Int wheelchair dance comp

Manchester to welcome record number of competitors to UK's only international wheelchair dance competition
 
Manchester, England: Wheelchair dancers from across the Europe are set to gather in Manchester in 11 days’ time for the 3rd annual Manchester Grand Prix International Wheelchair Dance Championship.

The event, which has been organised by Manchester-based Strictly Wheelchair Dancing in association with Ray Bulpitt Dancentre, is being held on Sunday, June 30 at The Forum, Wythenshawe. The Grand Prix was first held in 2011 and remains the only international wheelchair dancesport competition currently held in Britain.
 
Entries have been received from over 12 European countries ahead of the event, following a surge in international interest. Many competitors will also travel from clubs based right across the UK for the Manchester Grand Prix.
 
Officials have been confirmed as: Grethe Anderson (Norway), Chairperson of the IPC Wheelchair Dancesport Committee; Corrie Van Hughten (Netherlands), Head of Wheelchair Dancesport Competition for the IPC; Oliver Beetz (Germany), Gianni Chiapperini (Italy), Iwona Ciok (Poland), Peter Elliott (Great Britain), Andrej Micunek (Slovakia) and Ray Bulpitt (South Africa).

Wheelchair Dancesport involves athletes with a physical disability that affects the lower limbs. Wheelchair dancers may participate in "combi"-style dancing with an able-bodied (standing) partner or duo-dance with two wheelchair users competing together. In 1998, Wheelchair Dancesport became an IPC Championship Sport, but is not part of the Paralympic programme today. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and co-ordinated by the IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport Technical Committee, which incorporates the rules of the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF). In 2013, Wheelchair Dance Sport is widely practiced by athletes in over 22 countries at top level and many more at grass roots levels.

The event is sponsored by Willow Park Housing Trust, Easi-Drive and Fish - Specialist Disabled Insurers.

We are already looking ahead to the 2014 Manchester Grand Prix International Wheelchair Dance Championship and are seeking partners and sponsors for this ever-growing sport and international event. Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or partner is asked to contact the competition organisers.

Published: 27-Jun-2013: (1958)