Papua New Guinea Paralympic Committee choose Stoke Mandeville Stadium

The Papua New Guinea Paralympic Committee visited the South East region , to view Pre-Games training facilities on offer. Dr Kefu Ma, Chef de Mission of the Committee, visited Medway Park, Canterbury High School and Sevenoaks School in Kent, Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex and Stoke Mandeville Stadium. in order to help him make a decision as to which facilities he might use for training in the run-up to the London 2012 Games.

Lindsey Horton, Pre-Games Training Camp Manager for the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) met Dr Ma and escorted him throughout his visit to the region. Dr Ma was particularly interested in facilities for Paralympic sprinters and powerlifters.

Says Lindsey; ‘Dr Ma seemed genuinely very impressed by the facilities being developed in the region and was looking forward to working with us in the future.’

Said Dr Kefu Ma; ‘I have very much enjoyed visiting the South East area and had been really looking forward to coming to Stoke Mandeville which is known throughout the world as the Birthplace of the Paralympics. I have been very impressed with the quality of sporting facilities and have enjoyed a very warm welcome throughout my visit. I am particularly pleased that I was able to come here to the spiritual home of the Paralympics on September 16th, the national day of Papua New Guinea."

Following the visit Dr Ma signed a Memorandum of Understanding for athletes from Papua New Guinea to use facilities in the South East including Stoke Mandeville Stadium ahead of the 2012 games.

Ian Barham, the Buckinghamshire Manager for the 2012 Games and Ian Seabrook the Business Development Manager for Stoke Mandeville Stadium welcomed Dr Ma to Stoke Mandeville and were delighted at his decision to choose this area as a base for his athletes. “We are both looking forward to welcoming athletes to our area from nations both large and small over the next 3 years. The presence of international athletes in our area offers great scope for educational, economic and cultural links to be developed with visiting nations which will definitely generate huge interest as we prepare for 2012. The name of Stoke Mandeville is famous throughout the world and a real attraction for international athletes ”

Ian Seabrook said 'it is an honour that Dr Ma has selected Stoke Mandeville Stadium as the pre-2012 games training venue, and it shows that the reputation and the name of the centre is recognised around the world.' Papua New Guinea join Uganda and Finland in committing themselves to Stoke Mandeville Stadium for their pre-2012 Games Training Camps.

The South East is currently receiving visits from Olympic and Paralympic Committees from all over the world. The Committees are touring facilities that have been specially selected according to specific criteria and which offer athletes the opportunity to train and acclimatise in their sport ahead of the London 2012 Games. The Committees will be deciding for themselves where to base their teams and where to send individual athletes to prepare.