London 2012 celebrates five years to Paralympic Games

Planning for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is integrated for the first time for a Summer Games, providing an outstanding sporting experience for athletes from all backgrounds and a memorable legacy for Paralympic sport in the UK.

A firm commitment to improving sports participation through the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has also been included for the first time.

Last year, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) approved the Paralympic venue plan and there have been productive discussions between the London 2012 Organising Committee, the International Olympic Committee and the IPC which resulted in an integrated version of the master schedule – a prime project management tool.

The London 2012 Organising Committee is the first Organising Committee to base the Olympic and Paralympic logos around the same core emblem. The London 2012 website has also been relaunched, with more Paralympic branding and content, setting new standards of visibility for the Paralympic Movement.

Sir Philip Craven, President of the IPC, said: 'In coming to Stoke Mandeville, London is paying homage to the roots of the Paralympic Movement and catching the true spirit of Paralympic Games. Britain is the birth place of Paralympic Sport and the world can look forward to great things in 2012 as a result. I am very pleased with the progress London is making on its plans to date.'

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'The Paralympic Games is one of the world's most exciting and inspiring sporting events 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. Our use of the same core emblem for both the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is part of this process.

'The Paralympic Games will be a huge festival of sport with the whole of the world watching events including; Boccia, Goalball, Wheelchair Tennis and Wheelchair Rugby. The Games will leave a memorable Paralympic sports legacy including a physical legacy in new tennis facilities in the north of the Olympic Park. London 2012 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.'

Tessa Jowell, the Minister with responsibility for the Paralympic Games, said: 'In exactly five years time London's Paralympic Games will begin and so it is entirely fitting that today the 2012 Roadshow visits Stoke Mandeville, the place where Paralympic sport really began. Winning the right to host the 2012 Games has given us an extraordinary opportunity to transform sport in the UK – for both the able-bodied and those with disabilities.

'The Paralympics are an integral part of all our preparations and our ambition for an enduring legacy, and I am determined that London 2012 sets new standards for services, facilities and opportunities for disabled people.'

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: 'The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be a spectacular showcase for London’s rich diversity and passion for sport. With five years to go we are well advanced with our preparations to stage the greatest ever Paralympic Games and look forward to cheering on our Paralympians as they go for gold in 2012.'

British Paralympic Association President and London 2012 Board member Mike Brace OBE, said: 'Today marks an important milestone in our journey to the London 2012 Paralympic Games and it’s appropriate that we should mark the occasion at Stoke Mandeville, the venue for the first international competition for athletes with a disability in 1948.

'We are planning to host the best ever Paralympic Games in London in 2012 and welcome the opportunity to provide the stage for a display of outstanding ability in Paralympic sport from the world’s best.'

Tanni Grey Thompson, Britain’s greatest Paralympian said: 'In five years time London will be buzzing with excitement about the start of the Paralympic Games. London will put on a great event, and also ensure that a lasting sporting legacy is left for people with a disability. I want the London 2012 Paralympic Games to be a catalyst for a change in people’s attitudes about disability. This is not just about a two week period of time, it is about a whole culture change to inspire people. I look forward to being at the Opening Ceremony in 2012.'

The bulk of London’s Paralympic competition 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.

Significant progress has been made this year on the development of the Olympic Park and the Athletes’ Village.

All Paralympic athletes will be housed within the Athletes’ Village set within the Olympic Park which has been designed to be fully accessible and will be built to the national ‘Life Times Home’ standard. The village is an example of the very best of inclusive design. 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 the successful rowing world championships in August 2006, and Sailing at Weymouth and Portland.

To celebrate five years to go to the start of the Paralympic Games, the London 2012 Roadshow is visiting Stoke Mandeville Stadium, home of British wheelchair sport on the final date of its successful summer tour.

There will be a range of different sporting activities for young people to try out and there will be a wheelchair basketball match with international juniors. Leading Paralympians Tanni Grey Thompson, Ade Adepitan, Lloyd Upsdell and Pete Norfolk will be attending to take part in the action.

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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. They will follow on from the London 2012 Olympic Games which take place from Friday 27th July to Sunday 12th August.

- The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, 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 30 August, has been scheduled as 'Paralympic Day', where spectators will be encouraged to try out Paralympic Sports and watch athletes compete and train. There will also be cultural performing arts events taking place and the day will be a celebration of Paralympism.

- 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, with a tangible legacy from the Paralympic Games for the local community. 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.

- The Tennis centre at Eton Manor in the Olympic Park 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.

- Another legacy from the Paralympic Games includes the relocation of Hockey pitches after the Games to Eton Manor.

- 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 Olympic Games.

- A GamesMobility Service will be developed at the London 2012 Games. This service was used at the Manchester 2002 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.

- There will be a 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