To mark the end of the Beijing Paralympics and London officially becoming the next host city for the 2012 Games, a range of disabled sports were demonstrated by local disabled sportspeople in Millennium Square on Wednesday 17th September.
Members of the public were encouraged to attend the demonstration and also take part themselves by having a go at the various sports, some of which are in the Paralympics. The sports included wheelchair racing, wheelchair tennis, blind football and wheelchair basketball.
Participants taking part in the demonstration included former Paralympic wheelchair tennis player and 2008 British Open winner Kevin Plowman, as well as Leeds Spiders Wheelchair Basketball Club and Leeds City Athletics Wheelchairs Racers.
The event also saw the launch of a countywide programme designed to help talented sportspeople develop their skills ahead of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.
The Supporting Talented Athletes Recognition Scheme (STARS) will see West Yorkshire’s leading sportspeople being given free access to key council and university sports facilities at designated times to use for their personal training and development.
Leeds City Council, Leeds Metropolitan University and the University of Leeds have all signed up to support the scheme, which will be open to all nationally-ranked sportspeople who live in West Yorkshire.