Liz hosts disabled people and sport conference

12.00.00am GMT Mon 9th Dec 2002

Liz Lynne, Liberal Democrat Euro-MP for the West Midlands, will be hosting a conference at the European Parliament on disabled people and sport tomorrow (Tuesday).

The conference is a prelude to the European Year of People with Disabilities 2003 and the Year of Education through Sport 2004. It is designed to increase awareness of the problems that disabled people's sport faces, as well as the actions being taken to improve accessibility of sporting facilities for disabled people all over Europe. The conference also takes place in the context of the Special Olympics Games being held for the first time in Europe – in Dublin – next year, and the Paralympic Games in Athens 2004.

Speakers at the conference will include:

· Enrique SANCHEZ, Secretary General, European Paralympic Committee

· Phillip LANE, Chief Executive, British Paralympic Association

· Marian MURPHY, Director of Development, Special Olympics Europe

· Alan MILNER, Chairman of the Association of Disabled Supporters, UK

· Wim BROOTHAERS, Special Olympics Athlete

Speaking in advance of the event, Liz commented:

“Sport is a great means for breaking down social barriers, and events such as the Paralympic Games in Sydney 2000 have done a great job at bringing disabled people into the mainstream.

"Unfortunately, outside of such showcase events, disabled athletes tend to vanish from the TV screens and get forgotten. We need to ensure that Dublin 2003 and Athens 2004 are great successes that last long after the events themselves."

"“Access to sports stadia is another important issue, yet despite the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1994, which called for all buildings open to the public to be fully accessible to disabled people, there remains a lot of room for improvement in the UK."

"This conference will be an opportunity to highlight the excellent work the National Association of Disabled Supporters have done in this area in the UK, and to discuss where we can go from here.”