ARCHIVED NEWS

05 Feb 2012
2012 National Independence Games - Entry Forms Available
The entry information and forms are now available online for the National Independence Games which will be held in Auckland between the 13th - 15th April 2012.

In 1992 CCS originated the idea of holding the Independence Games so that young sports people with disabilities could develop their sporting talents. The Independence Games is now a sporting event for young people aged 8-17 years who live with a disability. It is a high quality sporting tournament run over two days.

Traditionally the Independence Games have held both North Island and South Island Games, however 2012 will see the first time a National Independence Games is held.

To view the entry information and entry forms visit www.independencegames.org.nz.

- Independence Games


05 Feb 2012
NZ’s Carl Murphy Takes Silver at Para-Snowboard World Championships
In a string of podium finishes, adaptive snowboard cross athlete Carl Murphy (Lake Hawea) continues to perform well on the international stage, this time taking silver at the Para-Snowboard World Championships in Orcières, France.

Teammate Byron Raubenheimer (Auckland) also competed and finished in the top half of the field, a great result for a developing rider.

“It was great to see Carl hold on to second place while still pushing hard for first over the two day combined time format,” said Coach and Snow Sports NZ’s Director of Coach and Sport Development, Adam Dooney. “Carl has worked extremely hard over the past few years and it shows not only in his performance on the board but also his approach to competition."

“This was Byron's first World Championships and the experience was invaluable for his development.”

Murphy says, “I am stoked to maintain my number two ranking but a little disappointed not to finish on top after two days of gruelling competition.”

The race was very close race with Evan Strong (USA) winning by a small margin after coming from third on the first day of competition.

“I was placed second after the first day of racing and managed to hold onto that spot after a very hard day on the snow,” said Murphy.

“I wouldn’t be here without the support of Adam Dooney (Coach), Smith Optics, Cardrona, Snow.co.nz, Base NZ, NZ High Performance, and SPARC who help fund my competition through a PEGS grant.”

Murphy is now making the long trip back to his Northern Hemisphere base in Frisco, Colorado where he will continue to train and will compete alongside able-bodied riders in regional events.

- Snow Sports New Zealand


03 Feb 2012
Pin & Win - Major Prize Winner Found
Paralympics New Zealand has made the major prize draw from their Pin and Win Series 3 Promotion.

At 11am, on the 3rd of February 2012, Max Sullivan was drawn as the major winner of a choice of $30,000 cash or a Mitsubishi ASX LS valued at $36,000. Mr. Sullivan was notified of his win and was thrilled and stunned to hear the news. Mr. Sullivan said he bought the Pin to support the cause and never gave it a thought that he might win.

Paralympics New Zealand is working with Mr. Sullivan around which option he would like to take for his prize.

The Pin and Win promotion involves the sale of a PNZ lapel pin and the inclusion of a free scratch card. The promotion has been a highly successful programme for Paralympics New Zealand, not only raising much needed funds but also informing and educating the public about Paralympic Sport and New Zealand athletes’ performances on the world stage.

A new series of Pin and Win is currently under development and will launch soon to continue assisting Paralympics New Zealand athletes to the London 2012 Paralympic Games and beyond.

Paralympics New Zealand would like to congratulate Max Sullivan on his win and thank all those that purchased pins for their support.

- Paralympics New Zealand


02 Feb 2012
Variety Gold Heart Scholarships - Applications Now Open
Variety - The Children’s Charity wants to help Kiwi kids reach their full potential in education, music, art, and sport through its Gold Heart Scholarship programme.

Applications are now open for the programme, which provides talented Kiwi kids who are sick, disabled or disadvantaged with $5,000 and matches them with a mentor to assist them to reach their goals. To apply children should already be at a high level in their field and show passion and commitment to achieve a long-term aspirational goal as demonstrated by significant achievements to date.

Gold Heart Scholarships form part of Variety’s Future Kiwi Kids programme. The Variety Gold Heart Scholarship Programme makes up to $5,000 available per annum for up to three years to help children who are physically or financially challenged to fulfil their dreams. This could include assisting with tuition fees, personal development, coaching, and the purchase of training equipment, travel or accommodation.

One of the unique aspects of the Scholarship is that each recipient is assigned a leading professional or celebrity mentor to encourage and support them throughout the year.

Applications close on March 31, 2012.

For further information on application criteria or to download an application form, please CLICK HERE or call Denise Burke on (09) 520 4111.

- Variety


02 Feb 2012
Football Open Day - Youth with a Physical Disability - Christchurch
Come along to Mainland Football, ASB Football Park in Christchurch on Saturday 18th February to have a go at football. For more information or to register contact Justin Muschamp, Sport Opportunity Advisor on 03 373 5050 or email justin@sportcanterbury.org.nz.

For more information click here.

- Sport Canterbury


31 Jan 2012
Greenville Awarded 2014 Para-Cycling World Championships
The UCI officially announced that Greenville, South Carolina has been awarded the 2014 para-cycling road world championships. The championships will take place August 28th to September 1st. It has been 16 years since the para-cycling world championships have been in the U.S.

Athletes will compete in categories based on their ability, on handcycles, adapted bikes, tricycle and tandems in the road race and time trial disciplines.

According to Louis Barbeau, President of the UCI Para-Cycling Commission, Greenville's commitment to the event was the reason why the city won the bid, stating how impressed the UCI was.

Barbeau expects about 700 people to be a part of the para-cycling games, so having an infrastructure that could accommodate them was key, such as having hotels that are wheelchair accessible and the support of the city.

"I had the pleasure of meeting the mayor and mayor pro tem and we could already see that there was a commitment." Continuing Barbeau said, "I haven't seen a bid of that quality before."

Several cities in Europe expressed interest in hosting the championships, but no written commitment.

Also in attendance was Greenville resident George Hincapie. The 16-time Tour de France participant took to the podium and expressed his satisfaction with Greenville's winning bid.

"This adds to Greenville's already long list of cycling events," said Hincapie. "And this event will not only promote Greenville nationally and across the world, but help our local people and let people know all the wonderful things Greenville provides: the bike paths, the roads, the weather. If you're a cyclist this is an ideal place to ride a bike."

Greenville had come to the attention of the cycling world prior to the national professional championships which has called it home for the past seven years. Stage 7 of the 1995 Tour du Pont ended in Greenville and the downtown area has hosted big dollar criteriums during the 1990s.

Ian Lawless, Executive Director of U.S. Handcycling, said that the exact course for the road race and time trial for para-cycling are still being considered.

"We have identified a variety of possibilities, but nothing that is concrete. We're looking at the Millennium Campus to possibly host some and possibly some stuff downtown. A lot of that will be announced in the coming months."

The Millennium Campus is the current site of the U.S. Pro Championships time trial course.

Speaking to someone familiar with how a course must be designed for a para-cycling race they thought that a loop through downtown Greenville and around the neighboring Cleveland Park area could be a strong candidate. The Millennium Campus would be utilized for the time trial.

An economic impact study states that Greenville should anticipate more than 4.5 million dollars for the local economy.

- Cycling News


31 Jan 2012
Parafed Otago Fr Leo Close Memorial Games
The Parafed Otago Fr Leo Close Memorial Games will be held on Saturday 25th February 2012 and will include the sports of athletics, boccia, table tennis and swimming.

Athletics being held in conjunction with the Otago Athletic Championships and the swimming events being combined with the Swim Otago competition (Saturday 11th February).

Entries are open for athletes with a physical disability.

  Memorial Games Entry Form & Draft Programme


- Parafed Otago


31 Jan 2012
Wheelchair Rugby Have A Go Day - Auckland
Parafed Auckland and Auckland Wheelchair Rugby Club are holding a "Have A Go" Day at wheelchair rugby for anyone who is interested or wondered if it is for them. This is your chance to try it out, have a bit of fun and talk to the guys about rugby opportunities.

Equipment will be supplied on the day. Due to people having different body sizes and function, we will endeavour to do our best to accommodate everyone.

To register your interest, contact Parafed Auckland 09 270 2503 or email: office@parafedauckland.co.nz

- Parafed Auckland


26 Jan 2012
Mia Masters Hard Knocks In Quest For Gold
Gutsy Queenstown teenager Mia O'Keefe doesn't let a disability keep her from living life to the full. At just 16, she's got the 2014 Russia Paralympics in her sights.

Recently named Southland Secondary Schools Sportsperson With a Disability Sportsperson of the Year, Mia, who was born with spina bifida, is far from confined to a wheelchair.

Keeping up with three brothers on a skateboard at a very young age, Mia is not afraid of a few hard knocks. Every winter weekend she can be seen at The Remarkables racing and practising jumps and rails on her mono-ski.

Last year she won the Southland Secondary Schools disabled adaptive skiing giant slalom event at Cardrona on her new Prashburger mono ski, purchased with funds from the Halberg Trust and private donations. Queenstown ski racers Tim Cafe and Andrew Wylie also donated bindings.

But a highlight for last season for Mia was competing in the New Zealand Winter Games women's adaptive skiing giant slalom event, and mixing with other skiers.

At the last games she even got to meet her hero, US disabled ski team Paralympic gold, silver and bronze medallist, Alana Nichols.

"She was really cool. She told me she'd see me at the 2014 Paralympics in Russia," said Mia.

She has also met Otago's gold-medal winning Paralympian Adam Hall during a development camp at the Snow Park and Cardrona. "He came to one of our sessions and brought his gold medal."

Hall was a great inspiration, urging Mia to follow her dreams and not give up. Those dreams include gold at the Paralympics and she is hoping to head to the United States early this year to get some race training on different terrain under the adaptive programme at Colorado's Winter Park.

Photo - Sue Fea

A $500 Disabled Snow Sports New Zealand grant has kick-started her travel fund.

But Mia is not about to sit at home waiting for winter to arrive. During summer she enjoys kayaking trips with her mum, Suzanne White, who has also been teaching her to play tennis.

Mia also took her first sailing lesson on Lake Wakatipu last month. The next sport she hopes to tick off her "can do" list is wheelchair basketball.

- The Southland Times


24 Jan 2012
IPC to Reunite Paralympians in London
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), in conjunction with the IPC Athletes' Council, is organizing a Paralympian Reunion on 7 September in London to coincide with the Paralympic Games.

Taking place in Central London, the event will bring together athletes and officials from previous Paralympic Games to share stories and celebrate their accomplishments while, at the same time, taking in action from London 2012.

Last year the IPC issued a survey to gauge the interest of Paralympians in a reunion and the response was overwhelming.

Sir Philip Craven, IPC President, said: "This is the first time that we have taken the step to reunite Paralympians from all over the world and it promises to be an evening to remember.

"Not only will be a chance for people to meet up with old teammates, but also old rivals who they may not have seen since competing against them in previous editions of the Paralympic Games."

To help Paralympians in planning their trips to London for September's Reunion, the IPC has appointed eVenture Zone, the IPC's official ticket and hospitality partner, to offer a number of four and five day packages to the event which also takes in sporting action from the London Games and the Closing Ceremony.

The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome in 1960 and since then the size of the event has grown exponentially. In London 4,200 athletes from 160 countries compete in 20 different sports.

- International Paralympic Committee


20 Jan 2012
Nathan Smith - On The World Stage
Stratford pharmacist Nathan Smith is training hard for the World Paracycling Track Championship, hosted in Los Angeles in February.

The 35-year-old is ranked fourth in the world in the 3km track pursuit and fifth in the 1km track time trials, and says he aims to bring back a medal. ``There are a couple of guys that are really strong competition. But anything can happen on the day. I am within a few seconds of them,'' says Nathan.

But the real prize, he says, is gold in the 3km track-pursuit at the London Paralympics next year, August 29-September 9. He was on the limit of qualifying for the last Paralympics, held in Beijing in 2008, but he didn't pursue it due to the imminent birth of his daughter, Saskia.

He will be attending training camps in Auckland and Invercargill in January and the New Zealand paracycling team, which will be finalised at the end of January, will fly out to LA at the start of February.

It has not been an easy ride for Nathan. He only seriously took up cycling after a car drove into him in London seven years ago, costing him a lower leg and putting an end to his rugby days.

Photo - Erika Venter

Nathan, the brother of All Black Conrad Smith, says sport has always been a big part of his life. He met a man when learning to walk with his artificial limb who suggested he take up cycling. And with the support of his uncle, Cleve Reed in New Plymouth, entered the racing scene.

Nathan made his international debut at the 2010 paracycling world champs in Canada where he placed eighth in the C3 road race.

Placing in the top five ensured him SPARC funding for the LA world champs, but he says with pre-training camps held in Italy extra funding might be necessary.

Nathan says the support he receives from his family, the community and Mackays Pharmacy, where he works, is ``absolutely wonderful''.

His wife, Crystal, herself an avid athlete, completed the Tauranga half ironman event on January 7, finishing 18th in the individual women's 30-34 years division in a time of 5:47:34.

The couple lives in New Plymouth and also have a 1-year- old son, Ashton.

- Stratford Press


20 Jan 2012
Three Kiwis Invited to Prestigious Winter X Games
Carl Murphy is one of three New Zealand snow sports athletes who have been invited to the prestigious Winter X Games 16. Murphy joins Jossi Wells and Rose Battersby as the athletes who will compete at the Winter X Games that will be held from the 26th - 29th January in Aspen, Colorado.

Snowboarder, Carl Murphy (Lake Hawea), will compete in Adaptive Snowboard Cross. “After the disappointing news in August that Para-Snowboarding was turned down by the Sochi committee for inclusion in 2014 Paralympic Games the X Games gives me a new focus for my snowboarding career,” said Murphy who also received an invite to the inaugural event in 2011 but was unable to accept given the impending birth of his first child.


Carl Murphy will compete in the second ever X Games Adaptive Snowboard Cross

To keep on top of all of the Winter X Games action click here.

- Snow Sports New Zealand


19 Jan 2012
Programme Manager (Disability Sport) Position Vacancy - Halberg Trust
The Halberg Trust are currently looking for a Programme Manager to manage the disability sport programmes/tools and new Disability Sport Co-ordinators.

Based at the Trust Head Office in Auckland and reporting to the National Manager, the Programme Manager is a new position, tasked with developing and reviewing disability sport programmes and ‘tools’; training and managing staff; and monitoring and evaluating to ensure that we are achieving our desired outcomes and impacts.

For more information click here.

- Halberg Trust


18 Jan 2012
New Zealand Boccia Officials Appointed For London 2012
New Zealand will be represented by two boccia officials at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, with Paul Coffey and Luke Morriss both having important roles at the Games.

Paul Coffey has been appointed as one of the International Technical Officials for Boccia at the Games. Every 4 years the CPISRA Boccia Committee nominates referees from around the world based on their performance over the past quadrennial. Paul is considered as one of the best in this field and therefore will be one of 15 International referees at the event in charge of officiating the Boccia.

Luke Morriss has been appointed Technical Officials Group Leader for the Games, as well as for a London Test event in May. Luke's role will be to lead his team around the management and provision of services for the Boccia Technical Officials - making sure that officials are looked after upon arrival and during competition; that the venue, transport, administration and other logistics concerning officials is being looked after and officials are catered for, plus any other tasks deemed necessary for the running of the Boccia event as a whole.

- Paralympics New Zealand


17 Jan 2012
Who do you think will win the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the Halberg Awards?
Visit our Facebook page and vote on who you think will win the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the Halberg Awards.

To vote visit www.facebook.com/paralympicsnewzealand

- Paralympics New Zealand


17 Jan 2012
Sports Opportunities From Around The Regions
You can now find out about upcoming sports opportunities from Around The Regions by visiting our Regional News page. Already advertised are some great opportunities being held in Auckland, Taranaki, Manawatu and Wellington over the coming months.

To read more click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


17 Jan 2012
New Zealand Blind Sailing Championships
Blind Sailing New Zealand invites entries and enquiries from blind and vision impaired sailors to sail in the New Zealand Blind Sailing Championships to be held off Westhaven Marina Auckland Harbour, on the 18th - 19th February 2012.

The race boats for the regatta will be the 10 metre Farr MRXs, and crews will comprise a maximum of 4 blind and vision impaired persons plus a sighted tactician and a sighted forward hand.

This variation on the usual 2 blind and 2 sighted crew configuration is to provide opportunities for new or less experienced blind sailors to participate in this championship fleet racing event aboard the spacious and exciting MRX keelboats.

Entry fee $100 per crew payable by the skipper. The official notice of race will be available soon.

This event will also be the first opportunity for the Blind Sailing Talent scouts prospecting for a training squad for the 2013 World Blind Sailing Championships in Japan.

Entries and enquiries about getting on to a New Zealand Championships crew phone Dick Lancaster 07 896 6484 or Brian Trubovich 09 376 2803.

- Blind Sailing New Zealand


13 Jan 2012
London 2012: Nomination Criteria Updated For Sailing
The Sailing nomination criteria for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been updated as at the 23rd December 2011.

To view the nomination criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


11 Jan 2012
Jesse Reynolds - Tough Taupo Swim a Test for Aspiring Paralympian
Jesse Reynolds doesn't hesitate when asked what he wants to do with his life.

He wants to swim, he wants to compete at the highest level and he wants to win gold medals for New Zealand.

The swimming pool is his second home and he spends up to 16 hours a week training at Fairfield Swim Club with about 30 others.

But there is one thing that sets Jesse, 15, apart from his peers – he has only one leg. He was born with a rare condition, proximal femoral focal deficiency (a malformed hip socket and no thigh bone), and is the only one in his club with a disability.

He's had a prosthetic leg since he was two, but discards the prosthesis when he hits the water, relying predominantly on his upper-body strength.

This Saturday, Jesse will trade the pool for the choppy Lake Taupo to compete in his first open water race, the 5km State Epic Swim. "It fully changes because instead of the water being flat you're rocking everywhere and there's wind and there's 200 other people swimming right next to you," he said.

His coach, Ken Nixon, reckons Jesse has potential as a long distance swimmer and this weekend will serve as a trial run.

But Jesse's main goal is to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

In November he won seven gold medals at the Paralympics New Zealand National Championships and in 2009 won a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the Paralympic Youth Games in Melbourne.

His mother, Tracey Reynolds, has lost count of how many medals he's hoarded since he started competing six years ago.

The Hamilton Boys' High School year 11 pupil said he had been bullied because of his disability but swimming helped earn the respect of his peers.

"It does actually help because after going overseas and stuff it all got brought up at school in assemblies and stuff, and everyone, instead of saying 'oh you're that boy with one leg,' they say `oh you're that good swimmer, eh?"'

He is faster than many able-bodied competitors, but said his success in the sport had come at a cost.

"It is a sacrifice, obviously," he said. "Obviously if you want to get anywhere you have to train. It's hard work and you get very tired, but it's worth it."

Photo - Bruce Mercer

- Jonathan Carson, Waikato Times


09 Jan 2012
Hope & Possibility 5km Fun Run
The 5km Hope and Possibility Event will be held on Sunday 19th February 2012 at the North Harbour Stadium, Albany and is an opportunity for people with and without disabilities at all levels of fitness to compete together in a mainstream event.

 For more information click here

- Achilles International New Zealand


08 Jan 2012
Adam Hall Aims for Slalom Victory
This season New Zealand’s Adam Hall is already proving himself as king of the mountains, finishing in first place on both days of the men’s Standing Slalom competition at the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) NORAM Cup on Copper Mountain in Colorado, USA from 12-15 December 2011.

The Paralympian, the IPC's official magazine, caught up with him to learn how his career has gone full circle, and how he wants to do even better in Sochi 2014.
Adam Hall is a determined man, following a simple philosophy.

“I was born with a disability, but that’s what life is about. It’s about changing things that are difficult and making them into things you can do.

“If I was to go on a running race with you, I’d be the one with the disability. But come and have a ski with me and you’d be the one with the disability.”

Born with spina bifida, Hall took up skiing aged six, switching to snowboarding when he was nine.

Dreaming big
After 12 years of competition, and snowboarding not part of the Winter Games programme, Hall realised that to fulfil his Paralympic dream he would have to switch back to skiing.

“One of my goals and dreams was to represent New Zealand at the highest level possible, so I changed back in 2004 to try qualify for Torino 2006.”

Qualify he did, though he finished outside of the medals, which made him even more determined to return in Vancouver faster and stronger.

“The goal was not just to get on the podium, but to be top of it with a gold medal. I wasn’t going there for silver and bronze.”

Paralympic legend
After his first Slalom run at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games, Hall looked very much on track. A sensational ski gave him a 2.13 seconds lead.

But then disaster struck.

With 20 gates to go in his second run, Hall fell. What happened next will go down as in Paralympic folklore.

“I didn’t have too much time to think about it really, my body just kicked into autopilot,” is how Hall describes somehow picking himself up, recovering and continuing his run to still claim victory with a 0.57 second margin.

Now a national hero, the inspirational Kiwi has turned his aspirations to Sochi 2014, where he not only wants to retain his title but improve his results in other disciplines.

“In Vancouver I finished eighth and seventh in Super G and Super Combined. In Scohi, I’ll be looking to see if I can sneak in another medal.”

With his determination, you would not rule it out.

- International Paralympic Committee


06 Jan 2012
Young Amputee Sets Sights on Paralympic Games
Bryall McPherson was a promising young tennis player, until circumstances forced her to hang up her racquet four years ago. Video featured on www.3news.co.nz.

To watch the video click here.

- 3 News


05 Jan 2012
Paralympic Stars Shortlisted for Halberg Disabled Sportsperson of the Year Award
Michael Johnson, Jayne Parsons, Sophie Pascoe and Daniel Sharp will go head to head in the new disabled sportsperson of the year category of New Zealand's Halberg Awards.

Para-shooter Johnson claimed gold at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, also taking a bronze four years later in Beijing, and is the reigning world champion.

Parsons took two medals, including a gold, from the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships last March, and is hoping to build on her bronze medal from Beijing 2008 in London this year.

Sharp, a 100 metres SB13 breaststroke star, is also a contender after coming away from the 2011 IBSA World Championships with two gold medals, two silvers and a bronze, including breaking his own SB13 50m breaststroke world record time.

He has previously won silver and gold medals at the Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 Paralympics respectively.

Triple Paralympic Games champion Pascoe will be another strong contender for the award after claiming 100 metre breaststroke SB9 gold at the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester last year.

The Halberg Awards recognise sporting excellence in New Zealand and aim to raise awareness and proceeds for disability community work.

The winner could also take the supreme Halberg award when the results are due to be announced on February 9 at the Skycity Grand Hotel in Auckland.

- David Gold, Inside World ParaSport


03 Jan 2012
Bay Duo Dream of Paralympics
The New Year weekend rain provided ideal conditions for rowers at the 139th Hawke's Bay Rowing Regatta this week, particularly for two competitors who are looking to represent New Zealand at this year's Paralympics in London.

Hawke's Bay Rowing Club's adaptive rowing pair Gavin Foulsham and Jacqui Courtier weren't complaining about the swollen state of the Clive River when they finished the second of their two races together yesterday afternoon.

"What's happened is the Ngaruroro [River] has flooded and that's pushed water around to the Clive River and so we've got a full river for the whole regatta and not just at 1pm [high tide]," Foulsham said.

Rowers at the two-day regatta, from clubs around the country, say the greater depth in the river will allow them to record faster times.

Foulsham, from Havelock North, and Courtier, from Putaruru, Waikato, said they were aiming for a time of about 4 minutes and 20 seconds over 1000m.

"That's the time we need to qualify for the Paralympics," Foulsham said.

"But we have three more regattas left here in New Zealand first so we're still getting a pathway through to the final qualifying round, which I think is only about 16 weeks away, in Belgrade, Serbia. "There is one more spot left for the Paralympics so the top eight have already qualified. I think there is a crew from Japan which is on the same path as us, but without seeing them on the water, I'm not sure how well they are doing."

The regatta also gave them the opportunity to become familiar with their refitted pairs vessel, which had been customised to suit Courtier's rowing reach.

Foulsham, a former wheelchair racer, had previously competed at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics and at Sydney in 2000, where he finished fifth in the 800m and ninth in the marathon. He is the New Zealand record holder for the 800m wheelchair event and has also completed the Boston Marathon and Coast to Coast.

Foulsham decided to head into rowing about a year ago. He and Courtier had been working under the guidance of Hawke's Bay rowing coach Rohan Condon.

"Gavin and Jacqui are basically rowing competitively without the use of their legs," Condon said.

"They are the ones we're really keen on and we're quite sure they can make the qualifying time. We've got about two months left to go to prepare them.

"It's been hard to get them together because Jacqui is up in the Waikato and Gavin and I are here [Hawke's Bay] and so we've got them here for three or four days together to train."

Condon said the pair trained well with the Australian team at the Sydney International Rowing Centre in Penrith last winter.

- Hawkes Bay Today


01 Jan 2012
Craven Excited by “Most Important Year Yet for Paralympic Movement”
The President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Sir Philip Craven has said 2012 promises to be the most important year yet for the Paralympic Movement as it prepares for an emotional return to its spiritual birthplace.

New Years Day will mark 241 days to go until the start of the London Paralympic Games and Sir Philip believes 2012 could be a landmark year.

Sir Philip Craven said: “The year ahead has the potential to propel the Paralympic Movement to new unimaginable levels.

“London is shaping up to match and maybe surpass what was achieved in Beijing, which is something I never thought possible.

“This is a big, big year, not just for the IPC but for the whole Movement, International Sporting Federations, National Paralympic Committees, Regions and founding federations.

“Together we can deliver something very special in London, and wouldn’t it be fitting to deliver the best ever Paralympic Games in the country where it all started.

“It’s hard to imagine that something Sir Ludwig Guttmann started in 1948 with just a handful of injured serviceman at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, will in nine months time see 4,200 highly trained athletes from over 150 countries compete in 20 sports in front of packed crowds.

“Together we have to seize the opportunity and write the next chapter in the exceptional success story of the Paralympic Games.”

Although London 2012 will be the main attraction in the year ahead, the IPC President is quick to stress that it should not be the Paralympic Movement’s sole focus.

”In 2012 we also have to concentrate on the vital planning for future Paralympic Games in Sochi, Rio and PyeongChang, as well as the continuing growth of the Movement,” explained Sir Philip.

“Our goal remains to increase participation at all levels – from the grassroots right through to the elite. We must not take our eyes off this important strategic goal.

“In 2011 we witnessed a major international or regional sporting event every second week and the year ahead is shaping up to be equally as exciting.

“I am looking forward to witnessing athletes at the very top of their game delivering some memorable performances to sold out stadia and to TV audiences all over the world.”

- International Paralympic Committee


31 Dec 2011
Finalists Announced for Halberg Awards
A feature of this years Halberg Awards is the addition of a new Disabled Sportsperson of the Year category, with the winner to join the Sportsman, Sportswoman and Team category winners in being eligible for the supreme Halberg Award.

The Disabled Sportsperson of the Year award finalists are Michael Johnson (shooting), Jayne Parsons (cycling), Sophie Pascoe (swimming) and Daniel Sharp (swimming).

The winners will be announced on Thursday 9th February 2012

- Paralympics New Zealand


30 Dec 2011
Para-Canoe Athlete Selected for Oceania Championships
Canoe Racing New Zealand (CRNZ) has selected Para-Canoe athlete Scott Martlew as part of the team to represent New Zealand at the ICF Oceania Canoe Sprint Championships to be held in Sydney, Australia between the 2nd - 4th March 2012.

Martlew, 19yrs, from Christchurch, has been selected following recent performances at the South Island and Blue Lake regattas. Martlew will join the CRNZ junior team for the Oceania campaign.

- Canoe Racing New Zealand


29 Dec 2011
Online Games - Paralympic Sports
Channel 4 (UK), the official broadcaster of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, has developed two (very addictive) online games featuring the Paralympic Sports of wheelchair rugby and boccia.

To read more click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


23 Dec 2011
2012 PNZ Athlete Performance Enhancement Grants Criteria
The PNZ Athlete Performance Enhancement Grants (PEGs) criteria for 2012 is now available to view on the website.

To view the 2012 PEGs criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


22 Dec 2011
Central Swimming & AWD Long Course Championships - Enter Now
The Central Swimming & AWD Long Course Championships will be held in Hamilton between the 10th - 12th February 2012.

To view the entry information click here.

- Swimming Waikato


21 Dec 2011
Paralympic Gold Medallist Adam Hall, Still On Top
Adam Hall proved why he is the king of mountains this week, finishing in first place on both days of the men’s Standing Slalom competition at the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) NORAM Cup on Copper Mountain in Colorado, USA from 12-15 December.

As the defending Paralympic gold medallist in the Standing Slalom, the Kiwi cruised to first place with a time of 1:26.67 on the first day of the event and easily garnered the title on the second day with a time of 1:19.46.

In the first race, Hall’s margin was 4.58 over second place skier Kirk Schornstein (CAN). Third place went to Canada’s Brayden Luscombe. The second race was a little closer with a margin of 1.81 over Australia’s Toby Kane and third place went to Australia’s Mitchell Gourley.

“It always feels great to get the race season underway,” said Hall. “I was feeling pretty confident heading into these races. There have been a lot of people putting in lots of hard work over the last six months to get me in prime race shape, including my new coach Scott Olson.

Olson spent three months in New Zealand working with Hall both on and off snow.

“We have made some positive changes which we are paying dividends on a daily basis. It is pretty exciting,” said Hall. "Leaving Copper on top is a great start and one we will keep building on for the rest of the race season.”

The men’s Giant Slalom saw New Zealand’s Corey Peters competing in his second ever competition where he placed eighth in a field of 20 in his first race and 10th in his second race.

“Corey did really well in a very strong international field,” said Adaptive Snow Sports Manager, Libby Blackley. “The only other race he’s ever competed in was the nationals at Mt. Hutt where he made it as far as the first gate. Corey will be somebody to watch for in the future.”



For complete results from the competition click here.

- Snow Sports New Zealand


21 Dec 2011
Tim Prendergast at The Schools Network National Conference
New Zealand Paralympian Tim Prendergast recently spoke to 1200 Head Teachers at a National Schools conference in the UK alongside LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton and Baroness Sue Campbell.

Visit the link below - Tim's presentation starts at 14:30 into the video.

To watch the video click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


16 Dec 2011
High Performance Investments Focused on Big Year of 2012
Kiwi athletes and teams who have performed well this year and those likely to do well in an Olympic year are the big winners in today’s 2012 investment announcement by High Performance Sport New Zealand.

High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) Acting Chief Executive Martin Toomey says the focus of today’s announcement is on 2012, with new and continued investment support geared towards Kiwi athletes aiming for podium finishes or top 16 results next year.

“These investment decisions also recognise recent strong performances by Kiwi athletes. We’re really excited by how New Zealanders have been performing on the world stage and we know we’ve got a big year ahead of us with the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he says.

To read the full article click here.

- High Performance Sport New Zealand


16 Dec 2011
Wheelchair Tennis Open Day - Auckland
The Halberg Trust, ParaFed Auckland and Tennislife have combined forces and are running a Wheelchair Tennis Open Day, on Thursday 26th January 2012 from 9am to 12pm at the Forrest Hill Tennis Centre, Auckland.

For more information click here.

- Halberg Trust


15 Dec 2011
New Zealand Misses on Para-Equestrian Team Qualification
There wasn’t too much excitement in the Kiwi Para-Equestrian camp with the team missing out to Australia on the one Oceania spot for the London Paralympics. New Zealand still has the opportunity to gain individual positions for the Paralympics through the rider rankings list.

The bonus to come out of the Australian competition was Jenny Affleck (Otago), Ilona Lawrence (Blenheim) and Anthea Gunner (Christchurch) all gaining their certificates of capability for the Paralympics. They join Jo Jackson (Rotorua), Rachel Stock (Auckland) and Frances Dick (Nelson) as New Zealand Para-Equestrian riders part way towards being eligible for selection for the 2012 Paralympics.

Rachel Stock was the best performed rider taking out the Reserve Champion title in the Grade 3.

However, none of the six have yet met the strict selection criteria of Paralympics New Zealand and Equestrian Sports New Zealand.

Paralympic Team Qualification
United States 1, Australia 2, New Zealand 3, Japan 4

- Equestrian Sport New Zealand


14 Dec 2011
Halberg Award Nominees Announced
Official nominations are in for the 2011 Westpac Halberg Awards.

This year the Trust has added the Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson category, which is to be awarded to the disabled sportsperson or team whose level of achievement represented excellence in sport at the highest level.

The nominees for the Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year are:

Carl Murphy - Snowboarding
George Thomas - Canoe
Daniel Sharp - Swimming
Jayne Parsons - Cycling
Michael Johnson - Shooting
Sophie Pascoe - Swimming
Susan Reid - Cycling

Swim coach Roly Crichton is a nominee for the Coach of the Year Award.

- Paralympics New Zealand


14 Dec 2011
Parsons, Reid and McBride Named Award Winners
Jayne Parsons, Sue Reid and Danny McBride have all been recognised for their outstanding performances over the past 12 months by being named award winners at various functions across the country.

At the Maori Sports Awards held in Auckland, cyclist Jayne Parsons was the recipient of the Disabled Maori Sportsperson of the Year Award. Parsons, with her pilot Sonia Waddell, are the current World Champions in the 3km Pursuit following their gold medal performance at the 2011 Para-Cycling Track World Championships.

Fellow cyclist Sue Reid was named Sportsperson of the Year at the Hauraki Thames Coromandel District Sports Awards following a successful year that included medals at the 2011 Para-Cycling Road World Championships and 2011 Para-Cycling Road World Cups.

Rower Danny McBride was named Sportsperson of the Year at the South Waikato District Awards, following his bronze medal performance at the Rowing World Championships in November 2011.

Maori Sports Awards
Jayne Parsons - Disabled Maori Sportsperson of the Year

Hauraki Thames Coromandel District Sports Awards
Sue Reid - Sportsperson of the Year

South Waikato District Awards
Danny McBride - Sportsperson of the Year


Jayne Parsons - Disabled Maori Sportsperson                   Danny McBride - South Waikato District Sportsperson

- Paralympics New Zealand


12 Dec 2011
Pascoe Named ParaFed Canterbury Sportsperson of the Year
Sophie Pascoe has been named the ParaFed Canterbury Sportsperson of the Year at the annual Christmas Function held in Christchurch last Saturday. This is the 5th year in a row that Pascoe has won this prestigious award.

Holly Robinson (now living in Dunedin) was named ParaFed Canterbury Junior Sportsperson of the Year following a successful 2011 which included competing at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships. Holly was also a winner of this award in 2009 and 2010.

Josh South was the recipient of the ParaFed Canterbury Coach Scholarship and Anthea Gunner was the recipient of the Graham Condon Athlete Scholarship.

Sportsperson of the Year
Sophie Pascoe - Swimming

Junior Sportsperson of the Year
Holly Robinson - Athletics

Most Promising Senior Athlete
Frances Dick - Equestrian

Most Promising Junior Athlete
Jason Wali - Athletics

Coach Scholarship
Josh South - Swimming

Graham Condon Athlete Scholarship
Anthea Gunner - Equestrian



                        Josh South - Swimming
  ParaFed Canterbury Coach Scholarship Recipient


For a full list of award winners visit www.parafedcanterbury.co.nz

- ParaFed Canterbury


11 Dec 2011
A Super Day For Hill while a Wet one for the Para-Dressage Riders
It was a wet day in Werribee, Australia on Saturday which saw two major thunder storms roll on through bringing with it lighting and thunder and enough water to provide plenty of mud, flooding of arenas and some stables.

On Saturday evening the FEI Pacific League World Cup Dressage Final Freestyle was held, which despite the raining clearing was held indoors in front of a large crowd.

Louisa Hill and Bates Antonello competing in only the pair’s sixth Grand Prix competition did a super Freestyle picking up a score of 70.375% and to take out third place in the League Final. This was a great achievement after what has been a long Australian campaign for Louisa and AJ, which has seen them now achieve the ESNZ and NZ Olympic Committee Olympic selection criteria. The pair has one further competition on Sunday being the Grand Prix Special, which could see them pick up yet another Olympic Selection Criteria score. Australian Rachel Sanna and Jaybee Alabaster took out the overall top honours and earning them a place in the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Germany next year.

The wet weather caused disruption to the FEI Para-Dressage competition with a halt being called in the middle of the Grade 3 competition then resuming an hour later. The two hours later a second storm came in which saw the Grade 2 competition being postponed till Sunday. This meant that the Para-Dressage Team competition can’t be finalised until Sunday when the Grade 2 riders will ride their individual championship competition instead of their Freestyle test which the other grades will compete for today. Unfortunately the Grade 2 riders will not get to compete their Freestyle test although this won’t affect any potential Paralympic Qualification.

For the kiwi Para-Dressage riders that did get to compete on Saturday, another mixed bag of results was achieved. Rachel Stock and Rimini Park Emmerich competing in Grade 3 did a nice test to improve slightly on their Friday score finishing with 63.889% and taking out second place. Anne Watts and BJK Cashmir picked up 3 extra percentage points from their previous day to achieve 57.611%.

In the Grade 4 competition Jo Jackson and Nonchalant scored 58.279%, a tough score despite some nice work being delivered. Jenny Affleck and Boss II picked up a similar score to that of they achieved on Friday, finishing on 60.108%. Ilona Lawrence and Taihoa Kingsmoor were the only other combination to compete and following a solid effort scored 61.250% to take out third place in the 1a Grade.

Competition concludes today (Sunday) and following the Grade 2 riders completing their championship test the final Team scores will be known, at this stage NZL is trailing Australia by 9% points.

For full results click the following link: www.equestrianvictoriaevents.com.au/DF/pdf/Day 3.pdf

- Equestrian Sport New Zealand


10 Dec 2011
IPC Honours Good and Great at Paralympic Awards Gala in Beijing
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) honoured the top athletes, officials, media and contributors to the Paralympic Movement in the last two years on Saturday evening (10 December) at the Paralympic Awards Gala in the Intercontinental Hotel ballroom in Beijing, China.

Sky Sport New Zealand won the broadcast category after capturing the true spirit of the Paralympic Games, in particular with its extraordinary coverage of alpine skier Adam Hall.

The live coverage of Hall’s gold-medal race captured the entire nation, and the network also produced live coverage of the Opening and Closing ceremonies, post-race interviews, medal presentations and a daily primetime 55-minute highlights programme.

To read the full article click here.

- International Paralympic Committee


09 Dec 2011
Fifteen Para-Equestrians Secure London 2012 Training Grants
Fifteen Para-Equestrians from five different countries have secured a share of a €25,500 London 2012 training grant from Eurovestech plc, the pan-European development capital fund.

Three riders from Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, Poland and Russia will use the grants to fund their training, with London 2012 Paralympic qualification as their major goal.

The grants were launched in July this year to support Para-Equestrians from nations where funding is limited and who have not won medals at the Paralympics, World Championships or World Equestrian Games since 2004.

New Zealand’s Frances Dick, who is aiming to compete at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, is delighted to be awarded a training grant. “My dream of bringing home a medal from the London 2012 Paralympics has just got a whole lot closer and the grant comes at a time when funding is critical in the countdown to 2012.”

Frances Dick will this week join fellow New Zealanders Joanna Jackson and Rachel Stock, who have also received Eurovestech training grants, at the Oceania team qualifier for London 2012 in Victoria (AUS) on 9-10 December, when New Zealand will go head-to-head with Australia to secure a team place (four athletes and four horses) in Greenwich.

The International Paralympic Committee last week ranked Paralympic Equestrian fourth on its “hottest” Paralympic sports to watch list. Spectator numbers for Paralympic Equestrian hit a record 40,000 even before remaining tickets went on sale last Friday (2 December).

“The grants are a welcome boost for these highly talented Para-Equestrian athletes who are training intensely for the London 2012 Paralympic Games,” said Chief Executive Officer of the International Paralympic Committee Xavier Gonzalez. “The IPC is looking forward to seeing riders representing a wide range of nations in London.”

The fifteen athletes who have received the Eurovestech training grants are:

Hong Kong - Robert Arro, Janny Ma, Natasha Tse
Israel - Yonathan Dressler, Omer Ben Dor, Amit Hasdai
New Zealand - Joanna Jackson, Rachel Stock, Frances Dick
Poland - Mariusz Woszczek, Patrycja Gepner, Tomasz Zdankowski
Russia - Oleg Burmistrov, Anton Arkhireev, Maria Zagorskaya

Trond Asmyr, FEI Director of Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage also welcomed the announcement of successful grant applicants. “The training grants will help our Paralympic hopefuls to focus clearly on their goals as we count down to London 2012,” he said.

“The spectator numbers at the London 2012 Paralympics will be phenomenal, and are already considerably higher than at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic equestrian events in Hong Kong where there were 33,000 people. This is helping to spur on our Para-Equestrian athletes who have competed at several Games, and for those who will be competing for the first time it will be an unforgettable experience.”

- Equestrian Sport New Zealand


02 Dec 2011
Sophie Pascoe Wins Attitude Award
Christchurch Paralympic swimmer Sophie Pascoe was crowned sports performer of the year for the second time at the Attitude Awards last night.

The awards celebrate the achievements of New Zealanders living with disabilities and have grown out of the Attitude television series, which screens on TVNZ.

Pascoe said last night's award was "special and humbling", even though it was the second time she had claimed the title sports performer of the year - in 2008 she won the same award.

The 18-year-old swimming champ broke two world records at the Pan Pacific para-swimming championships in Canada in August and said she "can't even remember how many medals" she came back with.

"Winning last night was actually very humbling because it was not just a sporting award. I was up against people that do completely different things," she said.

The full time athlete lost a lower leg in a lawnmowing accident when she was aged two.

She is currently touring the North Island on swim camp with the Paralympics New Zealand Swim Team and has her sights set on the London Paralympics next year.

"All I can ask for is a personal best and hopefully that gets me on the podium," she said.

- The Press


01 Dec 2011
2XU Appointed Official Uniform Partner of Paralympics New Zealand
Paralympics New Zealand today appointed leading performance sports brand, 2XU, as its Official Uniform Partner for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

With less than nine months to go until the Opening Ceremony in London, Paralympics New Zealand is ensuring that every step is taken to support athletes in achieving medal winning success. Partnering with performance industry leaders like 2XU is critical to this goal at these highly anticipated Paralympic Games.

2XU will engineer all Official Team Wear and supply its market leading performance Compression apparel to Paralympics New Zealand.

“As an organisation Paralympics New Zealand looks to partner with the best of the best. This is what we have achieved with 2XU,” said Paralympics New Zealand CEO, Fiona Pickering.

“2XU comes to us with an unmatched performance pedigree and specialist design process for elite athletes - attributes key to all our Team Apparel.”

“Our formal alliance with 2XU represents a powerful partnership between two leading performance brands, and we look forward to seeing both the New Zealand silver fern and 2XU logo on the podium next year!”

   
                 Jayne Parsons and Sophie Pascoe                                Danny McBride                    Mike Johnson

- Paralympics New Zealand


01 Dec 2011
London 2012: Nomination Criteria Ratified For Table Tennis
Paralympics New Zealand and Table Tennis New Zealand are pleased to advise that the Table Tennis nomination criteria for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been ratified by the PNZ Board.

To view the nomination criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


27 Nov 2011
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games Emblem Unveiled to the World
The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games emblem was unveiled on Saturday, November 26, at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, the lagoon that is one of Rio de Janeiro’s iconic landmarks and venue for the rowing and para-canoe events. The launch took place before approximately 200,000 people that watched the lighting of the 16th Bradesco Seguros Christmas Tree, the third largest annual event in the city, after the Copacabana New Year’s Eve celebration and the Carnival.

“This is an emblem that conveys passion and transformation from the perspective of the Paralympic Movement and its values: courage, determination, inspiration and equality. An emblem that not only can be seen, but also experienced through the various senses, reaching out to a larger number of people, in the same spirit of inclusion we want for the Games”, said the president of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

Emblem development was assigned to Tatil Design de Ideias, the same Brazilian design agency selected by Rio 2016 to create the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games emblem after a five-month selection process involving 139 local agencies. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recognised the breadth of this process, and also chose Tatil to develop the Paralympic emblem, as the agency was already immersed in the Rio 2016 values, which ensured full integration between the visual identity of both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.

The emblem was first displayed at the end of the three-minute official video exhibition on the big screen in the event’s main stage, facing the Rowing Stadium, and on other four big screens spread around Lagoa. The audience was taken by surprise when, after the video presentation, and to a thrilling soundtrack, a huge sculpture of the brand, 4m tall, 3m wide and weighing 160kg, was lifted by an hydraulic platform next to the stage. A trail of fireworks was lit up from the platform towards the Christmas Tree, signaling its lighting.

To read the full article click here.

- International Paralympic Committee


21 Nov 2011
Para-Cycling Oceania Track Championships
The Oceania Track Championships kick off today at the ILT Velodrome, Invercargill. It will be four days of fast racing as New Zealand's best track cyclists challenge the best from the Oceania Region.

A total of 35 Para-Cyclists from New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Africa will feature as part of the Para-Cycling Oceania Track Championships.

PNZ Cycling Team members Chris Ross, Nathan Smith, Fiona Southorn and the tandems of Jayne Parsons & Sonia Waddell and Phillipa Gray & Laura Thompson will all be in action during the event.

For more information on the event click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


18 Nov 2011
Disabled Category Added to Halberg Awards
New Zealand's disabled athletes will be recognised with a new award at the 2011 Halberg Awards.

The Halberg Trust, which has organised the annual awards for almost 50 years, has introduced a Disabled Sportsperson of the Year category for the first time.

The winner, like those from the existing Sportsman, Sportswoman and Team of the Year categories, will be eligible for the supreme Halberg Award - widely regarded as the country's pre-eminent crown of annual sporting achievement.

Disabled athletes have always been able to gain selection in the other categories with paraplegic archer Neroli Fairhall back in 1983, disabled alpine skier Rachael Battersby (2002) and disabled swimmer Sophie Pascoe (2008 and 2009) making Sportswoman category finalists.

But the Trust decided it was time for the growing number of this country's disabled athletes to have their own category for Halberg Award honours.

Halberg Trust chief executive Steve Hall says an annual review identified significant support for an award for disabled athletes from key stakeholders including national sports organisations, Halberg award winners and finalists, Halberg trustees, voting academy members, the media, sponsors and other key supporters.

"The award will be known as the Halberg Trust Disabled Sportsperson of the Year and will celebrate the achievements and excellence of our top disabled athletes. Halberg Trust is proud to be the sponsor of this award as we strive to increase the awareness of our disability and sport work, which we hope will ultimately enable us to help more disabled young people to participate in sport," Hall said.

Classified disabled athletes and teams only are eligible for the award.

Nominations for the Halbergs close at the end of this month with the finalists named at the beginning of January 2012.

- Halberg Trust


14 Nov 2011
Farewell Brian Monds
Early Saturday Brian Monds, that great servant of our family passed away suddenly. Administrator, Tall Black Manager, Wheelies Manager, Referee, Treasurer of the Wheelchair Board of Asia-Oceania, great lover of all Wheelchair sport, Brian was always in the midst of our game.

Basketball is a family game. Family is important at each level of the game from FIBA to our local Clubs.

Monzee as we all know him, has been in South Korea with the New Zealand Wheelchair basketball team and for the Zone Congress. He flew back to New Zealand on Saturday with the rest of the group, and died suddenly en route.

At the local level, Monzee was a long time President of the Hamilton Basketball Association, and then worked with the Waikato Basketball Council. An ardent supporter of Divisional basketball he developed the most successful regional competition in the country during the 1980′s and early 1990′s. He refereed throughout the region for decades. At the regional level he was the Treasurer of Basketball Pacific. Nationally he is a former member of the Board of BBNZ, Wheelchair Basketball, and the FIBA Asia-Oceania Wheelchair Zone. In recent time he was part of the organising group of the Oceania Youth Tournament, and a volunteer at the FIBA U19 World Championships.

- Basketball New Zealand


14 Nov 2011
IPC Shooting World Cup - Sydney
The PNZ Shooting Team will begin their competition tomorrow at the IPC Shooting World Cup being held in Sydney. The four-strong team features the trio of Michael Johnson, Grant Philip and Greg Reid who competed at the IPC Shooting World Championships last year. They are joined by the team's newest member Grant Sharman.

The team's schedule is below:

Tue 15th Nov
R4 - Michael Johnson, Grant Philip, Greg Reid

Wed 16th Nov
R3 - Greg Reid

Thu 17th Nov
R5 - Michael Johnson, Grant Philip, Greg Reid

Fri 18th Nov
R6 - Greg Reid

To follow the schedule and results from this competition visit www.ausshooting.org/results.html

- Paralympics New Zealand


12 Nov 2011
IWBF Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball Championships
Lack of International basketball experience showed as the New Zealand Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team collected the wooden spoon when it lost the 5th/6th play-off game to Iraq 80-59 at the Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball qualifying tournament in Goyang City, Korea.

The teams had clashed on Tuesday with Iraq beating the Kiwis 76-71 after the game was tied 66-66 at end of normal time.

New Zealand made a promising start in its final pool play game against Chinese Taipei, trailing 31-33 at half-time and 45-50 by the third quarter break. Inconsistent shooting proved costly, eventually loosing 71-51.

In the play-off game Iraq started strongly, leading 21-10 by quarter time but New Zealand held their own in the second quarter but still trailed 36-25 at the break. Iraq outpointed the Kiwis in the third period and again New Zealand had a strong final quarter. Cantabrians in the team, Reo Lewis (15) and John Weiser (12), led the efforts for New Zealand.

Meanwhile third seed Japan caused a big upset when it pipped top seed and host team Korea 78-77 in round robin play on Wednesday to set up the Men’s Gold Medal encounter on Thursday against the unbeaten Australian team.

In the Men’s Gold medal play-off, refereed by Gavin Zimmerman of Christchurch, the unbeaten Australians pulled out to a handy 30-9 first quarter lead and extended it to 48-23 by the break. Japan came back a little in the last two quarters but Australia took the Gold medal, winning 69-48.

Host team Korea thumped Chinese Taipei 80-48 in the bronze medal game.

There was a huge three way tie in the double round robin for the Women but Japan missed out on the gold final on differential. In a game of changing fortunes the Australian Women also took the Gold medal play-off edging out China 45-44 after China was ahead 34-32 at three quarter time. The top two men’s and women’s teams qualify for the 2012 London Paralympics.

Other pool play results were Australia 104 New Zealand 27, Korea 96 New Zealand 31, Japan 88 New Zealand 32, Iraq 76 New Zealand 71 in extra-time, Chinese Taipei 71 New Zealand 51. Play-off 5th/6th: Iraq 80 New Zealand 59.

For more information visit www.kwbf.or.kr/2011goyang/

- Basketball New Zealand


10 Nov 2011
IWRF Asia Oceania Wheelchair Rugby Championships
Australia and Japan’s Wheelchair Rugby teams solidified their places at the London 2012 Paralympic Games on Tuesday (8 November) after finishing first and second, respectively, at the Asia Oceania Championships in Icheon, Korea.

These results unfortunately have left the New Zealand Wheel Blacks ranked 9th in the world and missing out on qualification for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Australia took the event title with a 59-41 victory over Japan in the finals and finished the Championships undefeated, but the Japan’s 47-45 win over New Zealand in the semi-final round was just enough for Japan to qualify for London 2012 ahead of the kiwis. The heart-breaking game for New Zealand supporters was the make-or-break game for the Wheel Blacks and they came agonizingly close finishing just two points adrift.

In the bronze-medal game, New Zealand defeated host nation Korea, 62-44.

Australia and Japan will now be a part of the eight-team draw at London 2012, which also includes the USA, Canada, Sweden, Belgium, France and Great Britain.

- Paralympics New Zealand


09 Nov 2011
Logistics Manager Position Vacancy (Wanaka Based) - High Performance Sport New Zealand
A full-on and varied logistics and project planning role for 3 key stakeholders (Winter Performance Programme, New Zealand Olympic Committee and Paralympics New Zealand).

In conjunction with others, the role is responsible for the WPP logistics and organisation for premier events and games plans from now through to Sochi Winter Games in 2014, ensuring the logistical preparation and smooth transition to the Games for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games teams.

For more information click here.

- High Performance Sport New Zealand


08 Nov 2011
ITF Relaunches Wheelchair Tennis Website
The ITF today announced the relaunch of the official ITF Wheelchair Tennis website, coinciding with the start of this week's NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters, the ITF's year-ending wheelchair tennis event taking place in Mechelen, Belgium on the 8th - 12th November 2011.

Since wheelchair tennis became a fully integrated part of the ITF in 1997, it has become one of the fastest growing Paralympic Sports and is currently played in more than 100 countries. The NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour, organised by the ITF, currently consists of 170 tournaments in more than 40 countries offering over $1 million in prize money. The tour includes wheelchair tennis events at all four Grant Slam tournaments.

The main aim of the new-look site is to improve the ease of navigation and enhance the users experience for visitors to the site. This has been achieved by relating content across the player, tournament and ranking areas. A wide range of photos are displayed on the homepage and within news articles and galleries, while the website also supports wheelchair tennis's social media initiatives on Twitter and Facebook.

Visit the ITF wheelchair tennis website www.beta.itftennis.com/wheelchair/home.aspx.

- ITF Wheelchair Tennis


07 Nov 2011
Central North Island Wins PNZ National Championships
Central North Island walked away as the first-place finisher at the 38th edition of the Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) National Championships last weekend in Hamilton.

Auckland-Northland finished second in the 16-sport event, while Canterbury finished third.

The final team standings were as follows:

1   Central North Island
2   Auckland-Northland
3   Canterbury
4   Southern North Island
5   Otago-Southland

- Paralympics New Zealand


07 Nov 2011
National Championships a Success in Hamilton
The 38th Mitsubishi Motors PNZ National Championships were held in Hamilton over the weekend of the 3rd – 6th November 2011.

This was the first time that the event had been held in Hamilton since 1999 and it was a huge success not only for the 160 athletes who took part, but for the organisers, volunteers and students who got involved.

This bi-annual event is an opportunity for representative athletes to compete alongside developing athletes and provides many with the chance to compete at a national level for the first time, and has proven to be the breeding ground for future Paralympians.

Overall award winners for performances at the event were Francis Dick in the sport of Equestrian winning the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy for outstanding performance and Nikita Howarth who won the prestigious Graham Condon Future Paralympian Award for her performances in the sport of Swimming. Francis finished with gold medals in the FEI Novice Test, the FEI Championship Test , the FEI Musical Freestyle Test and the FEI Team Test. Nikita Howarth finished the meet with four medals breaking four PNZ records on her way.

The team from Central North Island (Waikato and Bay of Plenty) won bragging rights for the next two years in claiming the Regional Team Trophy – their first team trophy since 1991. Second place was the Auckland-Northland region followed by Canterbury in third place.

- Paralympics New Zealand


05 Nov 2011
Pascoe Named Canterbury Disabled Sportsperson of the Year
Paralympic Swimmer Sophie Pascoe has been named the Canterbury Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the 2011 Sir Richard Hadlee Sport Canterbury Awards held in Christchurch last night.

The Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Trust and Sport Canterbury have honoured the achievements of local athletes and sporting legends for over 20 years.

The winners were selected from amongst 130 nominations representing 27 sporting codes across the region, presenting judges with an unenviable task, given the calibre of contenders.

For a full list of award winners click here.


03 Nov 2011
38th Mitsubishi Motors PNZ National Championships
The 38th Mitsubishi Motors PNZ National Championships are being held in Hamilton this weekend.

Sports include Athletics, Boccia, Cycling, Equestrian, Goalball, Lawn Bowls, Powerlifting, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis and Wheelchair Tennis.

See www.parafedwaikato.co.nz for the event schedule. All events are free for spectators.

- ParaFed Waikato


03 Nov 2011
2011 Sir Richard Hadlee Sport Canterbury Awards
The 2011 Sir Richard Hadlee Sport Canterbury Awards will be held tomorrow evening at the Canterbury CBS Arena and will showcase achievement over adversity - with 18 of 27 regional sports represented in the finalists list.

“In a year that will be remembered for natural challenges, from earthquakes to snowstorms, Canterbury athletes continue to surprise New Zealand with their resilience and winning spirit,” says Sport Canterbury CEO Geoff Barry.

Canterbury sports clubs were represented with a surprisingly high number of nominees, given the particular challenges to grass roots sport in retaining membership and sustaining growth over the past 12 months.

The Canterbury Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability finalists are:

Holly Robinson - Athletics
Rueben Buzzard - Rugby Union
Scott Martlew - Surf Life Saving
Sophie Pascoe - Swimming

From the 2011 Finalists, the judges have also chosen an overall winner, who will take the title of the Sir Richard Hadlee Sports Trust Supreme Sportsperson of the Year.

For a full list of finalists click here.


03 Nov 2011
Wheelchair Rugby Heavyweights Prepare for Battle in Korea
Three of the world’s top 10 Wheelchair Rugby teams, as well as hosts South Korea, will go head-to-head this weekend in the Asia Oceania Regional Championships in Seoul (4-7 November) to contest two qualification spots for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

New Zealand, ranked 9th in the world, will face stiff competition against world number two Australia and world number three Japan. Hosts Korea are ranked 18th in the world.

Eight teams will contest the medals in Wheelchair Rugby at the London 2012 Paralympic Games which get underway on 29 August.

The New Zealand team is:

Daniel Buckingham (co-captain)
Barney Koneriferisi
Christopher Lay
Tainafi Lefono
Cameron Leslie
Christopher Moore
Curtis Palmer
Gavin Rolton
Sholto Taylor
Jai Waite (co- captain)

To follow the schedule and results visit the tournament website www.wheelrug.org.

- Paralympics New Zealand


31 Oct 2011
IWBF Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball Championships
The New Zealand Men's Wheelchair Basketball team will compete at the IWBF Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Goyang City, Korea between the 4th - 10th November 2011.

The first and second place finishers of the six men's team tournament will qualify a place for their country at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The six teams competing are Australia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Iraq and New Zealand.

For more information visit www.kwbf.or.kr/2011goyang/

- Wheelchair Basketball New Zealand


31 Oct 2011
Denmark to host 2014 IWRF World Championships
The International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) has announced that, following a competitive bid process, the city of Odense, Denmark has been selected to host the 2014 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championship. IWRF President John Bishop made the announcement awarding the bid at the conclusion of the 2011 IWRF European Zone Championship in Nottwil, Switzerland.

"The Danish Sports Organization for the Disabled submitted an excellent bid to host the 2014 World Championship," said IWRF Competitions Committee Chair Kathy Newman, who conducted the official site visit during the bid process. "The International Wheelchair Rugby Federation is confident that Denmark will be a great host and will ensure the best possible experience for the teams attending the World Championship in Odense."

The President of the Odense Organizing Committee, Mette Holstein, thanked IWRF for the opportunity to host the event, saying "On behalf of the whole organizing committee, we are looking very much forward to working together with IWRF on making the 2014 World Championship an amazing event!"

The event will be the sixth World Championship in the history of the sport and will feature the top twelve teams from around the world. This will be the third time the World Championship has been held in Europe and the first time in Denmark. The organizing committee will draw on the extensive hosting experience of the Danish Sports Organization for the Disabled, National Paralympic Committee Denmark, Sport Fyn, the City of Odense and Sport Denmark, which includes hosting IWRF European Championships in 2005 and 2009.

- International Wheelchair Rugby Federation


28 Oct 2011
Collision Has Silver Lining For Paralympic Hopeful
Dunedin Paralympics hopeful Chris Ross says the generosity of a passerby helped him ‘‘turn a bad situation into a good one’’ after an accident at a roundabout in Maori Hill left his body bruised and his bike damaged.

Mr Ross (23), who hopes to make the New Zealand team for the 2012 London Paralympics, said the collision between him and a car at the round about at the top end of Drivers Rd on the morning of October 12 left him with a damaged helmet and bike and ‘‘a whole lot of bruising down the left hand side of my thigh and a few grazes’’.

He said he was initially worried the accident could affect his chances of making the London team but luckily his helmet and ‘‘solid-as’’ prosthetic arm took most of the impact.

Police are investigating the incident.

The driver of the vehicle involved did not wish to comment when contacted by The Star.

Among the passersby who came to Mr Ross’ aid was Andrew Elliott, who happened to be walking his dog past the scene of the accident.

Mr Ross called Mr Elliot a few days later about being a witness, and offered to pay for a new helmet.

‘‘He said, ‘well let’s turn a bad situation into a good one and no matter what happens we’ll just pay for helmet and everything if need be’.

‘‘It was completely out of the blue, I didn’t know him from a bar of soap and he was just up there walking past,’’ Mr Ross said.

Mr Ross said a helmet had been paid for by the driver of the car, so Mr Elliott instead paid for a bike top.

Mr Elliott said he was happy to pay for the top.

‘‘I just really like people to be superstars in their own right.

‘‘I saw this guy, he was young, he was out there training . . . and I just took my hat off to him.

Mr Ross, who has only been in the sport for two years, competes in the kilo — a 1000m time trial — and the pursuit.

At his first world championships in Italy in March he placed 13th in the kilo and 17th in the pursuit.

Mr Ross says his immediate aim is to secure a spot in the NZ team for the London Paralympics.

In the long term he wants to get a podium placing in the Kilo at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics in 2016.



- Dunedin Star


27 Oct 2011
Dubber Named As AIMES Emerging Talent Recipient
Auckland swimmer Rebecca Dubber was last night named as a recipient of a North Harbour Club AIMES Emerging Talent Award for her swimming achievements.

Rebecca is pictured below with her award.



For more information o the AIMES Awards visit www.northharbourclub.co.nz.

- Paralympics New Zealand


26 Oct 2011
Commemoration 30 Years of Australian Junior National Games
This year marks thirty years since the inception of the Australian Junior National Games in 1981. This iconic event has been the training ground to assist the evolution of many Australian Paralympians including Louise Sauvage and Kurt Fearnley, to name just a few of the many.

To read the full article click here.

- Wheelchair Sports Australia


21 Oct 2011
Adam Hall Named as Finalist for IPC Best Male Athlete Award
New Zealander Adam Hall has been named as one of the five snow sport athletes to make up the shortlist for the Best Male Athlete Category for the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) 2011 Paralympic Sport Awards.

The award will be presented by the IPC to the top male athlete for his accomplishments at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games.

The five finalists for the award are: New Zealand alpine skier Adam Hall; German alpine skier Gerd Schoenfelder; Russian biathlete and cross-country skier Irek Zaripov; Slovakian alpine skier Jakub Krako and Canadian biathlete and cross-country skier Brian McKeever.

Adam Hall: Born with spina bifida, Hall quickly became the pride of New Zealand at 22 after claiming an unlikely gold medal in the Alpine Skiing Slalom Standing event in Vancouver. After a stunning first run that put him well into the lead, a remarkable recovery following a fall in his second run pushed him to gold.

Gerd Schoenfelder: After picking up five medals in Vancouver, the 41-year-old became one of the most decorated Paralympic athletes in history, as he has now won 22 Paralympic Games medals, including 16 golds. At his sixth Winter Games in Vancouver, the German took four golds in Alpine Skiing (Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom, Super Combined) and one silver (Slalom). After winning two golds, a silver and a bronze at the 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Sestriere, Italy, Schoenfelder announced his retirement.

Irek Zaripov: The Russian, who lost both of his legs after a car accident back in 2000, won five total medals in Vancouver, including four golds and a silver. He struck gold in two Biathlon events (2.4km Pursuit, 12.5km Pursuit) and two Cross-Country Skiing events (15km Sitting, 10km Sitting), in addition to picking up a silver in Cross-Country (Sprint Sitting).

Jakub Krako: The visually impaired Slovakian won gold in three Alpine Skiing disciplines in Vancouver – men’s slalom, giant slalom and Super G. The then-20-year-old also picked up a silver in the Super Combined. He capped off his year with a victory in the Super G World Cup, and then won the Slalom World Cup in 2011.

Brian McKeever: At his home Games in Vancouver, McKeever, who started skiing at 3 and began losing his vision at 19, claimed gold in three events. McKeever won three Cross-Country Skiing disciplines: 20km Freestyle, 10km Classic Style and Sprint Classic Style. He won the Best Male Athlete Category in the 2007 Paralympic Sport Awards and was the first Canadian athlete with a disability to ski in an able-bodied event in 2007.

The award winner will be announced during a special ceremony held in conjunction with the 2011 IPC General Assembly in Beijing, China, in December.

- International Paralympic Committee


20 Oct 2011
Success for Tony Brogden
Disabled shooter Tony Brogden has recently returned from winning the International Trap Grand Prix in Italy. Mr Brogden spoke with Nor-West News.

To read the article click here.

- Nor-West News


19 Oct 2011
SKY Sport Wins Award for Paralympics Coverage
SKY Sport's coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games has been hailed as the best in the world taking top honours in the broadcast category of the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) 2011 Paralympic Media Awards.

The coveted international accolade is awarded to the television broadcaster that presented the highest quality and most dynamic coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games, and SKY Sport topped a powerful line up of broadcasters in a category which was open to all rights holding broadcasters, non-rights holding broadcasters and documentary filmmakers. Other finalists for the award included Germany's Bertelsmann, Sweden's SVT Sport, China's CCTV, Australia's ABC TV, Germany's ZDF and Canada's CTV.

This was SKY Sport's first time covering the Winter Paralympic Games, with coverage comprising a full one hour live studio show featuring daily highlights for the duration as well as both the Opening and Closing ceremonies.

Judges made special mention of SKY's broadcast of Adam Hall's dramatic Gold medal win live to the New Zealand public, resulting in the young Paralympian becoming an instant celebrity and household name overnight.

Paralympics New Zealand CEO, Fiona Pickering said "SKY Sport's coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games was simply outstanding. Not only were the highlights packages and post race interviews second to none, but capturing Adam Hall's inspirational gold medal run and broadcasting it live to a captivated New Zealand audience has done an amazing amount to increase the public awareness and recognition of Paralympic Sport in New Zealand."

"I cannot imagine a more worthy winner for this award than SKY and I look forward to joining them in Beijing at the 2011 IPC General Assembly when the presentation will be made. I see this as a building block for developing the greater profile of Paralympic Sport and increasing the profile of New Zealand's Paralympic athletes in the future."

SKY's Director of Sport, Kevin Cameron, was equally delighted.

"We continuously strive to produce the best quality sports productions, so to learn we have been awarded the 2011 Paralympic Media Award is extremely gratifying. Tui McKendrick, Executive Producer and her talented team worked tirelessly on this production it is an honour to be named the winner from the elite list of contenders worldwide," he concluded.

The award will officially be presented to SKY at a gala dinner during the IPC General Assembly in Beijing, China, on 10 December 2011.

SKY is pleased to confirm that during the 2012 London Paralympics we will show two comprehensive one hour highlights packages daily.

- Paralympics New Zealand


17 Oct 2011
London 2012: Nomination Criteria Ratified For Swimming
Paralympics New Zealand and Swimming New Zealand are pleased to advise that the Swimming nomination criteria for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been ratified by the PNZ Board.

To view the nomination criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


14 Oct 2011
Attitude Videos Added To PNZ Website
You can now watch episodes of Attitude TV featuring Paralympics New Zealand athletes on our website.

To view the videos click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


08 Oct 2011
Graham Condon Leisure Complex Ready
The opening of a Christchurch pool complex named after late Paralympian and city councillor Graham Condon is a "pretty proud" moment, his widow says.

The $13 million Graham Condon Recreation and Sport Centre at Papanui High School will open tomorrow to help the city's depleted pool stocks after the closure of the earthquake-damaged Queen Elizabeth II Park centre and the inner-city Centennial complex.

Condon, a city councillor and seven-times Paralympic medallist, was killed while riding his hand-cycle in 2007.

His widow, Kathy, now deputy chairwoman of the Shirley-Papanui Community Board, said she was "pretty proud" the centre had been named in his memory.

She said he and other advocates lobbied to have a recreation facility in the area.

The new complex has an eight-lane, 25-metre indoor pool, a spa pool, learners' pool, toddlers' pool, sports hall and fitness centre.

"It's been quite a while happening, but it's a really important time for Christchurch to get a new facility up and running," Kathy Condon said.

"He was really thrilled when [approval] was passed at the council. His term was a `win-win for all'."

Foodstuffs appealed against the parking allocation for the centre site next to its Pak 'n Save Northlands supermarket, but last year dropped the Environment Court action.

Condon said she was confident the dispute would be resolved, but it had delayed construction by about a year.

She was impressed with the finished product, especially the wheelchair accessibility.

"It's more spacious than you realise, and it's very light. It's really good for little kiddies and really accessible, with ramps into the pool and spa pool."

The official opening would mean "mixed emotions", she said: "We're all pretty excited about it. All the immediate family will be there at the opening.

"It's a huge legacy. The [Condon] name's going to be around for a while."

Mayor Bob Parker said it was a "fitting tribute" and recognised the valuable work Condon did for the community and helping sportspeople achieve their potential.

The centre is a partnership between the council and Papanui High School, with support from the Northlands Shopping Centre.

- The Press


08 Oct 2011
Johnson Wins Second Medal at IPC Shooting World Cup
At the third day of the IPC Shooting World Cup in Georgia, USA, Mike Johnson secured his second medal, taking silver in the 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed R5.

Vasyl Kovalchuk of the Ukraine battled with Johnson until the end for the gold medal. Both athletes shot a perfect 600 match points and oddly enough, 105.3 points apiece in the final to tie at 705.3 points. In a sudden-death shoot-off, Kovalchuk topped Johnson 10.5 to 10.4 points. The bronze medalist was Ryan Cockbill of Great Britain with 600 match points and 104.9 points in the final for 704.9 total points.

Greg Reid placed 15th in the 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed R3 event with a score of 595, Great Britain's Matthew Skelhon won the event with a score of 704.9. Reid's focus now moves to Sunday's 50m Rifle Prone R4.

For more information visit www.usashooting.org.

- Paralympics New Zealand


08 Oct 2011
Johnson Wins Second Medal at IPC Shooting World Cup
At the third day of the IPC Shooting World Cup in Georgia, USA, Mike Johnson secured his second medal, taking silver in the 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed R5.

Vasyl Kovalchuk of the Ukraine battled with Johnson until the end for the gold medal. Both athletes shot a perfect 600 match points and oddly enough, 105.3 points apiece in the final to tie at 705.3 points. In a sudden-death shoot-off, Kovalchuk topped Johnson 10.5 to 10.4 points. The bronze medalist was Ryan Cockbill of Great Britain with 600 match points and 104.9 points in the final for 704.9 total points.

Greg Reid placed 15th in the 10m Air Rifle Prone mixed R3 event with a score of 595, Great Britain's Matthew Skelhon won the event with a score of 704.9. Reid's focus now moves to Sunday's 50m Rifle Prone R4.

For more information visit www.usashooting.org.

- Paralympics New Zealand


07 Oct 2011
Johnson Wins Gold at IPC Shooting World Cup
Paralympics New Zealand shooter Mike Johnson has won Gold in the R4 10m Air Rifle Mixed category at the IPC Shooting World Cup in Georgia, USA today.

Johnson showed his class against a field of 71 competitors from 17 countries, scoring a perfect 600 score in the preliminary round. Johnson was the only athlete with the field to achieve this perfect score with Australian Bradley Mark and Sinisa Vidic from Serbia both scoring 599.

In the final Mike shot a 104.0 giving him a total score of 704.0. Second place went to the Serbian with a score of 702.4 and third was secured by Australia's Bradley Mark who shot a total score of 702.2.

With less than a year to go in the lead up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games Johnson will be will be looking to carry this result forward and secure his third Paralympic Games medal in as many Games.

After this strong start for the Paralympics New Zealand shooting team, Johnson and teammate Greg Reid will look to continue the this form again tomorrow in their respective 10m Air Rifle Prone competitions.

For more information visit www.usashooting.org.

- Paralympics New Zealand


06 Oct 2011
Wheelchair Basketball - Have A Go Day in Auckland
On Saturday 8th October 2011, the Halberg Trust and North Harbour Basketball will host the Wheelchair Basketball Have a Go Day. The programme is a free opportunity for anybody to come down and try wheelchair basketball.

When: Saturday 8th October 2011, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Where: North Shore Events Centre, Silverfield (off Porana Road), Glenfield
Cost: Free
More information: chris@halberg.co.nz or (09) 623 7984

   Wheelchair Basketball Have A Go Day


- Halberg Trust


05 Oct 2011
Sailing - Have A Go Day in Auckland
On Saturday 15th October 2011, Sailability Auckland, Auckland Blind Sailing and Yachting New Zealand will host the Sailing Have a Go Day. The programme is a free opportunity for anybody to come down and try sailing.
 
No experience is required and all the necessary adaptive equipment to suit any new sailor will be provided, including lifejackets. No need to pre-register, just come along on the Saturday prepared to go out on the water.

When: Saturday 15th October 2011, 10:00- 2:00pm
Where: Westhaven Marina, Saint Mary’s Bay
Cost: Free
More information: Kristine@yachtingnz.org.nz or (09) 361 4023

   Sailing Have A Go Day
    
   Introduction to Sailability Auckland

Sailability Auckland will be starting their first 8 week learn to sail course for people with a disability on Sunday 23rd October 2011. This course is limited to 8 people and usually fills fast.

- Yachting New Zealand


05 Oct 2011
PNZ Records - Update
The Paralympics New Zealand Records for the sports of Athletics, Cycling, Powerlifting and Swimming (short course & long course) have been updated and are now online.

For new and developing athletes, please be aware that to be eligible for a Paralympics New Zealand record, athletes must:

- Hold New Zealand Citizenship
- Hold a current National or International Classification

To view the records click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


04 Oct 2011
Paralympics New Zealand and Attitude Pictures Join Forces
Paralympics New Zealand and Attitude Pictures are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see the two work together more closely in the future.

A short video clip has been put together showcasing Paralympics New Zealand athletes and the human side of Paralympic Sport.

Watch for new videos telling the stories of these and other athletes as they aim for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

To view the video click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


21 Sep 2011
Ticketing for the London 2012 Paralympic Games
The authorised ticketing reseller for New Zealand for the London 2012 Paralympic Games is Stars Travel International.

Stars Travel International are currently taking expressions of interest for ticketing, travel and accommodation packages for the Paralympic Games which are now than less than a year away. Be sure to get in quickly to secure your tickets for this once in a life time event.

Stars Travel International's contact details and a registration of interest form can be found below:

    Stars Travel International - Registration of Interest

- Paralympics New Zealand


21 Sep 2011
Nominations Now Open for 2011 Samoan Sports Association Youth Scholarships
Outstanding young sportsmen and women of Samoan descent under the age of 21 living in New Zealand can now apply for the 2011 Samoan Sports Association Youth Scholarships.

Since 2003, the Association has awarded over 135 junior sportsmen and women scholarships totaling more than $100,000, with a number of recipients going on to represent New Zealand on the international arena in rugby, swimming, softball, martial arts, touch and gymnastics.

Samoan Sports Association President Papali’itele Peter Fatialofa says “Since the Samoan Sports Association began more than a decade and a half ago, we have seen young Samoans excelling in a diverse range of sporting codes. Recognition of our young ones gives the entire community encouragement, inspiring all to achieve their goals. With the world’s eyes now on us for the Rugby World Cup, what better timing for the entire community to be inspired by Samoan’s outstanding contributions to New Zealand sport”

Application forms can be downloaded from the website - www.samoansports.co.nz. Entrants must provide evidence to support their application including certificates, photos and letters of endorsement. Applications close Monday 17 October 2011.

- Samoan Sports Association


20 Sep 2011
London 2012 Paralympic Medals Unveiled
The London 2012 Paralympic Games medals have been unveiled at the opening of a new display at the British Museum for the Cultural Olympiad which gives the public their first opportunity to see the medals.

The medals, which are presented in recognition of the incredible achievement of outstanding Paralympic athletes, will be made in Britain and have been designed by Lin Cheung, a practising Jewellery artist and senior lecturer in Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, London. In 2012 more than 2,100 Paralympic medals will be presented in 502 Paralympic victory ceremonies in more than 19 venues over 11 days of competition.



Inspired by the endurance, focus and achievement of elite Paralympic athletes, Lin Cheung has created a medal that not only represents the core values, beliefs and spirit of the Games, but that is also a desirable object, tactile and rich in elements of illustration, typography and texture.

The obverse side of the medal represents ‘Spirit in motion’. The image struck into the obverse surface of the Paralympic medal is an imagined close-up section of an outstretched wing of the Greek Goddess of Victory, which has been depicted on the front of the Olympic medal since 2004. This image represents forward flight, power and lightness - a natural metaphor for the spirit of the Paralympic Games.

The reverse of the medal represents ‘The heart of victory’. A depiction of the area close to the heart of the Greek Goddess of Victory is symbolically chosen to reflect inclusion and togetherness at an historical event. To further the concept of modernity and 5th century BC authenticity, the reverse is overlaid with textural qualities moulded directly from the Plaster Cast of ‘The Nike of Paionios’ residing in the British Museum Cast Collection. The original statue: The Nike of Paionios, sculpted in marble by Paionios from Mende between 425-421 BC can be seen in The Museum of Olympia, Ilia, Greece.

- International Paralympic Committee


16 Sep 2011
ParaFed Canterbury Athlete & Coach Scholarships
Applications are now open for the 2012 ParaFed Canterbury Athlete and Coach Scholarships.

The 2012 ParaFed Canterbury Scholarship Programme aims to support more developing athletes and coaches through the whole Canterbury region and across a range of sports. ParaFed Canterbury has $23,000 to support scholarships in 2012.

For more information and to apply visit www.parafedcanterbury.co.nz/scholarships.html. Applications close on Wednesday 9th November 2011.

- ParaFed Canterbury


14 Sep 2011
The Welsh Come To Town
In the native Welsh tongue, Sut mae, Croeso i Gymru, (that's hello, welcome to Wales), guests were welcomed to the Big Welsh Pub Quiz night held at the Bluestone Room, Auckland, on Thursday 8th September 2011.

Hosts for the evening, Maggie Hunt MH Marketing and Sally Holyer, Visit Britain, combined the arrival of the First Minister of Wales, The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, with a casual quiz night, and questions conveniently based around Wales. Guests dined on traditional Kiwi fare - fish'n'chips - while being entertained at one point with a rendition of famous Welshman, Tom Jones, 'Delilah'.

The event also marked the official signing of a memorandum by the Welsh Government and the Oceania Paralympic Committee which will see all Oceania Region Paralympic nations – New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands - performing their final preparations in Wales prior to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

To view photos of the visit click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


13 Sep 2011
Paralympics New Zealand Annual General Meeting
The 43rd Paralympics New Zealand Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday 24th September 2011 between 1:00pm - 4:00pm at the Novotel, Auckland International Airport, Auckland.

To view the 2010-2011 PNZ Annual Report click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


12 Sep 2011
Final Days Action Features Blue Ribbon Event
The final day of the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships commenced with the Blue Ribbon event in the 107.6km men's tandem road race.

New Zealand's Rob Matthews and Justin Kerr were looking to improve on their time trial performance and their 10th placing in the road race event at the 2010 World Championships. The core of the competitors raced as one bunch for the first three laps, then the French, Polish and Slovakian’s teams attempted a breakaway which would eventually turn out to be a race winning break. Matthews and Kerr raced predominantly at the rear end of the main bunch until the second to last lap when Kerr used all his tactical skills to slowly push the New Zealand pairings way through to become near the front of the bunch on the sprint home. The New Zealand pairing finished in 8th position, which PNZ Programme Director described as fantastic result considering the quality of field and that the New Zealanders were racing on a borrowed bike as theirs had been damaged in transit.

Next up were the pairings of Jayne Parsons and Sonia Waddell, and Phillipa Gray and Laura Thompson in the women’s 76.9km Road Race. Both pairings were geared up for a big race especially after both tandems finished in the top 4 in the time trial event two days earlier. Unfortunately for Gray and Thompson the race ended at the start when the Great Britain tandem and New Zealand tandem locked wheels and handlebars causing damage to the New Zealand pairs bike. By the time this was repaired the gap was too big and New Zealand was down to one tandem. The women raced predominantly in one bunch for the duration of the race. Positioning became vital for the sprint home and with riders across the track. In what was a close finish New Zealand were fourth behind USA and the two Netherlands bikes while to 2010 World Champions, Canada were 5th.

Summary of Results - Day 4

- Paralympics New Zealand


11 Sep 2011
A Day of Action in Denmark
The third day of the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships was an early start for hand cyclist Sue Reid. Reid who had won the bronze medal two days earlier in the road time trial was competing in the 46.1km road race with an 8am start.

With a similar field to that of the time trial it was always going to be a four athlete race between Monica Biasco (USA), Sandra Graff (SUI), Rachael Morris (GBR) and Reid. Biasco and Graff went out to an early lead in the first lap leaving Reid and Morris to fight for the bronze medal for the rest of the race. With 2km to go, Morris slowly edged away to win the bronze, with Reid in 4th position.

The afternoons racing saw Nathan Smith and Fiona Southorn race in the road race for their respective classes.

Smith was first away in the four lap 61.5km contest. Smith was in a competitive field featuring the top 3 world ranked athletes in Steffan Warrias (GER), Jacky Galletaud (FRA) and Roberta Bargna (ITA), the three pronged Great Britain attack of Shaun McKeown, Darren Kenny and Rik Waddon, and the new world time trial champion David Nicholas (AUS).

After the first of four laps, two athletes dropped out due to an accident while the rest stayed together as one bunch. From there nothing changed apart from a few breakaway attempts. This set the race up for a thrilling finish with no less than 15 riders positioning themselves for the sprint home. Smith was positioned nicely throughout the race and when lining up the finish just 800m from the finish line a Columbian rider fell in front of him taking Smith and many other riders out. Smith got back on the bike with severe grazes to finish 15th. Warrias, Galletaud, McKeown were all involved in the same accident and finished in close quarters.

Smith said it was unfortunate the accident occurred as he felt good and was in a good position to finish the race well however accepted this was part of road racing.

Fiona Southorn finished 10th in the C5 women’s road race.

Tomorrow is the final day of the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships and will feature the tandem teams of Rob Matthews and Justin Kerr, Jayne Parsons and Sonia Waddell and Phillipa Gray and Laura Thompson.

Summary of Results - Day 3

- Paralympics New Zealand


10 Sep 2011
Silver on Day 2 of the Para-Cycling Road World Championships
The PNZ Cycling Team have backed up a solid first day of competition with a silver medal, along with a 4th and 13th place on day 2 of the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark.

Day two was held in near perfect conditions; the sun was out and there was little wind to contend with. The day was devoted to tandems and Paralympics New Zealand had six athletes competing in the road time trial. Rob Matthews road with pilot Justin Kerr and Jayne Parsons rode with pilot Sonia Waddell. Phillipa Gray rode with pilot Laura Thompson. Waddell and Thompson are both previous national representatives in the sports of rowing and basketball respectively. The road time trial event involved completing two loops of the time trial course a total of 30.6km.

Matthews and Kerr competed in a strong field of 27 tandems and finished in a credible 13th. The race was won by the current world champions and Italian brothers Ivano and Luca Pizzi in a time of 38:17 min. The race was a tightly contested event with less than a minute separating Matthews and Kerr from the top six.

In the afternoon the women’s tandem event was the attraction with two New Zealand tandems competing. Parsons and Waddell were one of the favourites to medal in this event after being 4th last year and winning gold at the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling World Track Championships in the 3km pursuit. This was a new event for Gray and Thompson as they had become a tandem pair over the last 12 months.

The final result saw the Canadian pairing of Robbie Weldon and Lyne Bessette win the event by 34 seconds from Parsons and Waddell who won silver. The pairing of Gray and Thompson were narrowly edged out for the bronze medal by Ireland by 15 seconds. Thompson said after the race that although the pairing were disappointed not to medal they are happy with the way they have climbed the rankings and are looking forward to the build up to London.

Tomorrow sees Sue Reid, Fiona Southorn and Nathan Smith in action in the Road Race.

Summary of Results - Day 2

- Paralympics New Zealand


10 Sep 2011
Rio 2016 Marks 5 Years to Go
On 7 September, Brazil celebrated five years to go until the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games with a presentation by Carlos Arthur Nuzman, the President of the Rio 2016 Committee, inside the Auditorium of the Brazilian Olympic Committee.

Brazil’s own Paralympic swimming sensation, Andre Brasil, a four-time gold medalist in Beijing, was in attendance, as journalist Flavia Cintra led a conversation with different athletes.

Rio 2016 will mark the first time ever that the Paralympic Games take place in South America, and Para-Canoe and Para-Triathlon will make their Paralympic Games debuts.

For more information on Rio 2016, please visit www.rio2016.com.

- International Paralympic Committee


09 Sep 2011
New Zealand Underway at Para-Cycling Road World Championships
New Zealand has got underway to an impressive start at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Roskilde, Denmark with a bronze medal and two top 6 finishes.

The strong Paralympics New Zealand squad will be pleased with a strong start to the important championships with less than 12 months to run until the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This is the biggest Para-Cycling Road World Championships to date with 415 athletes from 46 countries competing. The large field has made for some spectacular racing with plenty more to come over the next two days.

In action on day one were Nathan Smith in the C3 Men’s Time Trial, Fiona Southorn in the C5 Women’s Time Trial and Sue Reid in the H3 Women’s Time Trial (Hand Cycling). The athletes were taking on an undulating course that contained some deceptive climbs and some very some tight corners in conditions were fine but windy. The time trial course is 15.2km long and with the athletes completing one circuit.

Nathan Smith started the day in a 22 strong field. Smith rode a strong and very good technical race securing 5th place only 38 seconds behind third place getter Shaun McKeown from Great Britain. This result is an improvement on Smiths’s disqualified 8th place at last year’s UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in the same event. Paralympics New Zealand Bike Programme Director Brendon Cameron said Smith rode the course superbly not hesitating to take the difficult corners at high speed. Notably Smith beat Great Britain’s Darren Kenny by 18 seconds. Kenny is the current World Champion in the 3km pursuit. The race was won by Australia’s David Nicholas who has recently been reclassified from the C4 Men’s class to C3.

The second New Zealand rider of the day was Northland’s Fiona Southorn. Competing in a strong field Southorn finished in 6th place. It was a closely fought race for those out of the medal winning positions with 4th to 8th all finishing within a minute of each other. Southorn was 1min 3 seconds off 3rd place. The race was won by Great Britain’s Sarah Storey who previous to cycling won 16 medals in the pool for Great Britain and has gone on to represent Great Britain’s able bodied team in the women’s cycling team pursuit at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

The afternoon session was all Hand-Cycling. New Zealand’s Sue Reid was in a very strong field of hand-cyclists including current World Champion Rachel Morris from Great Britain who has recently recovered from a shoulder injury and the re-emergence of previous World Champion Monica Bascio from USA. Reid rode a great technical race and after going through the 5km mark in the same time of 11min.20sec as Morris she powered through the final 10km to edge Morris out for the bronze medal by 8 seconds. Following her race Reid stated this performance was her most rewarding to date as a result of the planning and preparation that has gone into the event.

The undulating course has some deceptive climbs and some very some tight corners. This with rain predicted to come should mean those athletes that have good riding skills will be advantaged over the rest of the championship.

Tomorrow’s racing sees three NZ tandems line up in the 30.6km Time Trial. Rob Matthews and Pilot Justin Kerr will be first to race followed by two women’s tandems in World Pursuit Champions on the Track Jayne Parsons with Pilot Sonia Waddell & Phillipa Gray and Pilot Laura Thompson.

Summary of Results - Day 1

- Paralympics New Zealand


09 Sep 2011
Paralympics New Zealand Appoints New Programme Manager
Paralympics New Zealand is delighted to advise that Beverley Chamberlain has been appointed as Paralympics New Zealand Programme Manager.

Beverley is not new to Paralympic Sport. Having been based in Dublin, Ireland for a year from Oct 2009 - Dec 2010 she worked for Cycling Ireland’s High Performance Programme as a national coach focussing on Para-Cycling development and Elite hand-cycling. Within that role, she was responsible for performance planning, establishing development pathways and creating support structures for coaches and athletes. She managed domestic and international camps and campaigns, and worked closely with sport science providers.

Beverley has an excellent understanding of high performance sport structures and has a genuine interest in working with disabled athletes and supporting them to become Paralympians and win medals for New Zealand. Within her new role at Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ), Beverley will lead the PNZ Shooting Programme and work with the PNZ Cycling Programme. She will also manage the PNZ Service Plan, oversee the PNZ PM Scholarship application process and oversee the PNZ Drug Free Sport Programme.

Beverley commences in her new role at Paralympics New Zealand on Monday 26th September 2011.

- Paralympics New Zealand


09 Sep 2011
6 Day Outward Bound Course for People who have a Physical Disability
Outward Bound has re-launched our course for people aged 18+ years who have a physical disability. It’s a great opportunity for Paralympic athletes to challenge their limits and discover their full potential, in a safe and supportive environment.

See the attached flyer or go to www.outwardbound.co.nz/activate  to learn more.

   Activate Flyer - New Outward Bound Courses

- Outward Bound


08 Sep 2011
Canadian Swimming Great to Lead High Performance Sport New Zealand
Canadian swimming great Alex Baumann has today been named as the new Chief Executive of High Performance Sport New Zealand.

Baumann, 47, is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Own the Podium, Canada’s high performance sport programme. He will take up the new role on January 31 next year.

High Performance Sport New Zealand Board chairman Paul Collins says there was an extremely strong field of both local and international applicants for the role, and the board was delighted with the calibre of the appointment.

“We carried out an international search because we wanted someone with the right mix of skills and experience, someone who would bring something really special to this role,” he said.

“Alex Baumann has had an extensive career in high performance sport, both as an athlete and sport administrator. We’re thrilled that he is keen to be part of our vision for high performance sport in New Zealand.”

Baumann is one of Canada’s greatest swimmers, winning gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in both the 200 metre and 400m individual medley races, and in world record times. He also won five gold medals and two silver medals at the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games.

He was twice named World Male Swimmer of the Year, in 1981 and 1984, and is a member of the Canadian Sports and Canadian Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. He has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada and has received the Order of Ontario.

Baumann was born in Prague and moved to Canada with his family as a child. He is married to an Australian and spent 15 years living there, during which he was the Executive Director for the Queensland Academy of Sport and Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Swimming. He returned to Canada five years ago to work with that country’s high performance athletes, becoming CE of Own The Podium in April last year.

Minister for Sport and Recreation Murray McCully says Baumann’s appointment is a coup for New Zealand as he has such outstanding international credentials.

“This is a very significant appointment, and indicates how serious the Government is about taking our high performance sport programme to a new level,” he says.

“High performance sport here is getting the largest Government funding injection in its history. We want a culture of excellence, and someone of Alex Baumann’s standing is the right person to lead that.”

Baumann says this is an exciting opportunity for him.

“I’ve always admired how New Zealand does so well on the international stage for a relatively small country. I have a lot of respect for what you’ve achieved, and I’m looking forward to working with the team and seeing what is possible.”

Baumann says he and his wife and two teenage children will also enjoy the opportunity to be closer to family in Australia.

- High Performance Sport New Zealand


08 Sep 2011
Winning Formula Strengthens Sporting Links
The Welsh Government and the Oceania Paralympic Committee have signed today a memorandum of understanding which will see all Oceania Region Paralympic nations – New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands - performing their final preparations in Wales prior to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The agreement was signed by the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and Fiona Pickering, Secretary General of the Oceania Paralympic Committee on behalf of President Paul Bird, who is currently in London at the preparations for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

This signing follows the memorandum signed between Paralympics New Zealand and the Welsh Government in June 2009 committing the New Zealand Paralympic Team to holding their pre-camp in Swansea, Wales. The agreement paved the way for the unprecedented move today of an entire region being based in one nation prior to a Paralympic Games.

The majority of the Oceania nations will be based in Cardiff with the Australian Paralympic Committee. Australia has strongly supported this initiative and will be supporting the smaller Oceania nations in their Paralympic Games preparations. Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones was today (Thurs 8th Sept) joined by New Zealand sporting legend Sir Murray Halberg and Jon Morgan from Disability Sport Wales to celebrate the signing and the developing sport relationships between Wales and New Zealand.

The event hosted by Paralympics New Zealand and the Halberg Trust also marks International Paralympic Day celebrations in New Zealand.

Fiona Pickering, Secretary General of the Oceania Paralympics Committee and Chief Executive of Paralympics New Zealand said:
“Today has marked a momentous occasion for Wales, New Zealand and the Oceania region. I am very proud of the regional alignment of the Oceania nations and I know that our partnership with Wales will continue to strengthen Paralympic Sport. Today we have seen what the Paralympic Spirit is and being International Paralympic Day further enhances the special nature of this relationship.”

The First Minister said:
“Wales is committed to providing a first class environment for athletes and the combination of world class training facilities, proximity and quality of accommodation, access to state of the art support services together with a Welsh welcome that is second to none, is a compelling offer which has resulted in Paralympic athletes from many nations deciding to choose Wales.”

Disability Sport Wales and the Halberg Trust will be entering into a partnership which will further explore best practice between the two nations in the area of community disability sports development.

Halberg Trust spokesperson Nicki Turner said:
“Wales is consistently achieving above expectations, right from grass roots participation through to elite Paralympic level. This is a reflection of the country’s commitment to prioritise disability sport across the board, and the partnership between Wales, Paralympics New Zealand and the Halberg Trust presents a great example of an international collaboration that will no doubt enhance New Zealand’s disability sport pathway – from participation to elite competition.”

Jon Morgan from Disability Sport Wales said:
“Our partnership with Paralympics New Zealand and Halberg Trust provides a unique opportunity to create a legacy that lasts well beyond the lifetime of the London 2012 Games. What better time than on International Paralympic Day to announce this exciting initiative.”

To view photos of the visit click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


06 Sep 2011
International Collaboration Enhances Disability Sport Pathway
The First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Carwyn Jones, New Zealand sporting legend, Sir Murray Halberg and the Executive Director of Federation of Disability Sport Wales, Jon Morgan are among special guests attending an event to celebrate the developing disability sport relationships between New Zealand and Wales.

Hosted by Paralympics New Zealand and the Halberg Trust, the event on Thursday 8th September also marks International Paralympic Day celebrations in New Zealand.

Chief Executive of Paralympics New Zealand, Fiona Pickering says the Welsh Government and Paralympics New Zealand have signed a MoU committing to base New Zealand's Paralympic athletes in Swansea leading into the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

"Paralympics New Zealand has a proud sporting history at the Paralympic Games and we are excited about furthering our relationship with Wales, where all the Oceania Paralympic Committee nations are also choosing to base themselves," she says.

"Several athletes and staff from Paralympics New Zealand have frequented Swansea and Wales already and discovered first-hand the outstanding quality of the training facilities and accommodation."

"I am very confident Wales is the perfect place to base the Paralympics New Zealand team in the lead up to the Games," says Ms Pickering.

The First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Carwyn Jones says the Welsh Government is committed to providing the necessary support to all New Zealand's athletes in their immediate preparations prior to the London Games.

"Wales is committed to providing a first class environment for New Zealand's athletes and the combination of world class training facilities, proximity and quality of accommodation, access to state of the art support services together with a Welsh welcome that is second to none, is a compelling offer which has resulted in Paralympic New Zealand's decision to choose Wales," he says.

Rt Hon Carwyn Jones adds he is delighted to be in New Zealand to celebrate the international collaboration at the time of the Rugby World Cup.

"Wales has a long sporting tradition in competing with New Zealand across many sports and particularly rugby union."

"On Friday I look forward to attending the All Blacks opening match against Tonga, and of course, our own opening fixture against South Africa in Wellington on Sunday," he says.

The Federation of Disability Sport Wales (Disability Sport Wales) is recognised by the Welsh Government as its lead organisation for the development of sport and physical activities for disabled people.

The Federation, led by CEO Jon Morgan has grown its community programme from 1,200 participation opportunities per year in 2002, to 980,000 in 2010/11.

Over this period, Welsh Paralympians representing Great Britain have doubled in number to 31 athletes in Beijing, where they won 25% of Team Great Britain's gold medal haul.

"Our partnerships with Paralympics New Zealand and Halberg Trust provide a unique opportunity to create a legacy that lasts well beyond the lifetime of the London 2012 Games. What better time than on International Paralympic Day to announce this exciting initiative," says Mr Morgan.

Halberg Trust spokesperson Nicki Turner says the Halberg Trust is entering into a partnership with Disability Sport Wales which will further explore best practice between the two nations in the area of community disability sports development.

"Wales is consistently achieving above expectations, right from grass roots participation through to elite Paralympic level."

"This is a reflection of the country's commitment to prioritise disability sport across the board, and the partnership between Wales, Paralympics New Zealand and the Halberg Trust presents a great example of an international collaboration that will no doubt enhance New Zealand's disability sport pathway - from participation to elite competition," says Ms Turner.

- Paralympics New Zealand


06 Sep 2011
New Zealand Alpine National Ski Champions Decided
After taking the 2010 Southern Hemisphere season off, Paralympic gold medallist Adam Hall has recaptured the Adaptive National Slalom and Super G titles with Quentin Smith becoming the 2011 Adaptive National Giant Slalom champion.

Adam Hall recaptured the Adaptive Super G title competing in an international field with top athletes from Australia, USA, Great Britain and New Zealand. He placed second overall in the men’s standing slalom race with a time of 1:06.73.

Quentin Smith was the second placing kiwi with a time of 1:21.69 and rounding out the podium was Peter Baddeley with a time of 1:26.24.

- Snow Sports New Zealand


02 Sep 2011
Finalist for the Attitude Awards Announced
The finalists for the Attitude Awards 2011 have been announced.

Jayne Parsons, Sophie Pascoe and Danny McBride who have been named as finalists in the Sport Performer of the Year and Cameron Leslie has been named a finalist in the Youth Award category.

The Attitude Awards will be held at the Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland on Thursday 1st December 2011.

For a full list of finalist visit www.attitudepictures.com/attitude-awards/

- Attitude TV


01 Sep 2011
Michael Johnson Wins Gold at International Shooting Competition
Michael Johnson has once again demonstrated why he has been a dominant force in Paralympic Shooting for close to a decade.

Competing at the second day of the International Shooting Competition at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in the United Kingdom Johnson provided a master class in shooting polishing off a perfect 600 shoot. He then followed that up with a finals score of 105.7 taking gold and finishing the R4 competition over four points clear of his nearest rival, Bradley Mark of Australia.

The third and final day of shooting at Stoke Mandeville saw Johnson competing in the R5 SH2 Mixed Prone Air Rifle competition. After a tight qualification round in which four athletes shot a perfect round of 600 a tight finals round ensued. Johnson, started the finals slowly with some low 10’s before showing his tenacity to come storming back and finishing with shots of 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8. The final total was a score of 104.5 was good enough for third place behind James Bevis of Great Britain on 105.7 and Luke Cain of Australia on 104.9.

Johnson will now return to New Zealand after a successful tour testing his competition systems and viewing facilities in Swansea that he will utilise in the lead in to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

- Paralympics New Zealand


30 Aug 2011
In the Media: PNZ Cycling Team
The PNZ Cycling Team featured on last Sunday's episode of Attitude TV. You can watch the story by visiting the link below.

To watch the video click here

- Attitude TV


30 Aug 2011
McBride Continues Team's Winning Ways on Day 2
Adaptive sculler Danny McBride continued the Kiwi rowing team's winning ways with a great win in his heat in the Rowing World Championships at Bled in Slovenia overnight. Second at the first 500 metres, McBride then stormed through the German sculler Johannes Schmidt and powered away into a lead he would not lose. His row qualified the Te Awamutu athlete directly to the semi final.

To read the full article click here

- Rowing New Zealand


29 Aug 2011
One Year to Paralympic Games Opening
With only one year to go until the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Paralympics New Zealand are confident that they are on track for what is predicted to be the biggest and best Paralympic Games ever.

With an ambitious target of 18 medals in London, Paralympics New Zealand is aiming high and makes no excuses about the high performance approach. “Paralympics New Zealand is a high performance sporting organisation and it is our mandate to win medals at the Paralympic Games. We have developed a world class performance programme and this has continued to advance over the last three years since the Beijing Paralympic Games with some National Sports Organisations now fully supporting our endeavours. I am confident that come the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games the New Zealand Paralympians will be fully prepared and in London to perform to their very best.” says Fiona Pickering, Chief Executive of Paralympics New Zealand.

Paralympics New Zealand Chef de Mission for London 2012, Duane Kale said “The Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of sporting excellence and I know that all the New Zealand team members will epitomise what it means to be an athlete at the highest level. We hope to create a games team environment that supports all athletes to perform at their very best and everything that we do has the athlete at the forefront of our planning”.

Kale, who is in London next week for the Chef de Mission Seminar and the celebrations of International Paralympic Day on the 8th of September, knows what it takes to win at the Paralympic Games. As a six time medallist and the head of the Paralympics New Zealand team to the Beijing Paralympic Games, Kale says Paralympics New Zealand is well placed 12 months out.

“The stage is set; 12 months out most of the venues are nearly ready. Athletes are planning their final preparations and we are looking forward to a magnificent event in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.”

International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven said today "The London 2012 Paralympic Games will quite simply be `Sport Like Never Before'. Our elite athletes will captivate billions around the world, will inspire millions, and ultimately lead societal change and help alter perceptions of what can be achieved by a person with an impairment.”

The London 2012 Paralympic Games are expected to bring a record number of 4,200 athletes from 150 countries from all over the world. It is also estimated the media broadcast will reach unprecedented numbers, surpassing the Beijing 2008 Paralympics total viewership of 3.8 billion.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will take place between the 29th of August and the 9th of September 2012.

- Paralympics New Zealand


28 Aug 2011
Super G Adaptive Race Thrills Spectators
The Adaptive Super G at Mt Hutt thrilled spectators with the high level of competition. Both winners of the men’s events were more than two seconds faster than their nearest competition.

Australian adaptive athlete Cameron Rahles–Rahbula took out the Men’s Super G Standing Race at Mt Hutt with an exceptional time of 1.04.09.

In the Men’s Super G Sitting Race, the USA’s Heath Calhoun blew his competition away in 1.04.30. Unfortunately New Zealand Paralympian Adam Hall failed to finish but fellow Kiwi Quentin Smith came sixth in the Men’s Super G Sitting Race with a time of 1.19.48. Out of 15 competitors who entered the race, three failed to finish and one didn’t start.

In the Women’s Super G Visually Impaired Race, Australia’s Melissa Perrine narrowly beat Great Britain’s Kelly Gallagher to win with 1.15.15.

Gallagher’s time was 1.15.51. Korea’s Jae Rim Yang came third with 1.29.65.

Perrine says “the Super G was a good course which had been cleaned up pretty well. I’m relatively happy with how I went.”

Gallagher says being able to compete on the same race against able-bodied athletes had been a huge attraction for her. “We are really excited to be here at Mt Hutt. It’s a nice way to end the Winter Games competition.”

Calhoun says the race was well set out and he was very happy with snow conditions. “It made a nice run, it wasn’t horribly difficult. ”

- Snow Sports New Zealand


25 Aug 2011
Adam Hall Wins Slalom Gold For New Zealand
New Zealand Paralympian Adam Hall thrilled the home crowd with a stand out gold medal winning performance at the 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games IPC adaptive slalom at Coronet Peak today.

Hall, who skied the Rocky Gully Arena slope yesterday forerunning the ANC Continental Cup men’s slalom, was upbeat about the well prepared course and the conditions after a decisive win in the first run of 44.90 secs.

“I had a slight hiccough in the second run but managed to maintain my composure. It’s been a good day all round and great to win at home.”

Hall says the Winter Games provide an excellent opportunity to showcase the sport in New Zealand.

“It’s always good to be able to show New Zealand what we do on the road. The Winter Games means we can get the best athletes in the world to come down here and compete.”

Australian Paralympian Cameron Rahles-Rahbula was silver medallist in the men’s slalom standing category and had earlier flagged that Hall would be the man to beat. He clocked the fastest second run of 45.88, after making a mistake in the first, but Hall’s combined time of 1.31.59 was enough to take the title. Rahles-Rahbula finished in 1.34.29 while third place went to popular US Paralympics team member Ralph Green, the first African-American to make the team, who recorded 1.35.87.

The men’s slalom sitting category was won by Jong Seok Park of Korea who claimed the giant slalom title on Tuesday. He completed the course in 1.50.25 but was pressured by war amputee US Paralympian Heath Calhoun, who had the fastest first run in 55.53, but crashed at the top of the course in the second finishing in 2.00.09.

“I fell in both runs. I was skiing okay but you can’t win if you fall.”

The bronze medal was won by British Disabled Ski team member Peter Dunning, who lost both his legs in a roadside bombing attack in Afghanistan three years ago, with a combined time of 2.09.10.

Australian paralympian Melissa Perrine and her guide Andrew Bor added to their giant slalom gold medal, winning the women’s slalom visually impaired category by a clear margin.

She finished in 1.58.63 with Jae Rim Yang and her guide Ko Woon Chung taking out silver in 2.48.62.

British skier Kelly Gallagher who won silver in the Winter Games giant slalom did not compete in the slalom due to an injury sustained on a slalom course earlier in the season.

President of the International Paralympic Alpine Ski Federation Sylvana Mestre of Spain, representing the IPC at the Winter Games NZ, praised the organisers for the high standard of the adaptive skiing series.

“The Winter Games is a great event and we have to try and bring more teams and athletes in the future. We had some good athletes here this year which was shown on the slope and in the results. But we want to build up programmes and training camps in the future so it will be good for the teams to come here.”

- Snow Sports New Zealand


23 Aug 2011
Watch the PNZ Cycling Team on Attitude TV, this Sunday 8.30am on TV One
Paralympics New Zealand's Cycling Team is looking sharp and expectations are high for a swag of medals at the 2012 London Paralympic Games, so the pressures on to gain crucial qualifying points at the UCI World Cup in Sydney.

To view the promo video for this weekend's story click here.

- Attitude TV


19 Aug 2011
Rowers Announced for 2011 World Rowing Championships
Competitors have been announced for the 2011 World Para-Rowing Championships taking place on Lake Bled, Slovenia from 28 August until 4 September.

Adaptive rowers will be competing in five 1000m-events to qualify for the London 2012 Paralympic Games by reaching one of the top eight places in their respective boat class.

Great Britain’s defending Champion Tom Aggar will face stiff competition in the Adaptive Men's Arms and Shoulders Single Scull (ASM1x) from Ukraine’s Andrii Kryvchun and New Zealand’s Daniel McBride who came second and third respectively at last year’s World Championships.

In the Adaptive Women's Arms and Shoulders Single Scull (ASW1x) race, France’s World Champion Nathalie Benoit will be up against Brazil’s Claudia Santos, who came second at last year’s World Championships and Belarus’ Paralympic silver medallist Liudmila Vauchok.

In the Trunk and Arms Mixed Double Scull (TAMix2x), Ukraine’s World Champions Dmytro Ivanov and Iryna Kyrychenko will face France’s Perle Bouge and Stephane Tardieu who came second in last year’s event and Australia’s Paralympic silver medallists John MacLean and Kathryn Ross.

Canada’s World Champion team of Anthony Theriault, David Blair, Victoria Nolan, Meghan Montgomery and Laura Comeau will compete in the Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed Coxed Four (LTAMix4+) event. They will be up against a strong team from Germany, which won bronze at last year, with a team of Christiane Quirn, Michael Schulz, Martin Lossau, Anke Molkenthin and Katrin Splitt.

The intellectually disabled Mixed Coxed Four (IDMix4+), which will not be part of the Paralympic Games next year, will feature Hong Kong’s World Champions, Liu Wang Sin, Lam King Shan, Szeto Tung Chun, Tsui Kwok Man and Chan Tsz Wai. They will be up against teams from Germany, Italy and Russia

For more information visit www.worldrowing.com/events/2011-world-rowing-championships

- International Paralympic Committee


18 Aug 2011
2011 Mitsubishi Motors PNZ National Championships - Entry Forms Now Available
ParaFed Waikato are proud to be hosting the 38th Mitsubishi Motors PNZ National Championships in Hamilton from 3rd - 6th November 2011.

For more information click here.

- ParaFed Waikato


18 Aug 2011
Para-Triathlon on the Tri NZ Website
The Triathlon New Zealand website now features a section on Para-Triathlon, including information on events, classification and a fantastic promotional video.

Upcoming Para-Triathlon events in New Zealand include; the ITU World Cup (Nov 2011), the Para-Triathlon Nationals (Mar 2012) and the ITU World Championships (Oct 2012).

Para-Triathlon will make its first appearance at the Paralympic Games in 2016.

For more information visit www.triathlon.org.nz/389/Paratriathlon

- Triathlon New Zealand


17 Aug 2011
London 2012: Nomination Criteria Ratified For Equestrian
Paralympics New Zealand and Equestrian Sports NZ are pleased to advise that the Equestrian nomination criteria for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been ratified by the PNZ Board.

To view the nomination criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


17 Aug 2011
IPC Appoints New Snow Sports Manager
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is proud to announce Dimitrije Lazarovski as its new Snow Sports Manager, responsible for overseeing Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon.

Based at the IPC headquarters in Bonn, Germany, Lazarovski's duties will include managing and maintaining the rules and competitions for his respective sports, providing services and support to the relevant IPC Sport Technical Committees and overseeing the implementation process of a corporate plan and budget for his three sports.

Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon are all a part of the Paralympic Games programme and will be featured at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

"Dimitrije will be a great addition to the IPC Management Team and will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to a winter sports department that is thriving with just less than three years to go until the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games," IPC CEO Xavier Gonzalez said.

Prior to joining the IPC, Lazarovski acted as Secretary General for the Ski Federation of Serbia for six years and was the leader of a youth development ski program there.

"The possibility of being in the field and allowing competitors to achieve their highest goals push me further in my daily work," Lazarovski said.

Lazarovski is fluent in English and Serbian and well on his way to becoming fluent in German. He recently received his master's degree in risk management from the University of Belgrade.

- International Paralympic Committee


16 Aug 2011
London 2012: Nomination Criteria Ratified For Shooting
Paralympics New Zealand and the New Zealand Shooting Federation are pleased to advise that the Shooting nomination criteria for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been ratified by the PNZ Board.

To view the nomination criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


16 Aug 2011
London 2012: Nomination Criteria Ratified For Athletics
Paralympics New Zealand and Athletics New Zealand are pleased to advise that the Athletics nomination criteria for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been ratified by the PNZ Board.

To view the nomination criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


15 Aug 2011
Paralympics New Zealand Swim Team Finish on a High
Sophie Pascoe has finished with a third gold medal and the award of the female swimmer of the competition at the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Pascoe blew away the competition in the 100m breaststroke SB9 to bring home another gold medal. Pascoe who hit the wall in 1:20.94 was fraction over a tenth of a second outside her own world record and personal best but was significantly ahead of her nearest competition Summer Mortimer of Canada. The result caps an extremely positive meet for Pascoe finishing with three gold medals, two world records and two silver medals.

Nikita Howarth of the Waikato finished off her first major international meet in fine style with her second medal of the competition, this time a bronze in the 100m breaststroke SB8.

Also in action today were Daniel Holt and Daniel Sharp racing head to head in the Men’s 100m S12/13 freestyle. On the day it was Holt who edged Sharp after turning behind him at the 50m mark. Such world class head to head racing from New Zealand swimmer s will be a big positive for the two athletes over the next year.

The Paralympics New Zealand swimming team will return to New Zealand in great spirits after what can only be described as a most impressive effort. The team netted eight gold, eleven silver and five bronze medals along with the two world record times by Sophie Pascoe.

Paralympics New Zealand Chief Executive Fiona Pickering said “Over the last week the team have shown great form which is promising one year out from the London 2012 Paralympic Games. We have a strong programme in place which will continue to develop over the next year. We are very proud of what the swimmers have achieved this week.”

Results - Day 5

Q = qualified for final

For full results visit www.swimming.ca/liveresults/2011parapanpacs/

Flight arrival details for Swim team as below:
PNZ Swim Team arrive at Auckland International Airport Wednesday 17th August at 5.30am on flight #NZ1

Athlete NZ Domestic Flights as below:
Sophie Pascoe / Roly Crichton – depart Akld at 7.50am arrive Christchurch 9.10am
Mary Fisher – departs Akld at 8.30am arrive Wellington at 9.30am – NZ415

- Paralympics New Zealand


14 Aug 2011
Four Gold Medals and a World Record for New Zealand Swimmers
The Paralympics New Zealand swim team added another four gold medals and a world record in an action packed penultimate day of the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Cameron Leslie was the first in the pool for New Zealand in his favoured event of the 150m Individual Medley picking up the gold medal with a time of 2:34:02. Leslie dominated the race in the event which he has made his own over the past three years since his recording breaking win at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Sophie Pascoe outclassed the field in her Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10, coming home to take the gold medal in a time of 2:29:35. Pascoe also smashed the world record held by Summer Mortimer of Canada who came home with the silver, followed by Suzanne Scott of the United Sates in third place. Pascoe has come out of a recent altitude training block in Flagstaff, Arizona which was part of a 3 year plan building towards the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This meet providing a high level of competition and an important stepping stone a year out from the Paralympic Games.

Daniel Holt took out the gold in the men’s 200m Individual medley SM13, coming home to finish strongly in a time of 2:26:61. Holt showed great satisfaction with his swim and punched the air at the completion of his race with the relief of his win.

The New Zealand women proved dominant in the 100m backstroke. Rebecca Dubber came home in a time of 1:24:44 to collect the silver medal in the women’s S7 final. In the women’s S11 Aine Kelly-Costello pulled away towards the end to take out the gold medal with a time of 1:25:54 and her team mate Mary Fisher picked up the bronze medal in the S12/S13 100m backstroke final and finished strongly with a time of 1:20:15.

With the competition heading into its final day tomorrow the New Zealanders will be looking for more strong performances to cap what will have been an extremely successful meet.

Results - Day 4

Q = qualified for final

For full results visit www.swimming.ca/liveresults/2011parapanpacs/
To watch the finals live online (10:30am NZ Time) by visiting swimcanweb.tv

- Paralympics New Zealand


14 Aug 2011
Ruapehu Adaptive Programme
The Ruapehu Adaptive Programme aims to assist anyone with a disability to get out and have fun and freedom on the snow. They provide assistance to help you achieve your skiing/boarding aspiration and to share our alpine environment.

They now have an official Facebook page that will allow you to keep up to date with special events, share inspiring stories, keep in touch about new methods, techniques and gear for adaptive skiing and riding.

It will also provide an opportunity for you to post your own experiences, questions and generally keep in touch with others interested in adaptive skiing and riding on this wonderful mountain.

To visit the Ruapehu Adaptive Programme Facebook page visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ruapehu-Adaptive-Programme/247151985305742?sk=wall

- Ruapehu Adaptive Programme


14 Aug 2011
In the Media: Adam Hall
Paralympian Adam Hall features in the NZ Herald as he prepares for the upcoming New Zealand Winter Games to be held in Wanaka between the 13-28 August 2011.

To read the article click here

- NZ Herald


13 Aug 201113 Aug 2011
Pascoe and Sharp Add More Gold to Tally
Sophie Pascoe has added another gold to her collection with an impressive swim at the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Pascoe, who yesterday clocked a world record time in the 100m butterfly backed up with another gold medal in the 100m freestyle S10 classification. Pascoe finished in a personal best 1:01.54 just under a tenth of a second in front of Suzanne Scott of the United States who had come through the heats as the fastest qualifier. The bronze was taken by Summer Mortimer of Canada.

Daniel Sharp of Auckland bought the New Zealand gold medal tally to three with a swim just off his personal best finishing in 1:10.19 in the 100m breaststroke SB13.

Also in action for the Paralympics New Zealand swim team was Rebecca Dubber who clocked an almost two second personal best in the S7 100m freestyle. This result has secured Dubber a bronze medal but importantly bought her time closer to the world record, a critical factor in the lead in to the London 2012 Paralympics Games.

Silver medals were also achieved by Cameron Leslie in his first event of the meet, the 50m backstroke S5 and Aine Kelly Costello in the 100m freestyle S11. Leslie will be looking for a big performance tomorrow night in the 150m individual medley, an event in which he is the current Paralympic gold medallist and world record holder.

Another positive result for the team was the women’s 4 x 100m medley relay. The team were lead out by a very strong swim from Rebecca Dubber in the backstroke leg, then followed by young rising star Nikita Howarth in a very accomplished swim in her favoured 100m breaststroke event. Sophie Pascoe brought the team into 3rd place contention with a very strong butterfly swim and Bryall McPherson bought the team home with in 4th place. It was a remarkable and very positive performance given it was the first time the team has raced this event on the world stage.

Results - Day 3

Q = qualified for final

For full results visit www.swimming.ca/liveresults/2011parapanpacs/
To watch the finals live online (10:30am NZ Time) by visiting swimcanweb.tv

- Paralympics New Zealand


12 Aug 2011
Gold and World Record for Pascoe
Paralympics New Zealand swimmer Sophie Pascoe has blown away the competition today to win gold in a new world record time at the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Pascoe, who has arrived at the Pan Pacific Championships via altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona has shown the benefit of the hard work to power away in the 100m Butterfly S10 and finish with a time of 1:07.57, eclipsing her own world record by half a second. Pascoe showed her strength from start to finish in the race turning at the 50m mark with a one second lead, she doubled this over the last lap to finish a full two seconds ahead of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games gold medallist in this event, Anna Eames of the United States.

The result capped another action packed day from the New Zealand team. Daniel Holt of Auckland and Nikita Howarth of the Waikato added to the New Zealand haul of silver medals in the 400m Freestyle S13 classification and 50m Butterfly S7 respectively, both in personal best times. Howarth’s result shows impressive potential for the future given the 12 year old is contesting her first major international meet competing against senior athletes.

Daniel Sharp and Bryall McPherson both of Auckland rounded out the New Zealand medal winners for the day. McPherson took the bronze in the 100m butterfly S8 classification. Sharp, in the fiercely contested 50m freestyle S13 classification hit the wall in personal best, 24.90 seconds under four tenths of a second behind the winner Charl Bouwer of South Africa taking the bronze medal. This result is in the top five times recorded worldwide over the last 2 years.

Paralympics New Zealand swimming Programme Director, Clive Power said “we have put in a lot of positive work in over the last couple of years to get to this point, 12 months out from the London Paralympics Games, and we will be treating these results as a marker looking ahead to London”.

Results - Day 2

Q = qualified for final

For full results visit www.swimming.ca/liveresults/2011parapanpacs/
To watch the finals live online (10:30am NZ Time) by visiting swimcanweb.tv

- Paralympics New Zealand


12 Aug 2011
Hall Promises to Wow Home Crowds at New Zealand Winter Games
New Zealand’s Paralympic champion skier, Adam Hall, has promised to put a smile on the face of his home crowd this month as he prepares to compete in the New Zealand Winter Games.

At the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Hall was the toast of his home country after putting in a stunning performance to win gold in the men’s Slalom Standing event. It was New Zealand’s first gold since 2002 and only their 15th in over 30 years of competing in the Paralympic Winter Games.

From 13-28 August, Hall will compete against skiers from Korea, USA and Great Britain in the Giant Slalom, Slalom and Super G at the New Zealand Winter Games. The event will take place at Coronet Park and Mount Hutt near Queenstown, New Zealand and will be the first event of the para-skiing season which will continue through until April 2012.

Adam Hall said: “I’m really looking forward to taking part in the New Zealand Winter Games as it will be a good opportunity for us to showcase what we do normally around the world here on home snow.

“It’s really cool I think for the general public to witness what it is that I do on a day to day basis and it will be great to compete in front of my home fans.

“I’m sure I’ll have lots of supporters and there’ll be heaps of media around too, so hopefully it should be a great event.”

The New Zealand Winter Games will see adaptive skiers compete in the Giant Slalom, Slalom, Super G, Cross Country and Snowboard Cross on the same courses as able-bodied skiers.

It is the only elite snow sports event in the world to combine both adaptive and able-bodied competition on the same courses.

Other big names set to compete in the event include double Paralympic cross country skiing gold medallist Yoshihiro Nitta of Japan and his teammate Shoko Ota, a silver medallist at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The USA’s national champion, Sarah Edwards, who only took up skiing three years ago, is also scheduled to compete.

Great Britain’s World Cup silver medallist Ian Bishop, a war veteran who lost both legs while serving in Afghanistan, will also be competing in the Sitting Skiing events.

This year’s event will also feature the 2011 Para Snowboard World Cup featuring USA’s world champion Amy Purdy, 2009 world champion, Tyler Mosher of Canada and New Zealand’s national champion, Scott Coates.

For more information about the event, please visit: www.wintergamesnz.com

- International Paralympic Committee


11 Aug 2011
A Silver Night for New Zealand Swimmers
The Paralympics New Zealand Swim Team has started with a strong day of results at the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

With just over a year out from the London 2012 Paralympic Games, 190 top swimmers from 14 countries, are competing in the event which runs over the next 5 days. The Pan Pacific Championships are the New Zealand athletes’ pinnacle event for 2011 and represent a significant step in the journey to qualification and selection for the Paralympic Games next year.

Auckland’s Rebecca Dubber’s 400m Freestyle in the S7 classification was the highlight of a very successful opening night of the competition for the New Zealand team.

Faced with opposition of the highest calibre, world number one Mallory Weggeman and third ranked Cortney Jordan, both of USA, Dubber had a tough ask in an event that is not her favoured distance.

Dubber’s target was to build on the solid platform of her qualification swim and increase her stroke rate this would give her enough energy to really attack the final 50 metres of the final. She executed her plan perfectly to swim down the fast starting, Jordan in the final 25 metres to touch in silver medal position in a personal best time of 5:26.26, the 3rd fastest time in the world for women’s S7 400 metre freestyle this year.

It was New Zealand’s first medal of the meet and has set the whole team up for a great first day of competition.

Following on from Dubber’s swim New Zealand had three other 400m finalists. Sophie Pascoe of Christchurch recorded a personal best of 4:49.37 to take the S10 silver. In the S11 classification Aine Kelly-Costello (of Auckland) in her first senior international meet also claimed a silver medal with a 5 second personal best of 6:00.71

Mary Fisher (of Wellington) (S12) completed a full set of silver medals for the New Zealand 400m women with her swim of 5:25.85.

In the 50 metre freestyle the New Zealand women also had an outstanding night. The youngest member of the team, 12 year old Nikita Howarth of Cambridge swim club and Bryall McPherson of Laser Mt Eden swim club, both competing in their first senior international meet, each finished 7th in their respective S7 and S8 classifications. Mary Fisher’s second final of the night saw her take 7th place in the S12 class. Two personal best swims from Sophie Pascoe (S10) and Aine Kelly-Costello (S11) saw them double their personal medal tally, both taking silver in their 50 metre freestyle, 29.29 and 35.09 respectively.

The only male swim of the day was from Daniel Holt (S13) who recorded a personal best in the 100m butterfly in both the heat and then again in the final against a truly world class field to finish 4th, his final time 1:05.26, a 3 second improvement from his original event entry time.

The day ended with 9 finals which resulted in 6 silver medals and 6 personal best times for the Paralympics New Zealand Team.

Results - Day 1

Q = qualified for final

For full results visit www.swimming.ca/liveresults/2011parapanpacs/
To watch the finals live online (10:30am NZ Time) by visiting swimcanweb.tv

- Paralympics New Zealand


11 Aug 2011
Boccia New Zealand Annual General Meeting
The Boccia New Zealand Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held in Whangarei on Friday 21st October 2011, at the completion of the 2011 Boccia New Zealand Nationals.

The Boccia New Zealand AGM forms are below:

   Boccia New Zealand - Notice of Annual General Meeting

   Boccia New Zealand - Nomination for Office


- Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand


10 Aug 2011
New Edition of The Paralympian Available Online
This year's second edition of The Paralympian, the official magazine of the International Paralympic Committee, is now available to read online.

To celebrate the countdown to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, this edition is a `One Year to Go' special. It features a guide to the London 2012 venues, and Channel 4 and the BBC, the host broadcaster and radio partner of the Games, choose their `12 for 2012' - the British and international athletes they believe will be the star performers next year.

The Paralympian also features a guest interview by the Daily Telegraph's award-winning writer Gareth Davies with Chris Holmes, London 2012's Director of Paralympic Integration, about his vision for the London Games.

Readers can catch up on the latest progress from Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and PyeongChang, which recently won the right to host the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

As usual, The Paralympian reviews and previews all the most exciting sporting events on the Paralympic calendar, including the 2011 IPC Swimming European Championships, the 2011 IPC Cross-Country Skiing and Biathlon World Championships, the BT Paralympic World Cup and November's Parapan American Games in Mexico.

After staging a successful international forum on Sports for People with a Disability in Abu Dhabi in May, NPC United Arab Emirates are the NPC in Profile this edition whilst new developments in classification for Visual Impairment are the focus of the Medical and Science section.

The Sport Profile features Wheelchair Tennis, a sport which is growing in size and stature all the time, partly due to the success of Esther Vergeer, the Dutch tennis player who we spoke to during Wimbledon as part of the Athlete's Profile.

You can also find out all the recent updates on Paralympic Education and Development, Partners and Patrons and the Paralympic Movement in the latest edition.

To view the latest online copy of The Paralympian, please visit: www.paralympic.org/Media_Centre/News/Paralympian/index.html

To receive a printed copy of The Paralympian, you can subscribe here: www.paralympic.org/Media_Centre/Subscription/

- International Paralympic Committee


09 Aug 2011
In the Media: Fiona Southorn
Paralympian Fiona Southorn features in today's Whangarei Leader, where she talks about her achievements and her goals for the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

To read the article click here.

- Whangarei Leader


09 Aug 2011
Sailing Opportunity of a Different Kind
The Spirit of Adventure Trust has scheduled a 5-day ‘inspiration voyage’ for youth aged 16-20 with physical disabilities in February 2012.

Each year up to 30 young people with disabilities are able to take part on this voyage, largely sponsored by the Lions Clubs of New Zealand. This exciting trip provides a chance for building confidence and overcoming challenges that would usually be outside the boundaries.

Nominations for youth who are keen to take part are due by September 30th 2011, more information can be found on their website www.spiritofadventure.org.nz or by emailing info@spiritofadventure.org.nz

- Sport Waitakere


07 Aug 2011
Selection Policy Updated for IPC Shooting World Cup (Australia)
The Paralympics New Zealand Shooting selection policy for the IPC Shooting World Cup (Australia) has been updated and is now available to view.

To view the selection policy click here

- Paralympics New Zealand


05 Aug 2011
2011 Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships
In five days time the inaugural 2011 Speedo Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships will get started at the Kinsmen Sports Centre in Edmonton, Canada.

More than 175 swimmers from over 20 countries, including world class swimmers from New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Japan and USA are travelling to Edmonton to compete in these Championships from 10-14 August.

After the 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming European Championships in July provided a platform for European swimmers to test their form ahead of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships are now one of the last opportunities for swimmers from this area to compare their performances with those of their top level competitors.

The Paralympics New Zealand Swim Team to compete at this event is:

PNZ Swim Team
Rebecca Dubber
Mary Fisher
Daniel Holt
Nikita Howarth
Aine Kelly-Costello
Cameron Leslie
Bryall McPherson
Sophie Pascoe
Daniel Sharp

To follow the results visit www.swimming.ca. 
SwimCan WebTV will broadcast a live webcast of the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships on swimcanweb.tv

- Paralympics New Zealand


02 Aug 2011
Carl Murphy wins Adaptive Snow Sports Athlete of the Year
Snowboarder Carl Murphy has been named the Adaptive Snow Sports Athlete of the Year at the Snow Sports New Zealand Awards held in Wanaka on the 30th July 2011.

Carl is currently ranked second in the world in Para-Snowboardcross and won silver in his pinnacle event at the 2011 WSF Para-Snowboard World Cup in March 2011 in Canada.

For more information on the awards visit www.snowsports.co.nz.

- Snow Sports New Zealand


31 Jul 2011
2012 National Independence Games
The Independence Games Trust are excited to announce that the very first National Independence Games will take place in Auckland on the 13th - 15th April 2012.

All teams are warmly welcome to Auckland for the National Games and especially to the South Island teams who will travel great distances to join us. The plan will be to hold a national event every four years to coincide with the Paralympic Games and then in the other three years to hold South and North Island Games.

Planning is now underway to make this event the best Independence Games yet.

- Independence Games Trust


28 Jul 2011
Paralympics New Zealand is saddened to hear of the passing of Dr Ross Bohm. Ross passed away peacefully on the 26th of July 2011 at the age of 64.

Ross made a considerable contribution to Paralympic Sport in New Zealand. He was the Team Doctor to the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games and the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games and accompanied Paralympics New Zealand throughout this period to various events around the world.

To Ross’s family and friends and to all those from the Paralympic Family who had the pleasure of having met, and spent time with Ross over the years - our thoughts are with you.


Dr Ross Bohm


26 Jul 2011
2011 South Island Boccia Championships
The South Island Boccia Championships will be held on the 17th - 18th September 2011 at the new Graham Condon Recreation Centre in Christchurch.

For more information and entry forms visit www.parafedcanterbury.co.nz

- ParaFed Canterbury


25 Jul 2011
In the Media: Cameron Leslie
Paralympian Cameron Leslie features in the latest Look Media NZ publication. The 21 year old swimmer talks about his achievements, both in and out of the water, and his goals for the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

To read the article check out Page 5 www.lookmedia.co.nz

- Look Media NZ


24 Jul 2011
Band-Aid Sports Kid of the Week
Congratulations to swimmer Tupou Neiufi who was last week named the Band-Aid Sports Kid of the Week.

Tupou, 10 years, was recently named in the PNZ Xccelerate 2 Xcellence Swimming Programme and has a dream of competing at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

In addition to the Sports Kid of the Week, Band-Aid are calling for nominations for the More FM Band-Aid Young Sporting Achievers award.

Entry is via the More FM website www.morefm.co.nz.

- Paralympics New Zealand


23 Jul 2011
In the Media: Jesse Reynolds & Nikita Howarth
Swimmers Jesse Reynolds and Nikita Howarth featured in the Waikato Times earlier this week to talk about their Variety Gold Heart Scholarships and their goals of competing at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.

To read the article click here

- Waikato Times


16 Jul 2011
Xccelerate 2 Xcellence - Registrations Now Open
Paralympics New Zealand are calling for athlete registrations for the second season of Xccelerate 2 Xcellence. The talent search programme is aimed at identifying people with disabilities who display the athletic potential to win medals for New Zealand at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games and beyond.

Registrations are now open and interested athletes are invited to complete the X2X Registration Form and return it to Paralympics New Zealand.

For more information on the programme click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


15 Jul 2011
Attitude Awards 2011 - Nominations Now Open
The Attitude Awards are back in 2011. These Awards were set up with a commitment to celebrating the lives and achievements of people living with a disability.

The night is a fabulous black-tie event with a diverse mix from both the corporate and disability sector, with a real focus on employment. The night comprises of an hour-long awards ceremony, a 3-course meal and is peppered with entertainment throughout.

Nominations are currently open, and stay so until 7th August 2011.

This year there are 7 categories, each recognising the unique way in which people can achieve and make a difference.

Entry forms and ticket sales can be found at the link below:
www.attitudepictures.com/attitude-awards

Event Details
Date: Thursday 1st December
Venue: Viaduct Events Centre
Time: 6pm
Dress: Black-Tie

- Attitude TV


14 Jul 2011
New Zealand Para-Equestrian riders off to good start at Hartpury CPDI 3-star
A group of ESNZ Para-Equestrian riders are currently competing in the CPEDI3* at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage.

All the horses passed the horse inspection prior to the event and today's "Team Tests" have seen two riders gain their 60% qualification score as per the International Paralympic criteria.

In the Grade IV, Jo Jackson and Jenny Affleck opened the kiwi account. Jo, riding "Lincoln" owned by Mrs Angela Scott opted for accuracy and feel in this first test of the event and her careful ride was rewarded with 7th place and a qualifying score of 61.469%

Jenny riding Mary Robins' "Mach One" finished 13th after a somewhat tense test which Jenny rode safely to score 53.68% and tomorrow is another day.

In the Grade III, Kelly Gabbott flew the flag on Victoria Leisk's "Cloonbarry Clover". This is Kelly's first European international and she opted for a steady first test to score 58.259% and finish 6th.

In the Grade II, Frances Dick performed well on Mary Robins' "Shyba" to gain a qualifying percentage of 60.381% despite Shyba being a little unsettled. At the time of writing Fran was placed 9th from 11 riders, but with 24 in the class, we shall have to wait until the results are posted to see her final standing.

Tomorrow is the "Individual Test" and the next day is the "Freestyle". By all reports, there is still room for our riders to try for bigger marks and be a little less conservative as they progress through the tests and they and the horses feel more confident with each other. We wish the riders luck and look forward to hearing the next round of results.

Hartpury CPEDI and CDI website www.hartpury.ac.uk/dressage/index.html

- Equestrian Sport New Zealand


13 Jul 2011
New Zealand Para-Equestrian riders to compete at Hartpury Festival of Dressage
A group of ESNZ Para-Equestrian riders will compete in the CPEDI3* at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage running from 13th – 17th July 2011.

Jenny Affleck, Jo Jackson, Kelly Gabbott and Frances Dick are the four riders that have made the decision to travel to the UK to compete, at their own expense, with a view to producing creditable performances that may see them invited onto the ESNZ High Performance Para Squads. Currently there are no High Performance Para squad members.

As the event is FEI 3* level, the riders also have the opportunity to achieve the required ‘Certificate of Capability’ which is the first of a number of boxes to be ticked before a rider can be considered for Paralympic Games selection.

As well as riding as individuals the riders will also compete as New Zealand in a team competition, which is very exciting as the world Para-Equestrian team rankings for London Paralympic Games 2012 stand wide open.

Hartpury CPEDI and CDI website www.hartpury.ac.uk/dressage/index.html

- Equestrian Sport New Zealand


13 Jul 2011
New Zealand at the IFDS World Championships
Medals were decided last week at the IFDS World Championships 2011 sailed in Weymouth, UK following on from the Olympic class Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta 2011.

Three New Zealand entries competed at the World Championship Regatta which features the same events sailed in the Paralympic Games – the SKUD18, the 2.4metre and the Sonar.

Sailing in the two-handed SKUD class, Tim Dempsey and Jan Apel finished tenth overall in the fleet of 21 boats.

Paul Francis and Joshua McKenzie-Brown both represented New Zealand in the single-handed 2.4metre event finishing 12th and 30th respectively up against a total fleet of 45.

For more information on the regatta visit www.ifdsworlds2011.com 

- Yachting New Zealand


13 Jul 2011
In the Media: Danny McBride
Rower Danny McBride featured on last Sunday's episode of Attitude TV. You can watch the story by visiting the link below.

To watch the video click here

- Attitude TV


12 Jul 2011
PNZ Shooting Team Announced for 2011 IPC Shooting World Cup
Paralympics New Zealand is pleased to announce the team selections for the 2011 IPC Shooting World Cup to be held in Atlanta, USA between the 5th – 9th October 2011.

Athletes
Michael Johnson – Auckland
Greg Reid – Wellington
Grant Sharman – Auckland

Staff
Toni Adams - Loader & Support

A team manager and additional loader will be announced shortly.

- Paralympics New Zealand


12 Jul 2011
PNZ Cycling Team Announced for 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships
Paralympics New Zealand is pleased to announce the team selections for the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships to be held in Roskilde, Denmark between the 8th – 11th September 2011.

Athletes
Phillipa Gray - Invercargill
Laura Thompson (Pilot) - Invercargill
Rob Matthews – Auckland
Justin Kerr (Pilot) – Waikato
Jayne Parsons – Wellington
Sonia Waddell (Pilot) – Waikato
Tiffiney Perry – Waikato
Sue Reid - Waikato
Fiona Southorn - Northland
Nathan Smith – Taranaki

Staff
Malcolm Humm - Team Manager
Brendon Cameron - Head Coach
Jono Hailstone - Assistant Coach
Paul Holloway - Physiotherapist/Massage
Wendy Hilton - Support/Massage
Nick Harris - Mechanic
Peter Alexander - Mechanic

- Paralympics New Zealand


11 Jul 2011
2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup
The Paralympics New Zealand tandem cycling pairing of Rob Matthew and his pilot Justin Kerr have finished competing at the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup held in Baie-Comeau, Canada.

Matthews and Kerr, despite having a strong race, were slightly off the pace finishing in 9th place in the road time trial. The 25.9 kilometre time-trial course was highly technical with a lot of tight turns, which favoured the lighter pairings.

However team manager Jono Hailstone was impressed with how the team coped saying “Justin did a fantastic job of navigating the tandem through the tight corners on the circuit”.

The pair improved in the road race to finished in 8th place.

Matthews said he was looking forward to some hard work over the coming year to haul in the field leading Canadians and Americans.

- Paralympics New Zealand


07 Jul 2011
IPC President Sends Congratulations to Pyeongchang
The International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven has paid tribute to Pyeongchang after they were awarded the right to stage the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

Three candidate cities - Annecy (France), Munich (Germany) and Pyeongchang (Korea) - bid for the 2018 Games and after a secret vote by International Olympic Committee (IOC) members, including the IPC President, Pyeongchang was chosen as the host city.

Sir Philip Craven, the IPC's President said: "I would like to congratulate Pyeongchang on their thoroughly deserved success in winning the right to host the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

"The Pyeongchang region and Korea as a whole, has a long history of staging sport events for athletes with a disability.

"Their bid featured a very solid concept to boost the development of Paralympic Winter Sport in the region, throughout Asia and internationally and have committed considerable funds to support projects.

"They also committed to staging two sanctioned Paralympic sport events per year in each of the years leading up to 2018 which will help promote Paralympic Sport in this area, train staff and test venues.

"Aside from the winners I would also like to pay credit to the two unsuccessful cities. Both put forward comprehensive arguments on why they should host the 2018 Games and both highlighted the importance to them of staging the Paralympic Winter Games.

"Since our first Winter Games in 1976, the event has grown in terms of size and also stature. Last year in Vancouver, we had 502 athletes from 44 countries competing.

"No longer are the Paralympic Winter Games seen as just as a bolt-on to the Olympics. They are now seen as a fundamental part of one huge festival of sport. We can now look forward to the prospect of two very successful Paralympic Winter Games in the years ahead, first in Sochi 2014 and now Pyeongchang in 2018".

- International Paralympic Committee


06 Jul 2011
Watch Danny McBride on Attitude TV, this Sunday 8.30am on TV One
After a forestry accident left Danny McBride paralysed, he wasn't prepared to give up on his active outdoor life. Busy with work, family, farming and hunting; he's attempting to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympic Games as part of Rowing New Zealand's elite squad.

To view the Rowing for London Promo click here

- Attitude TV


04 Jul 2011
2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup
Tandem cyclist Rob Matthews and pilot Justin Kerr will compete at the 2011 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup in Baie-Comeau, Canada between the 8th - 10th July 2011.

The World Cup Final will be attended by athletes from 25 different countries. The two other stages of the World Cup were held in Sydney, Australia and in Segovia, Spain.

The team will be supported at the event by their coach Jono Hailstone.

For more information and to follow the results visit www.coupedumondebaiecomeau.com

- Paralympics New Zealand


30 Jun 2011
Variety Gold Heart Scholarships Winners Announced
Variety, the Children's Charity, has announced a group of 23 inspiring young New Zealanders who will receive Gold Heart Scholarships for 2011. The Variety Gold Heart Scholarship provides the recipients with financial support of up to $5000 and matches them with a mentor to help them achieve their goals in their chosen fields.

This years winners include 7 athletes involved in Paralympic Sport:

Athletics
George Hewitt - Wellington
Otis Horne - Waikato

Swimming
Nikita Howarth - Waikato
Aine Kelly-Costello - Auckland
Jesse Reynolds - Waikato

Table Tennis
Ayush Bhatnagar - Auckland
Mark Wilson - Bay of Plenty

- Variety, The Children's Charity


29 Jun 2011
New Zealand Shooting Cup 1
Round 1 of the New Zealand Shooting Cup was held in Auckland on the 25th and 26th June 2011. A total of seven shooters competed in the event, including Paralympic Shooter Michael Johnson and World Championship Shooting Representatives Grant Philip and Greg Reid.

The results are below:

Air Rifle Standing

Air Rifle Prone

Pistol

Round 2 of the New Zealand Shooting Cup will be held in Christchurch on the 24th and 25th September 2011.

- Paralympics New Zealand


24 Jun 2011
Wimbledon Doubles - Entries and Draws
The All England Club has announced the four men’s and four ladies’ pairings for the Wheelchair Tennis Doubles events at The 125th Championships, Wimbledon, 2011.

A total of £30,000 in prize money is on offer in 2011 for the Wheelchair Tennis Doubles events at The Championships.

ENTRIES (entries based on combined doubles rankings as of Monday, 16 May 2011. Figures in brackets denote individual player doubles rankings at entry deadline).

Gentlemen’s Wheelchair Doubles
Maikel Scheffers (NED) (2) and Ronald Vink (NED) (5)
Stephane Houdet (FRA) (1) and Michael Jeremiasz (FRA) (10)
Robin Ammerlaan (NED) (3) and Stefan Olsson (SWE) (9)
Shingo Kunieda (JPN) (4) and Tom Egberink (NED) (8) (Wild Card)

Ladies’ Wheelchair Doubles
Sharon Walraven (NED) (1) and Esther Vergeer (NED) (3)
Jiske Griffioen (NED) (2) and Aniek van Koot (NED) (5)
Lucy Shuker (GBR) (6) and Jordanne Whiley (GBR) (9)
Annick Sevenans (BEL) (7) and Marjolein Buis (NED) (8) (Wild Card)

To read the full article visit www.itftennis.com/wheelchair

- International Tennis Federation, Wheelchair


23 Jun 2011
Sky Sports 2 Coverage of the 2011 BT Paralympic World Cup
Sky Sports 2 brings you highlights from the 2011 BT Paralympic World Cup held recently in Manchester, England - featuring our own Sophie Pascoe.

6:00am Friday 24 June 2011. Check guides for more details.

- Paralympics New Zealand


23 Jun 2011
Are You, or is Someone You Know, the Next Snow Sport Star?
The 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games is excited to host the Winter Games Talent Camp.

Conceived and delivered by Snow Sports New Zealand, SPARC and the New Zealand Academy of Sport, the partnership is seeking talented 13-18 year old kiwi athletes to join those already identified as future stars at the Winter Games Talent Camp in August later this year.

If you, or someone you know, has dreams of being the next snow sport star and will be 13-18 years of age in August, register your interest today.

As a No Exceptions Sport, this talent identification is open to budding sport enthusiasts who have a disability. The programme is seeking teenagers who have the talent and drive to achieve a high performance level in alpine ski racing or para-snowboard racing. Candidates looking to attend the Adaptive Camp must fit within the guidelines to compete in IPC Snow Sports.

The Adaptive Camp will be held between the 21 - 23 August 2011.

For more information visit www.wintercampnz.ning.com

- Snow Sports New Zealand


22 Jun 2011
Programme Manager Position Vacancy - Paralympics New Zealand
Paralympics New Zealand is seeking to appoint a Programme Manager who has a passion for high performance sport and is driven by achieving results.

This person will have at least 3 years experience in High Performance Sport and experience in developing and implementing sports programme plans. The Programme Manager will effectively assist with the implementation and management of the PNZ High Performance Plan in the preparation to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Applicants should forward by email a covering letter and resume to rbradshaw@paralympics.org.nz by no later than 5pm on Monday 11 July 2011.

View the below document for more information.

   PNZ Programme Manager Position

- Paralympics New Zealand


21 Jun 2011
SPARC Sport Volunteer Awards
SPARC is excited to launch the SPARC Sport Volunteer Awards. Previously the SPARC Volunteer Coach Awards, the SPARC Sport Volunteer Awards offer a simple way for Kiwis to recognise not just coaches but all 800,000 volunteers at the heart of New Zealand’s community sport – referees, administrators, fundraisers, kit-washers, coaches – the lot!

For more information click here

- SPARC


16 Jun 2011
London 2012: Nomination Criteria Ratified For Sailing
Paralympics New Zealand and Yachting New Zealand are pleased to advise that the Sailing nomination criteria for the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been ratified by the PNZ Board.

This is the first Paralympic Sport to have their nomination criteria ratified by the PNZ Board.

To view the nomination criteria click here.

- Paralympics New Zealand


16 Jun 2011
FIS and IPC Sign Co-operation Agreement
The International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have signed a cooperation agreement that will see the two collaborating closer on the development and technical aspects of a number of FIS and IPC disciplines.

Signed by IPC Chief Executive Officer Xavier Gonzalez and FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis, the main focus of the agreement is centered on technical co-operation through the FIS Sub-Committee for Skiers with a Disability, chaired by former top Alpine skier, Steve Podborski (CAN).

The FIS Sub-Committee will act as primary liaison for technical matters between FIS and the IPC and its technical committees for Alpine Skiing and Cross-Country Skiing.

It will also provide assistance to the IPC with FIS technical documentation such as FIS rules and updates, technical delegate education pathways, development, networking and facilitating contact between potential event organizers.

Through the terms of the agreement an exchange program whereby FIS technical delegates can be assigned to IPC Alpine Skiing competitions will be implemented. Similarly, IPC technical delegates may also be able to attend FIS technical delegate updates to assist their education and knowledge.

Xavier Gonzalez, the IPC's Chief Executive Officer, said: "This agreement will further aid the development of skiing sports for people with an impairment and we are grateful to FIS for their continued support."

"As we approach the next Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia in 2014 this agreement will also strengthen our sports and improve them further from a technical point of view."

Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of FIS added: "We have seen true progress in the role of the FIS Sub-Committee for Skiers with a Disability and the FIS Committees and technical officials welcome the opportunity of sharing their expertise and exchanging experiences with the IPC officials."

- International Paralympic Committee


15 Jun 2011
PNZ Swimming Team Announced for 2011 Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships
Paralympics New Zealand is pleased to announce the team selections for the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships which are to be held in Canada 10 -14 August 2011.

Athletes
Rebecca Dubber - Auckland
Mary Fisher - Wellington
Daniel Holt - Auckland
Nikita Howarth - Waikato
Aine Kelly-Costello - Auckland
Cameron Leslie - Auckland
Bryall McPherson - Auckland
Sophie Pascoe - Canterbury
Daniel Sharp - Auckland

Staff
Esther Price - Team Manager
Graham Smith - Head Coach
Roly Crichton - Assistant Coach
Gary Francis - Development Coach
Jacqui Kerins - Physiotherapist

Sport Scientist Matt Ingram will also travel with the team on a SPARC PM Scholarship.

- Paralympics New Zealand


09 Jun 2011
Pascoe Joins Beef + Lamb New Zealand Iron Maidens
Sophie Pascoe has joined the growing team of New Zealand female sporting superstars in the ‘Iron Maidens’. The group are the well known marketing face of Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

Pascoe and middle distance runner Nikki Hamblin join Sarah Ulmer, Caroline Meyer (nee Evers-Swindell), Georgina Earl (nee Evers-Swindell), Sarah Walker and Alison Shanks in the squad of sports ambassadors for the brand.

Paralympic swimmer, Sophie Pascoe, makes no secret of the fact she wants to see greater recognition of Paralympic Sports and she believes one way to achieve this is through the achievement of high profile sponsorship.

“I see the partnership with Beef + Lamb New Zealand Inc as a great demonstration of support for myself and Paralympic Sports at a time where competitors are striving for equal recognition,” says Sophie Pascoe, who won three Golds and one Silver medal at the Beijing Paralympics.

To read the article click here

- Beef + Lamb New Zealand


09 Jun 2011
In the Media: Michael Johnson
Shooter Michael Johnson featured in the Papakura Courier following the announcement that he has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

To read the article click here

- Papakura Courier


08 Jun 2011