FORT KENT – The first-ever world championship held in Maine will be at the Maine Winter Sports Center’s 10th Mountain Lodge venue March 9-21, it was announced Friday afternoon.
The 2005 Paralympic Nordic World Championship will bring 175 to 200 athletes from 17 nations on four continents to the same venue as the Biathlon World Cup competitions held here last March.
The announcement was made by members of the International Paralympic Committee, the Maine Winter Sports Center, and the Fort Kent Organizing Committee who called the competitions an even “larger human-interest story” than the Biathlon World Cup.
“This is the first world championship held in Maine,” Nancy Thibodeau, the event coordinator, said at the press conference held at the 10th Mountain Division Lodge. “Last year was great, and this will be even better, more inspirational.
“The competitions will be similar to last March,” she said. “This will be a fun, inspirational and enriching experience for us all.”
The athletes will be coming to Fort Kent from a World Cup competition in Switzerland. Many of the athletes will be competing for places at the World Paralympics that will be held in Torino, Italy, next year.
The disabled athletes, who compete in three divisions – blind athletes, wheelchair users, and a standing division – are said to be world-class competitors.
They will be bringing with them some 100 coaches and support staff. Thibodeau also expects international media, International Paralympic Committee delegates and 10 officials from all over the world at the games.
The organizing committee will be looking for sponsors to help cover the $250,000 cost of the games. Athletes and support staff will be housed from Fort Kent to Caribou.
Athletes will be coming from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, Poland and the United States.
Many of the preparations and details are the same as last March. There will be less partying, Thibodeau said, but we will have cultural events during the 12 days including a Northern Drama Festival and the Fort Kent Lions Club Pride of Lions Show.
Like the Biathlon World Cup, Thibodeau expects that some 250 volunteers will be recruited to put on the March 2005 games.
The 10th Mountain Division venue reportedly is accessible for all athletes involved.
Robert Walsh, the athlete representative with the International Paralympic Committee, said Fort Kent was selected for the competitions in North America because it “was the best place to hold it.”
He said discussions were held with the U.S. Biathlon Committee and Fort Kent was selected.
“We feel very privileged to hold it here in Fort Kent,” said Stephan Ghisler of Norway, a site inspector for the International Paralympic Committee. “It’s a fantastic venue, and the local organizing committee is right on top of things.
“There will be small alterations to the course, and in the shooting range to accommodate athletes,” he said.
Even blind athletes compete in the shooting using high technology instruments. The remainder of athletes shoot air rifles, but unlike World Cup biathletes, they do not carry the rifles over the course.
“What strikes me the most in these competitions,” Ghisler said, “is the inspiration of the athletes and what they can achieve.
“Some have very serious disabilities,” he said. “When they compete, they are really driven.”
Heidi Carter, a Fort Kent woman who designed the logo for the Biathlon World Cup, also designed the logo for the Paralympic Nordic Championships. She won a national designing award for her Biathlon World Cup logo last year.
“The area’s Acadian culture is represented by a gold star, northern lights flash in the sky, and the valley and its river are represented,” Carter said. “It’s an artistic approach that brings in the athletes, the community and the culture of the area.”
Comments
comments for this post are closed