Panathlon Challenge

June 2010

• B&D Retain London Crown!

  Posted: Friday 25th June 2010
  Category:

  BARKING AND DAGENHAM WORTHY LONDON PANATHLON CHAMPIONS
  
  The stakes were high and the competition fast and furious. 5 elite teams of young athletes assembled at the Westway Sports Centre in West London on 24 June to determine which would have the honour of being crowned London Panathlon Champions 2010.
  
  The teams were from Barking and Dagenham, Croydon, Harrow, Haringey and Lambeth. For 3 hours they battled and gave their all to try and win the ultimate prize. The sports in which they competed were Boccia, New Age Kurling, Football, Polybat, Table Cricket and Athletics. The contest was very close throughout and it wasn’t until the final event, athletics, when the result was decided.
  
  And although it was devilish close, Barking and Dagenham, the current champions, proved their pedigree to win with the impressive total of 60 points. They were chased all the way by Croydon, twice winners in the past, who finished on 50 points. Harrow, Harringey and Lambeth were competing in the final for the first time and will have learned much from the experience.
  
  Kate Hoey, London’s Commissioner for Sport, was in attendance, trying very hard to be an impartial supporter even though her own team, Lambeth, were represented. Kate said “With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games fast approaching, Panathlon is exactly the kind of initiative that we should all be getting behind. It brings real, competitive sport to those who might otherwise have missed out on involvement. The Mayor and I are both committed to getting as many young people as possible involved in sport. Events like this show that disability need not be any obstacle to participation. Panathlon deserve huge praise for what it is doing.
  
  
  The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said, 'The Panathlon Challenge is a fantastic competition. It is about taking part, aspiration and achievement, three of the best motivators for young people. As 2012 approaches, I hope tournaments like this will inspire more Londoners, young and old alike, to take up sport and physical activity.'
  
  225 athletes with severe learning difficulties and/or physical impairments, aged between 8 and 18, competed in the event. Liz Johnson, Paralympic Gold Medallist in Beijing 2008 attended the event to encourage the competitors and award medals. She was joined by fellow Gold Medallist and champion swimmer Giles Long.
  
  The event took place with the help of new investment of £83,500 from the Mayor of London through the Sports Legacy Plan for London to increase the number of young disabled people involved. Additional funding comes from the Football Foundation and the Jack Petchey Foundation.
  
  Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Panathlon does outstanding work in opening up a wide range of sports to our capital’s disabled young people. The Football Foundation’s funding has enabled Panathlon to provide football for around 450 footballers with severe learning difficulties and to launch Powerchair football in five clubs across London this year.”
  
  The Panathlon Challenge is now in its tenth successful year of delivering sporting opportunities and “mini-paralympic” type competitions for young disabled Londoners. This year around 1,000 participants have been involved. It has invested around £250,000 in sports equipment, coaching sessions and multi-sports competitions for severely disabled young people across the country.
  
  
  
  There was a demonstration of Powerchair Football for severely disabled young people in a ground breaking project with the Wheelchair Football Association, Brentford FC Community Trust and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. Panathlon supported by the Football Foundation, are creating five Powerchair Football clubs in London supported with specialist equipment and coaching.
  
  Danny Crates, Paralympic Champion and Panathlon charity patron said: “Panathlon is a fantastic opportunity for young disabled Londoners to take part in sporting competition and I wish everybody the best of luck in their own search for gold medals.”
  
  The Jack Petchey Foundation has donated £35,000 towards the Panathlon Challenge in London in 2010. Trudy Kilcullen, Chief Operations Officer for the Jack Petchey Foundation said. 'We are pleased to be supporting Panathlon once again, which will benefit many hundreds of young disabled people in London.”
  
  To find more about Panathlon - visit www.panathlon.com
  
  

• 580 miles and £6,500 and counting....

  Posted: Sunday 20th June 2010
  Category:

  582 miles for Charity – raises £6,500 and counting !
  
  As part of a European wide fund raising appeal, the “Around the World” in a Day challenge in Essex centered on the Hilton London Stansted Airport on Sunday June 6th.
  
  The various teams competing completed over 582 miles in the day in the gym and running around the perimeter of the Hotel. More local Essex schools added to the total miles completed this week with hundreds of disabled and non-disabled young people adding 76 miles to the total.
  
  All proceeds raised in Stansted will be donated to Panathlon Challenge which, is able to offer free training courses, specialist equipment supply, coaching funds and multi-sport competitions, in various towns around Essex. Young disabled people with a range of abilities come together and are able to compete in different sports.
  
  Hilton Worldwide team members, charity partners and the public all worked together on the day in over 75 hotels and offices across Europe, collectively traveling 31,825 miles –making it around the circumference of the earth - 24,901.55 miles - with distance to spare.
  
  Danny Crates, Paralympic Gold Medallist and Panathlon charity patron who is from Essex says, “Congratulations to all the runners, rowers, bikers and everyone that managed a total of 583 miles and raised over £6,500 for our Panathlon Charity! Thank you Hilton Foundation”
  
  Ashley Iceton from Panathlon said: “The Panathlon Challenge is delighted to be working with Hilton in the Community and Around the World in a Day. The Panathlon Challenge benefits hundreds of disabled young people in Essex and thousands more around the country. Every penny raised through Around the World in a Day, will be invested back in to specialist sports equipment for local Essex Schools and young disabled people.”
  
  According to Andrew Brett, General Manager at Hilton London Stansted Airport, this year’s event was an opportunity for the community to get together and to have fun in support of a great cause. Andrew said ”“I was so impressed to see so many people taking the time and effort to help out and we had a lot of fun along the way. I think everyone will have tired legs but it was certainly worth it to help such a good local cause! Thank you so much to all the participants and to everyone who supported us.”
  
  To find out more information please call 020 7605 7641 or www.hilton-foundation.org.uk
  
  Anyone wishing to contribute to the Panathlon Charity donations, please see www.panathlon.com

• London Final - This week!!

  Posted: Sunday 20th June 2010
  Category:

  PANATHLON CHALLENGE ALL LONDON FINAL.
  COULD THIS BE THE CLOSEST EVER?
  
  The 2010 Panathlon Challenge All London final promises to be one of the closest ever. The event, which takes place on 24 June at the Westway Sports Centre, between 11am and 2pm and involves teams from 5 London Boroughs, each of whom have won their way through from hard fought area finals.
  
  The 5 boroughs are – Lambeth, Harrow, Haringey, Croydon and Barking and Dagenham. To add real spice to the occasion 3 of the teams, Harrow, Lambeth and Haringey, are appearing in the final for the first time. Another, Croydon, has won the event twice before, and Barking & Dagenham won it last year so are the defending champions. So everything to play for, and a cracking contest in prospect!
  
  The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said, “The Panathlon Challenge is sport at its very finest - competitive, inclusive and inspiring. Long may it continue to thrive.”
  
  200 athletes with severe learning difficulties and/or physical impairments, aged between 8 and 18, will compete in the sports of Boccia, New Age Kurling, Football, Polybat, Table Cricket and Athletics for the honour of being crowned Panathlon Champions 2010.
  
  Liz Johnson, Paralympic Gold Medallist in Beijing 2008 will be attending the event to encourage the competitors and award medals. She broke the 100m breaststroke World Record in April 2010.
  
  The events go ahead with the help of new investment of £83,500 from the Mayor of London through the Sports Legacy Plan for London to increase the number of young disabled people involved. Additional funding comes from the Football Foundation and the Jack Petchey Foundation.
  
  Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall and principal adviser to London Mayor Boris Johnson as Commissioner for Sport, said: “With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games fast approaching, Panathlon is exactly the kind of initiative that we should all be getting behind. It brings real, competitive sport to those who might otherwise have missed out on involvement. The Mayor and I are both committed to getting as many young people as possible involved in sport. Events like this show that disability need not be any obstacle to participation. Panathlon deserve huge praise for what it is doing.”
  
  Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Panathlon does outstanding work in opening up a wide range of sports to our capital’s disabled young people. The Football Foundation’s funding has enabled Panathlon to provide football for around 450 footballers with severe learning difficulties and to launch Powerchair football in five clubs across London this year.”
  
  The Panathlon Challenge is now in its tenth successful year of delivering sporting opportunities and “mini-paralympic” type competitions for young disabled Londoners. This year around 1,000 participants have been involved. It has invested around £250,000 in sports equipment, coaching sessions and multi-sports competitions for severely disabled young people across the country.
  
  There will also be a demonstration of Powerchair Football for severely disabled young people in a ground breaking project with the Wheelchair Football Association, Brentford FC Community Trust and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation. Panathlon supported by the Football Foundation, are creating five Powerchair Football clubs in London supported with specialist equipment and coaching.
  
  Danny Crates, Paralympic Champion and Panathlon charity patron said: “Panathlon is a fantastic opportunity for young disabled Londoners to take part in sporting competition and I wish everybody the best of luck in their own search for gold medals.”
  
  The Jack Petchey Foundation has donated £35,000 towards the Panathlon Challenge in London in 2010. The Foundation, based in Ilford, Essex was founded in 1999 and aims to help develop the potential within young people aged 11-25 right across London and Essex. So far, in excess of £60 million has been given to a wide range of organisations and schools. Trudy Kilcullen, Chief Operations Officer for the Jack Petchey Foundation said. “We are pleased to be supporting the Panathlon Challenge once again, which will benefit many young disabled people in London”.
  
  To find more about Panathlon - visit www.panathlon.com