Paralympic News

England Beat France in the Rugby

While the England Mens Rugby Union team faced defeat to the hands of France. The England Tag Rugby League Team were preparing to take on France at Leigh Sports Village.

 

In an impressive game England managed to fight their way to victory winning 34-32.

 

History was also made on Saturday when Gina Smallwood became the first female Wheelchair Rugby League player to represent England as they took on France in the Rapid Support Services International.

Having been a member of this year’s Wheelchair Super League winning Bury Jigsaw team her selection for the national squad is further proof of the inclusive nature of the sport which both disabled and able bodied athletes are able to play together.

Gina Smallwood said: “It’s going to be a good game, it’s always a good game against the French, I’m looking forward to it and there are nerves as well but we’ve got plenty of training before the game.

“I started off doing athletics then got involved in Wheelchair Basketball and someone approached me from our team and asked whether I fancied getting involved in Rugby League.

“That was two seasons ago, now I’m here as the first female to play for England.

“I feel proud to be selected as the first ever female player for the England Wheelchair team, the expectation is that we want to go out and win but it’s good to be able to be involved in the game and with such great people.”

Head coach Phil Roberts commented: "Gina's selection is on the back of a strong season at club level. Her speed and timing around the play-the-ball is an asset to the team and her effort and attitude couldn't be better.

“Having been in the 2010 training squad she is familiar with our methods has deservedly progressed into the team."

For more information on Wheelchair Rugby League visit: www.therfl.co.uk/play/wheelchair

England Squad:
Wayne Boardman (Halifax)
Jack Brown (Halifax)
Paul Craig (Mersey Vikings)
Tom Docherty (Wolverhampton Rhinos)
Mike Fairclough (Mersey Vikings)
Jack Heggie (Bury Jigsaw)
Paul McCormick (Bury Jigsaw)
Martin Norris (C) (Bury Jigsaw)
Phil Roberts (Bury Jigsaw)
Andrew Wharton (Halifax)
Gina Smallwood (Bury Jigsaw)

 

Watch the video here

 

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Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby miss out on Gold

Great Britain have narrowly missed out on Gold at the recent European Championships in Switzerland. The squad powered their way to the final only losing to France in the opening game. However Sweden proved just too strong for them losing in the end by 6 points.

The team and National Governing Body have gone through some huge changes over the past year and the development is starting to pay off. Now hopefully they will review their performances in Switzerland and take a step forward for London next year.

 

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British Paralympic Association unveils Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB at London 2012

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of the British Paralympic Association, today announced his first major appointment when he revealed Craig Hunter as the Chef de Mission for the ParalympicsGB team at the London Paralympic Games.

 

Speaking of the appointment, Hollingsworth said “I have spent my first ten weeks determining the very best structure for a home Games, both to ensure maximum success for the ParalympicsGB team and extract maximum value for the organisation that sits behind it, the British Paralympic Association. In Craig we have a hugely experienced, inspirational Chef de Mission whose operational knowledge, eye for detail and leadership qualities will ensure that everything is done to support lifetime best performances by British athletes.

 

“I firmly believe that this is the right appointment at this time. Craig will lead our team preparations while, as CEO, I will be better placed to ensure we maximise the opportunities provided by a Home Games and to develop the organisation’s wider long term interests, setting us up for Sochi, Rio and beyond.”

 

Hunter has been involved in high performance sport for thirteen years, covering a wide range of positions including technical official, team manager and Chef de Mission. As Chef de Mission for Team England at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games he delivered the team’s most successful overseas results in a challenging environment, invaluable experience on which he can draw during a high pressure home games.

 

Hunter said ‘I am enormously proud and honoured to take on this role. It is a great opportunity to work with what is already an outstanding team and aim for even greater success in London. Whilst everything that we do will be focussed on winning medals, I’m also hugely excited that ParalympicsGB’s performance can go beyond that and inspire many young people to get involved in sport and help shift attitudes towards disability’.

 

His appointment was well received by Team Leaders and athletes alike with Stephen Park, Team Leader for the Sailing team, saying:"These are exciting and important times for the Paralympic movement and I approve of the decision to focus the Chef de Mission role on maximising the success of the team at the Games, whilst separately allowing the CEO to represent the BPA and the sports more widely.

“Craig is an excellent appointment as Chef - there are few people in the UK with as much experience in delivering for sport in a Games environment and I am one hundred per cent confident in his ability to do the job. I look forward to working with him and the rest of the team as we build towards London."

 

Sarah Storey, a multi-medallist at five Paralympic Games commented: “I know how important this role is at Games time. Knowing that there is someone you can call on for advice, who understands the complexities and the elite nature of the competitive environment, gives you confidence. Craig has been both my Team Manager at the Manchester Commonwealth Games and my Chef de Mission in Delhi and he did a superb job at both. It’s a great appointment”.

 

Hunter will take up his post in a part time capacity in October and will move to a full time role in the New Year.

 

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37-Strong British Team Prepares for 2011 INAS Global Games

Special Olympics Great Britain – the country’s largest provider of year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with learning disabilities – is proud to announce nearly half of the 2011 participants in the UK Sports Association’s GB Team at the 3rd INAS (International Federation for sport for para-athletes with a learning disability) Global Games in Liguria, Italy from September 24th - October 4th 2011 are current or former athletes with Special Olympics Great Britain.

 

Athletes from England, Scotland and Wales will compete in swimming, athletics, table tennis and tennis, the latter managed in partnership with The Tennis Foundation.

“We are very proud to have so many of our athletes qualifying for the 2011 INAS Global Games. I know all of them will be eager to do their absolute best with the aim of qualifying for the Paralympics and elite-level competition,” says Karen Wallin, Special Olympics GB CEO.

 

The GB Team is a strong mix of experience and ambition and welcomes three Special Olympics GB athletes making their INAS debut: tennis player Peter Millar,19, of Tranmere, Wirral; athletics’ Owen Miller,19, Dunfermline, Fife; and Stephen Morris, 23, Cardiff, Mid Glamorgan, all hoping to make their mark on a new world elite sporting stage. Identical twins Alistair and Duncan Feltham of Bournemouth will also be joining the team on table tennis.

 

The 2011 INAS Global Games is the largest performance led multisport elite Championships (45 countries, 1500 participants) for athletes with a learning disability in the world and is the pinnacle of the INAS programme.

 

To follow the progress of the GB team at the Games, visit the Special Olympics GB website

 

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FIA & Technogym join together to support ‘Our Greatest Team’ - The Industry's Olympic & Paralympic Initiative

The FIA (Fitness Industry Association) and Technogym, the Official Equipment Supplier to London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, invites the Health and Fitness industry to pre-register and to join ‘Our Greatest Team' campaign which will go live across the country in January 2012.

 

‘Our Greatest Team'  - 900 athletes 60 million strong - is the combined teams of Team GB, our 550 Olympic athletes and the 350 Paralympic athletes who will be competing in London 2012 and the Nation - our 60 million strong - who are being asked to get behind our 900 athletes, in this home soil Olympics and Paralympics.

This is a national campaign with approved branding for all participating clubs - a great way to create engagement with the public in our Olympic year. The big plus of the campaign is that the public will be invited to make an activity and wellbeing pledge during 2012 and stick to it. Monitoring their movement via a web link, it can become a way to showcase all the exciting ways you can move for sport and health at our industry locations.

 

Participating ‘Our Greatest Team' operators will be supported by a multi-media campaign, which help them leverage the world's most powerful sports and activity marketing programme (the Olympics) whilst supporting their member acquisition and retention strategies. Designed to be a catalyst to get more people more active, every operator will be able to become an ‘Our Greatest Team* Community Hub' and display the Olympic rings prominently throughout their facility. In addition, participating facilities will be provided with:

• Branded marketing collateral - posters, point of sale materials, etc. as well as web tools to facilitate registration

• Consumer marketing materials such as content for Facebook, Twitter Community Hub newsletters etc.

• An ‘Our Greatest Team* Mobile App' which will allow consumers to monitor and upload their performance/activity achievements.

Operators will also be able to win equipment, previously used by the world's elite athletes in the Olympic Village Gym and REPs registered trainers will be able to win the opportunity to work with the elite athletes in the Olympic Village Gym during the Olympics and Paralympics - a true once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

"Imagine being a high visibility legacy partner of the Greatest Show on Earth, in your local community and, imagine the power of the ‘Our Greatest Team' branding on your business: the potential is breath taking and the opportunities unparalleled by anything in our industry's history," comments David Stalker, CEO, FIA. "'Our Greatest Team' has the potential to be the landmark industry initiative which will propel us into the hearts and minds of every consumer's health and wellbeing consciousness."

 

"We are delighted that Technogym and FIA registered customers will be able to really make London 2012 a Wellness Olympics," says Tony Majakas, Technogym VP Health & Green Business Development and London 2012 Project Director. "We want to be able to inspire the nation to make a pledge and to complete a pledge - something that will benefit each individual and the local community as we showcase how our industry can link sport and health in our Olympic year in 2012."

 

For more information or to register to become an ‘Our Greatest Team' Community Hub please visit http://goo.gl/R9G2G or call the FIA ‘Our Greatest Team' squad on 020 7420 8560.

 

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