletes in the region benefit from the services provided by the CSCA and their staff.

About the International Day for People with a Disability
The International Day for People with Disability (IDPwD) is a United Nations-sanctioned day that aims to promote an understanding of people with a disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being. The day also seeks to increase awareness of the benefits of the integration of people with disability in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. IDPwD brings together individuals, businesses, community organizations, and governments from every corner of the world to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions, skills and achievements of people with disability. In 1992, at the conclusion of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992), the General Assembly proclaimed 3 December as the International Day of Disabled Persons. The theme for the 2011 IDPwD is "Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development". For more information, visit www.un.org/disabilities.

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For more information please contact:

Alison Korn
Manager, Media Relations
Canadian Paralympic Committee
Tel: 613-569-4333 x243
Cell: 613-298-4927
akorn@paralympic.ca

Laura Ferris
Coordinator, Recruitment Program Support
Canadian Paralympic Committee
E-mail: lferris@paralympic.ca
Phone: (613) 569-4333 x233
Cell phone onsite in Halifax: 613-298-1195

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