IPC Athletics World Championship Assen, The Netherlands, 2006

Bonn, Germany, September 01, 2006 – For the first time, sports fans around the world will be able to watch footage from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships via the IPC’s Internet television channel www.paralympicsport.tv.

ParalympicSport.TV will broadcast six four-hour highlight programmes with English commentary from 5 to 12 September. Approximately 1,500 athletes from 77 countries will participate in the nine-day event which will run from 2 to 10 September in Assen, the Netherlands. The IPC Athletics World Championships are one of the largest sports competitions for athletes with a disability after the Paralympic Games.
Tomorrow, the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships will officially begin with a large Opening Ceremony, which will be attended by IPC President Sir Philip Craven and Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Magriet of the Netherlands as well as other guests from the world of sport, media and politics.

Currently ParalympicSport.TV is broadcasting the 4th INAS-FID Football World Championships. The opening match was shown live on ParalympicSport.TV on 29 August. Four more live matches will be shown over the next two weeks:

  • 07 September 12:15 (CET) Germany vs. Russia

  • 10 September 12:35 (CET) Quarterfinal

  • 12 September 12:15 (CET) Semifinal

  • 16 September 15:00 (CET) Final.


Said IPC Media and Communication Director Miriam Wilkens: “Webcasting offers an opportunity for a targeted delivery of content to a global interest group. ParalympicSport.TV increases the availability and accessibility to coverage of Paralympic Sport and will therefore allow more people to experience and witness the outstanding sporting performances of Paralympic athletes.”

The IPC was, in its capacity as an International Sports Federation for 12 sports, the first IF to initiate its own Internet television channel (http://www.paralympicsport.tv ). Launched at the Torino 2006 Winter Paralympics, the IPC’s Internet television channel saw over 70,000 cumulated viewers from 105 countries, watching an average of four and a half hours during the Winter Games. The majority of viewers came from the USA, Italy, Canada, Germany and Japan. The channel also drew a 5% increase of new viewers every day.

For more information about the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships, the competition schedule and results, please visit the official event website at http://www.wkatletiek.nl. To view footage from the competition, the Torino 2006 Winter Paralympics or the 4th INAS-FID Football World Championships, go to http://www.paralympicsport.tv.

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For further information, please contact Miriam Wilkens, IPC Media and Communication Director on +49-228-2097-230, e-mail: Miriam.wilkens@paralympic.org or http://www.paralympic.org.