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Birmingham to send off Britain’s Paralympians

Birmingham will be the launch-pad for Britain’s Paralympic Games campaign this year after an announcement that the city’s National Indoor Arena (NIA) will play host to the complete Paralympics GB team just weeks before it departs for Beijing. 

The send-off, which will take place on July 26, 2008 – six weeks before the start of the Games and just weeks before many of the squads fly out to holding camps in Hong Kong and Macau – will also involve a talent ID day and disability sport taster session to encourage others to follow in the footsteps of Britain’s top athletes.The Birmingham public are being asked to show their support for the ParalympicsGB team by lining the streets of Birmingham for the athlete’s parade, to start at the Jury’s Hotel in Birmingham at 6pm coming through Brindleyplace before finishing at the NIA when the athletes will go onto the gala dinner.

Birmingham City Council is working closely with Paralympics GB to organise this event and Councillor Ray Hassall, the council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the Paralympics GB team to Birmingham. This city has a strong history in disability sport with the further events to be staged in Birmingham in 2010, so it’s appropriate that Birmingham has been selected to host this GB team celebration ahead of the Beijing Paralympics.”

For  more information log on to www.paralympics.org.uk