Tel: 01473 836777
Fax: 01473 836778
Textphone: 01473 836779
Email enquiries@optua.org.uk
Tel: 01473 836777
Fax: 01473 836778
Textphone: 01473 836779
Email enquiries@optua.org.uk
The Disability Sport Academy Showcase Event on September 16th at Northgate Sports Centre in Ipswich was a great success.
Over 130 people with a physical, sensory or learning disability came along to try a range of Paralympic sports. Those taking part could take part in up to four different sports of the ten on offer which were archery, football, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, table tennis, athletics, boccia, goalball, sitting volleyball and powerlifting.
David Finn, manager of Optua Leisure, said: "The day was a tremendous success and everyone who took part thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was great to be able to provide such a range of sports so people could take part in popular sports like football and athletics but also less well known ones like goalball, boccia and powerlifting. Our main goal is to get more disabled people into sport and if we can produce a Paralympian for 2012 that would be the icing on the cake."
Colin Poole, Chief Executive of Optua, added: "There was a great buzz of excitement at the event and I hope we have inspired some people. The aim of our Disability Sport Academy Project is to encourage more disabled people to try out these sports and to try and improve the coaching and training facilities and opportunities available to them in Suffolk."
The event was probably the largest disability sport event ever held in the county and Optua is already planning another similar event in the county next spring which could be followed by more. Top coaches from the region and other parts of the country came along to the event to run the sports sessions. The local clubs involved included Stowmarket Table Tennis Club, Orwell Panthers, Bury Bombers, Ipswich Town Football Club and Kesgrave Wheelchair Tennis Club.
The event was also supported by several organisations including Ipswich Town Football Club, Team Ipswich, Suffolk Sport, St Edmunds Trust, Waitrose in Sudbury, Awards for All, the Hedley Foundation, Britannia Building Society and the Bruce Wake charity.
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