Sports fans can tune in to catch all the action from National Paralympic Day 2015 when Channel 4 broadcast highlights from an incredible day of activity at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, featuring star performances from athletes including Ellie Simmonds and David Weir.
The announcement demonstrates Channel 4’s continued commitment to para-sport, following their groundbreaking, BAFTA winning coverage of the London 2012 Games and extensive coverage of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
Channel 4 will capture all the excitement as a star-studded line up of athletes leads the sporting action in Swimming and Athletics on National Paralympic Day, which takes place on Sunday July 26.
Paralympic heroes Ellie Simmonds, Ollie Hynd and Jessica-Jane Applegate are among the swimmers who will return to the scene of their triumphs in London 2012, to thrill the crowds in the London Aquatics Centre as they race against some of their toughest international competitors.
Fans can complete their day out by heading to the former Olympic Stadium to watch David Weir, Hannah Cockroft and Richard Whitehead lead the GB contingent set to take on their international rivals as the IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final brings the curtain down on the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games.
Elsewhere on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Channel 4 will give viewers a taste of the exciting atmosphere on National Paralympic Day as they capture members of the public enjoying free access to the park, meeting Paralympic Champions including Sophie Christiansen and Natasha Baker, and trying out a whole range of disability sports.
There will also be highlights from the Mayor of London’s Liberty Festival, which will be presenting another exciting line-up of Deaf and disabled artists, musicians and performers in a range of spectacular performances which showcase some of the best of British talent.
In addition to the highlights package that will be broadcast in the week following National Paralympic Day, live coverage of the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will be shown on the afternoon of Sunday July 26, which will give viewers a taste of some of the wider activity taking place on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Sport, Stephen Lyle, said:
“National Paralympic Day will be a wonderful celebration and a day of sport featuring some of the world’s finest Paralympians, now household names after their heroic performances in London 2012. The centrepiece is a world class swimming event in the iconic Aquatics Centre and Channel 4 will be packaging the very best of the action from the day for sports fans.”
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of the British Paralympic Association, said:
“I’m delighted that Channel 4 will be broadcasting highlights from National Paralympic Day to homes across the country. The event has continued to grow in scale, and with a dedicated highlights programme Channel 4 will expand the reach of our celebrations and help more people to feel part of it.
“The British public were such fantastic supporters of Paralympic sport during London 2012 and this coverage provides another opportunity for people to engage with and celebrate the Paralympics with just over a year to go to Rio 2016.”
National Paralympic Day is generously supported by Spirit of 2012, a trust established by the Big Lottery Fund to recreate the spirit that radiated from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics. Spirit is committed to funding partners who help challenge perceptions of disability.
In addition to the event on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, there will be three regional events taking place on July 25 in cities across the country, and local sports clubs across the country can also get involved in celebrations by hosting their own event, whether that be a come and try session, a cake sale, or a Paralympic quiz.
For more information about National Paralympic Day, people are encouraged to log on towww.paralympics.org.uk/npd2015.
Channel 4 will broadcast the 2016 Paralympic Games which take place in Rio de Janeiro in September 2016.