BT announced as title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup
 

BT has announced its new, four-year title sponsorship of the BT Paralympic World Cup. In addition, Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorius, one of the world's leading Paralympic athletes has been confirmed as the latest athlete to join the BT Ambassador Programme, the aim of which is to inspire BT's employees and customers to support and mentor young British hopefuls aiming to compete in the London 2012 Games and beyond.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is the largest annual international multi-sport competition in elite disability sport, and takes place from 20th-25th May, 2009, in Manchester. BT Group Marketing and Brand Director Suzi Williams said: "After the fantastic success of the Paralympic Games in Beijing we have all been touched by the awesome inspirational power of the Paralympics. That is why BT is proud to support this event and help raise the profile of disability sport globally". Largest BT's four year sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup. Rights include extensive branding at all events, tickets and other additional marketing rights. There will also be opportunities for BT people to be involved through volunteering. The official 2009 stakeholders of the BT Paralympic World Cup are the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Manchester City Council and UK Sport. The event is currently the largest international annual multi-sport competition in disability sport.     It has been staged annually in Manchester since 2005 and hosts up to four hundred athletes from 41 countries competing in four sports - athletics, swimming, track cycling and wheelchair basketball. The events are held at three world class venues: the Manchester Velodrome, Regional Athletics Arena and the Manchester City Aquatics Centre. Importance In addition to its status as title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup, BT is also Official Communications Services Partner for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The company will supply the communications services for London 2012 venues and facilities, as well as meeting the communications requirements of the athletes, National Olympic Committees and media. The BT Ambassador programme includes Ade Adepitan, Ben Ainslie, Chris Hoy, Ellen MacArthur, Frances Nicholls, Leon Taylor, Nathaniel Craig, Richard Fox, Shanaze Reade, Dame Kelly Holmes and Oscar Pistorius. Oscar Pistorius underlined the importance of the World Cup: "The BT Paralympic World Cup is a special event for me. My aspiration is to qualify for London 2012 in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, so the event is a very important stepping stone".