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View the full set of Paralympic pictograms
Download images of the Paralympic pictograms (print media)
Download images of the Paralympic pictograms (online media)
Download images of athletes wearing the Paralympic pictogram t-shirts
In addition, to mark this milestone, a nationwide talent recruitment drive has been launched today by UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport and the British Paralympic Association. A campaign of this size so close to a Games is unprecedented and while it can take athletes up to eight years to reach an Olympic Games, research has shown that potential participants for a Paralympic Games can be ready to compete at an elite level much sooner. People with any form of impairment, who think they might have what it takes to become a Paralympic champion in London in 2012, should register their interest at http://www.uksport.gov.uk/pages/talent_id before 11th January 2010.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), said: “In 1,000 days’ time we will be welcoming the Paralympic Games home and we will deliver a spectacular showcase for Paralympic sport. This is a golden opportunity to raise awareness of Paralympic sport, challenge stereotypes about disability and secure a legacy which will have every disabled child getting greater access to sport. As the clock counts down to 2012, there is still time to get involved in the Paralympic Games, and still time to become part of the British team.”
Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics and Paralympics, said: “In just one thousand days some of the world’s greatest and most inspirational athletes will be in the UK to celebrate the start of the biggest ever Paralympic Games. This amazing spectacle of sport will not only reinforce the fact that being disabled need not be a barrier to sporting achievement, it is also an opportunity for us all to challenge our perceptions of disabled people and to accelerate change that will transform their lives.”
Boris Johnson, The Mayor of London, said: “This is a major milestone in the history of the Paralympic Movement as London prepares to stage the best ever Paralympics in 2012. I am completely confident that, as we build our team to take on the world, we can surpass the fantastic medal haul achieved in Beijing last year. And it is not too late to be part of ParalympicsGB. Scouting continues across the land for new talent to ensure the team remains a force to be reckoned with at the London Games.”
Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, said: "We are thrilled to see the 1,000 day point reached on the countdown to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Already there is a growing group of people getting involved to support the Games coming home to London, and we look forward to that group continuing to find interested individuals ready to be inspired. Together we will make the Paralympics a major success for the entire world to see!"
Phil Lane, Chief Executive of ParalympicsGB, said: “With 1,000 days to go we are busy with preparation to ensure that we send the best possible British team to the London Paralympic Games. Whilst we have come second in the medal table at the past three Games, competition is getting tougher all the time and there are so many events that we have not been able to field an athlete in. That’s why today we have announced a new joint initiative with UK Sport to find talented sportsmen and women who can be part of our Paralympic team in London. We want to ensure we have explored all avenues to recruit new athletes so we can send the best team we possibly can.”
The home pages of london2012.com will be taken over by a “splash page” marking 1,000 days to go, showcasing Paralympic content including the new Paralympic pictograms, and a special video showing how people are already preparing for the Paralympic Games. People will be invited to tell the website in a tweet what they will have achieved in 1,000 days, with a chance of winning a limited-edition Pictogram t-shirt: www.twitter.com/london2012
Other partners and organisations linked to London 2012 will also be celebrating 1,000 days to go. Staff and pupils at Springfields School in Calne, Wiltshire, will be holding a 1,000 days to go assembly to celebrate the fact they are the first Special School to join the London 2012 Get Set network; in Belfast, young people on the 5 Star Disability Sports Challenge will plant 1,000 bulbs in Stormont Gardens to showcase the fact that 1,000 children have been through the scheme to date; Sheffield’s Lighting the Flame a partnership of the English Institute of Sport is hosting taster sessions of Paralympic Sports with ex-Paralympians; in Brighton, Accentuate, the South East’s Legacy Trust programme, is launched, delivering 15 cross-sector projects ensuring disabled people have the potential to be the leaders of tomorrow, in whatever field they choose.
London 2012 partners are firmly behind the Paralympic Games with a range of activities. These include Lloyds TSB, which runs a “Local Heroes” campaign featuring young Paralympic hopefuls; BT is the presenting partner of the Paralympic World Cup; Deloitte has both created www.parasport.org.uk, which enables disabled people to participate in sport, and become the disability sport partner of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme; adidas are kit suppliers to ParalympicsGB; and British Airways has a partnership with UK Sport which benefits athletes across 20 Paralympic sports.
LOCOG is also the first Organising Committee to sell broadcast rights to the Paralympic Games with the tender process currently underway. The host Paralympic broadcaster will be a key partner over the next 1,000 days in ensuring we have educated spectators watching at the Paralympic venues and on television in 2012. A decision on the successful bidder is expected early in the new year.
The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad launched “Unlimited” last autumn, which is the UK’s largest ever celebration of arts, disability culture and sport. “Unlimited” Commissions annually fund and enable talented disabled and deaf artists to create exciting, quality new work across all disciplines leading up to and including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with awards of £25-£50,000 from a £1.5 million commission fund. Applications for 2010 are available for application through the Arts Council England ‘Grants for the Arts’ process until 4th January 2010. Artists can find out more about the application process by visiting www.london2012.com/unlimited.
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For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://blog.london2012.com or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012team
View the latest LOCOG film about 1000 days to go
ParalympicsGB is the organisation responsible for selecting, entering, managing and funding the British team at the summer and winter Paralympic Games. At the last Paralympic Games in Beijing, ParalympicsGB finished second in the medal table behind host nation China. 55% of GB athletes were first time Paralympians in Beijing. Of these one-third won medals and 15 of Britain’s 42 gold medals were secured by first-time Paralympians. 33% of British medallists had been part of a world-class elite programme for less than two years. For further information contact: tash.carpenter@paralympics.org.uk or on mobile 07766 991152.
As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are six domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twelve domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, Crystal CG, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, GSK, Holiday Inn, McCann Worldgroup, The Nielsen Company, Populous, Ticketmaster and Trident.
The Worldwide Olympic Partners signed up for London 2012 are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa.
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