London 2012 - Paralympic Games venues plan unveiled

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, speaking to the International Paralympic Committee this morning said:

"The Paralympic Games is one of the world's most exciting and inspiring sporting events and experiences for elite athletes, and we want to ensure that our Games in London are the best ever. We want to set new standards on and off the track, and be a catalyst for continued change for public attitudes towards disability. The Paralympic Games will be a huge festival of sport with the whole of the world watching events such as Boccia, Goalball, Wheelchair Tennis and Wheelchair Rugby. They will leave a lasting legacy as well with the building of new tennis centre in the north of the Olympic Park."

Unveiling the venue plan, which has been done in consultation with the International Paralympic Committee, Seb commented:

"This is one of the most compact Games ever, and it will minimise travel and any disruption to our Paralympic athletes. I have always said that athletes' needs should be at the centre of our plans and this demonstrates our commitment to this aim.

"We will provide a compact and inclusive Paralympic Games with high quality accessible venues, transport services and excellent Village facilities for athletes as well as for team and technical officials."

Chairman of the British Paralympic Association, and London Organising Committee board member, Mike Brace said: "The venue plan confirms the Organising Committee's intention to place the athlete and sports at the heart of Games. The compactness and mix of sports in each venue will ensure not only that athletes are well served, but also that the public will be able to experience a variety of sports in each location.

"This is vital to maximise the spectator experience of elite disability sport. We want people with disabilities from all over the world to get involved in our Paralympic Games and have a fantastic experience by watching, volunteering and by being involved."

The bulk of the Paralympic venues are set in two zones - the Olympic Park Zone and the River Zone. The two zones are within 15 minutes of each other, leading to one of the most compact Games ever, minimising travel times and disruption for Paralympians.

The Olympic Park will contain the main Athletics stadium, where the Athletics and opening and closing ceremonies will take place; the Hockey Centre will host Seven-a-side and Five-a-side Football; and the Velopark will host Track Cycling.

In the north of the Park at Eton Manor will be the Archery and Wheelchair Tennis venue, which will be converted post-Games into a state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor tennis centre. Three indoor arenas will host Wheelchair Rugby, Goalball, Wheelchair Basketball, Judo, and Wheelchair Fencing. The Aquatics Centre will host Swimming. The Athletes' Village is also set within the Park, as are the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre.

Moving south eastwards, the River Zone will see a lot of action. The Greenwich temporary arena will host Sitting Volleyball, and Greenwich Park will host Equestrian, providing a stunning backdrop.

ExCeL will host Boccia, Powerlifting, Wheelchair Basketball and Table Tennis. The Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich will host Shooting.

All these venues are less than 15 minutes away from the Olympic Park, making travelling between venues easy and convenient for competitors and spectators. As a result, 90% of athletes will be within 15 minutes of their venue.

All Paralympic athletes will be housed within the athletes' village set within the Olympic Park, which has been designed to be fully accessible from the outset.

Paralympic sailors and rowers will have accommodation close to their competition venues in Weymouth and Eton Dorney but will also have a bed available within the village if required.

Outside the two zones, Road Cycling will take place in Regent's Park in central London, the new sport of Adaptive Rowing in Eton Dorney, which hosted a successful Rowing World Championships in August, and Sailing at Weymouth and Portland.


- Ends -

Note to Editors:
Other key facts and figures about the Paralympic Games are listed below.

• The London 2012 Paralympic Games will run from Wednesday 29 August through to Sunday 9 September, and are the second largest multi-sport event in the world. There will be 20 sports, 4,500 athletes and 2,300 officials taking part and 1.5 million tickets for sale.
• The London Organising Committee, responsible for the staging of the Games, is integrating and coordinating all planning for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. It is the first Organising Committee to integrate planning for the Games in this way.
• The London 2012 Paralympic Games have been scheduled to start on a Wednesday to enable two full weekends of action. The day after the Opening Ceremony, Thursday 30th August, has been scheduled as "Paralympic Day", where spectators will be encouraged to try out Paralympic Sports and watch athletes train. There will also be cultural performing arts events taking place and the day will be a celebration of Paralympism.
• The tennis centre at Eton Manor is a tangible legacy of the Paralympic Games for the local community and will also provide Wheelchair Tennis with another tennis venue in the UK for Grand Prix events and championships.
• Other legacies from the Paralympic Games include the relocation of hockey pitches after the Games to Eton Manor. The Main Press Centre and International Broadcast Centre are now in the Olympic Park and will be used for light industrial premises afterwards.
• In addition work is being carried out to scope out the hosting of a cultural festival linking the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
• The Olympic Delivery Authority, responsible for building the infrastructure for the Games, will ensure all Olympic venues are fully accessible and that transport upgrades to London's transport infrastructure can provide fully accessible transport options for all Games venues.
• The Paralympic movement has its origins at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where Sir Ludwig Guttman organised the first competitive wheelchair games to coincide with the 1948 London Olympics.
• A GamesMobility Service will be developed. This service was used at the Manchester Commonwealth Games and means that spectators with a disability and other participants in the Games will be offered a Games-wide free service which enables them to book a ticket for a guaranteed accessible location, and arrangements can be made to provide a personal guide to the event.
• The Paralympic Torch Relay will travel through major UK towns and cities en route to the Opening Ceremony. There will also be an accompanying cultural festival with concerts and street festivals taking place throughout the UK to bridge the gap between the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
• The Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony will be a spectacular ceremony featuring the best of British art and entertainment and will be a celebration of sports and arts for the disabled.
• There will be a wide range of accessible accommodation available for spectators ranging from five-star hotels to affordable student and bed and breakfast accommodation. The Paralympic media community will be in fully accessible hotels in Bloomsbury, and there will also be accommodation near to the International Broadcast Centre, the Main Press Centre in the Olympic Park, and close to the ExCeL centre.

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100.