Waikato to Host the 2011 Mitsubishi Motors Paralympics New Zealand National Championships

The Waikato region has been awarded the rights to host the 2011 Mitsubishi Motors PNZ National Championships in November of next year.

Parafed Waikato were the successful bidders to host the bi-annual event which is expected to have around 200 athletes involved in up to 15 sports throughout the region.
They aim to involve the whole community in the various events using the National Championships to showcase Paralympic sports and athletes from New Zealand and internationally to the wider public.

“ParaFed Waikato is excited by the opportunity to host the next Paralympics New Zealand Nationals here in the Waikato in 2011. It gives us a fantastic opportunity to present our athletes to the Waikato public to showcase their achievements.” said Peter Martin, President of Parafed Waikato.

“We look forward to working with Paralympics New Zealand, Sport Waikato, various sports clubs, and other key stakeholders in delivering a high quality event. As a past Paralympic medallist myself, I am proud to be involved in hosting this pinnacle event in our region, for the new generation of Paralympic athletes.” said Martin

With the rise in strength and awareness of Paralympic sport it is expected that the event will create an atmosphere never seen before in the Waikato area.

Parafed Waikato will work closely with Sport Waikato to drive towards a successful event which will be visible to the wider community and create a greater understanding athletes dedication, commitment and hard work to achieve their goals.

“The Mitsubishi Motors Paralympics New Zealand National Championships are an important development event that enables young, aspiring and development athletes to compete against New Zealand Paralympians and World Champions.

We are absolutely delighted to announce ParaFed Waikato as the host of this event in 2011 and I have no doubt this event will continue to build on the success of previous years” said Fiona Pickering, Chief Executive of Paralympics New Zealand.