Sir Keith updates on early planning for Paralympic Games

Sir Keith updated the IPC Governing Board on plans to make Olympic facilities and venues widely accessible to athletes with diverse skills; backgrounds and requirements would be a feature of the London Games.

"London's principle objective and that of the Paralympic Movement are one and the same to be inspirational," Sir Keith said.

LOCOG's newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Paul Deighton, who starts his position in April, will also attend the Torino Paralympic Winter Games and meet with IPC officials.

Sir Keith confirmed that LOCOG has started to work with the IOC on their master-schedule of Olympic planning, and would meet with key IPC staff to develop similar processes when the Torino Paralympic Winter Games had finished.

"One of our key aims is to investigate how to best merge these master-schedules of the IOC and IPC wherever possible, in order to ensure that they compliment each other at every stage."

He also announced that LOCOG's Education and Culture division would stage a Seminar during the Paralympic World Cup, in Manchester in May, to explore how both domestic and international experts and performers in the area of disability arts could be engaged to forge a connection with sport.

8 March 2006

Click here to view the full release and download speech