PARALYMPICS PCI Announce Official Supporters of the 2008 Irish Paralympic Teams

Ahead of the official team announcement later this week, the Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) is pleased to announce its official supporters of the 2008 Irish team for the Paralympic Games, which get underway in Beijing in September.

Six commercial organisations; Kelloggs, An Post, G & T Crampton Ltd., Powerade, Speedo Ireland, Argos, and the Dept. of Health and Exercise Science at Waterford Institute of Technology are demonstrating their support for the Irish team for the 2008 Paralympic Games through a combination of financial backing and appropriate product supply to the team.

Speaking about the official supporters PCI President Tony Guest said "We are delighted to have such a great group of supporters behind our team as we near ever closer to this summer's Games. We very much value their support and backing, and look forward to enjoying a continuing relationship with these supporters for the benefit of Paralympic sport in Ireland."

The Paralympic Council of Ireland also enjoys the support of a number of official partners to the Irish Paralympic team; state organisations with a pivotal role to play in the development of the athletes and Paralympic sport in general.

The official partners include the Irish Institute of Sport oversees the carding of the elite athletes and has partnered the PCI in the development of acclimatisation strategies for Beijing, and in the performance planning for the team. The National Coaching and Training Centre in Limerick provides direct support on the team's physiology programme, and hosts the PCI's whole team training camps. Sport Northern Ireland has recently reached agreement to directly part fund the Irish team and SINI (Sports Institute Northern Ireland) provides direct athlete service support to athletes based in the North.

O'Neills provides significant in-kind support to the Irish team as the official kit supplier to the Irish team for Beijing, and also for London 2012. The Irish kit will be unveiled at the official team announcement on Wednesday (2nd July).The Irish Sports Council is the leading financier of the Irish Paralympic team providing over €1.2million in support to the organisation and the athletes this year.

The Irish Paralympic team for the 2008 Games will be officially announced at an event in Dublin on Wednesday (July 2nd).
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For more information:
John Fulham, Paralympic Council of Ireland
communications@pcireland.ie or 087-2709182

Additional Information:
The Paralympic Council of Ireland was founded in 1987 and is responsible for the preparation and management of the Irish team in the lead up to, and at, the Paralympic Games, and the development of Paralympic sport in Ireland.

Olympic style games for athletes with a physical disability were first held in Rome in 1960. Today, the Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes with physical and sensory disabilities. The Games emphasise the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability. Athletes compete in various classes of competition, and are classified according to their disability.

The movement has grown dramatically since its first days. The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes from 23 countries in Rome in 1960 to 4000 athletes from 153 countries set to compete in Beijing in 2008. The Chinese city of Beijing will host the 2008 Paralympic Games from September 6th - 17th, and London will host the 2012 Games. Ireland has a proud tradition at the Games, winning four medals in Athens in 2004.