A Great Occasion-So Why No Gold Medal Paralympians?

MEDIA STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
19 September 2012

A Great Occasion-So Why No Gold Medal Paralympians?

DPA (NZ) the national cross-disability group of disabled people is aghast that the ceremony to award Valerie Adams with her gold medal will go ahead in the presence of all other gold medallists, except the gold-medal winning paralympians.

This is a huge omission to make says DPA CEO Rachel Noble. We are hugely proud of Valerie’s achievement, and we think it is great other Olympians will be there. But the lack of the gold medal paralympians’ presence is stunning.

This is an insult to disabled sportspeople and it’s just not good enough to say it was a separate competition. Both competitions featured elite athletes, so elite New Zealand athletes, disabled and non-disabled should be there to celebrate Valerie Adams’ achievement, she says.

ENDS

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