A total of 80 athletes, coaches and sports staff will take part in the Paralympic Inspiration Programme (pictured top) encompassing the preparation camps, build-up and London 2012 itself.

"The Games is absolutely unique," said Penny Briscoe, BPA director of performance.

"The difference between a World Championships and a Paralympic Games is even more marked in a disabled, rather than a non-disabled, context.

"Therefore, this programme is absolutely essential to enable us to keep ahead of the chasing pack.

"The Games is the only time when athletes from all 20 sports come together and pull on one British tracksuit.

"They are familiar with a world championships environment where they may feel very comfortable because it is all about their sport and involving the athletes that they know.


"In contrast, at a Paralympic Games there are many more sports featuring within their own team; it is simply a much more extreme environment with more athletes from more nations, all living in a huge village, with a vast food hall and everything on a scale that is hard for athletes to comprehend if they haven't seen it for themselves."

Briscoe added: "That is what this programme is all about: ensuring that athletes understand what it takes to be a Paralympian and are able to thrive in the environment where they will all want to produce a personal-best performance.

"It is critical that the Games environment does not come as a surprise or a distraction to British athletes when we get to Sochi [2014] or to Rio [2016]."

Athletes from 20 summer sports, including triathlon and canoeing, both of which will be feature at Rio 2016 for the first time, and three winter sports are taking part in the programme.

The first meeting, held today at the BT Paralympic World Cup, was one of several workshops before the Games which will take place at the Paralympic Preparation Camp, held at the University of Bath (pictured above).


As part of the scheduled activities at Games-time, participants will be given tours of the venues, including back-of-house areas, the Paralympic Village, ParalympicsGB House – the headquarters of the British Paralympic team – and will hear from retired Paralympians about their Games experiences.

"We are really proud of the programmes we have run in the last cycle, such as our Paralympic Potential Days and our Talent Transition Programme, which are designed to identify and fast-track athletes," said Briscoe.[

"The Paralympic Inspiration Programme is the latest offering we can make to our sports, to provide some of our most promising athletes and staff with an opportunity to see what a Paralympic Games is like.

"We would like the programme to not only inspire and motivate athletes and staff in their future careers, but also have a direct impact in maximising the performance potential of all in the build-up to, and at, Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016."

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