Paralympic Gold medallist Aled Sion Davies has appealed to the people of Swansea to play their part in making a success of this year’s European Championships in the city.
Wales’s mighty man from Bridgend is just one of the stars who will be taking part in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics European Championships in Swansea in August.
And Aled, a Swansea 2014 Ambassador, is urging local people to become Swansea Champions, the volunteers who will play the part that the Gamesmakers of the London Olympics did so successfully, at a major exhibition at Swansea’s Quadrant Shopping Centre from Monday, February 24, for a week.
Wales is the world’s number one paralympic nation with more golds per head of the population than any other country, a remarkable statistic.
One of those responsible for that proud record is 22-year-old Aled, who won Gold and Bronze in discuss and shot putt at the London Paralympics in 2012 and followed it up by winning both at last year’s world championships.
He is thrilled that the IPC European Championships, dubbed Swansea 14, are in the city: “This is the biggest sporting event in the UK since the Olympics and I’m sure it will be a big success and I’m sure it will attract a lot of interest in the Quadrant,” he said.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic about having the European Championships on home soil this year in Swansea and as an ambassador for the event I know we can deliver a high quality competition.
“But it can only be this successful with volunteers, they bring energy and spirit to the table which is indispensable. I urge as many people as possible to come down to the Quadrant and take in the exhibition there.
“It would be great if they’d consider volunteering as they could be a part of something very special.”
Disability Sport Wales will stage the special pop-up exhibition at the Quadrant Centre starting on Sunday, February 23, and running for a week when people can sign up to be Swansea Champions at a special online facility.
Quadrant Shopping Centre Manager Ian Kirkpatrick, an athlete himself who ran for the Army, said: “This is such a major sporting event and one which I am sure the city and people of Swansea will embrace wholeheartedly.
“We are delighted to be able to help here at the Quadrant and we’re really looking forward to lots of people signing up and to the buzz the Championships will bring to the city.”
DSW Executive Director Jon Morgan said: “We’re in the Quadrant to raise expectations about the Championships and to sign up volunteers and this is really the first opportunity for people locally to engage with Swansea 14.
“We don’t want this to be something divorced from the people of Swansea, we want it to be enjoyed by the people of Swansea as a great event to bring to our country and we very much want them to be part of it.
“We chose the Quadrant for the exhibition, which will be interactive and fully bilingual, because I don’t think there’s a better place. It’s where people go in Swansea and this is the first of a series of events we have planned there leading up to the Championships.”
Swansea Champions have until March 30 to apply. They need to be 18 or older to apply, must be available for 10 days around the championships and will need their own transport and accommodation.
Swansea 2014 will take place at the Swansea University Sports Village between August 18-23, and will see around 600 of Europe’s best athletes compete for honours as they build up to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
