Latest news with #adaptiveSports
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Challenged Athletes Foundation Named Official Charity of Zuma Beach Triathlon's New Corporate Challenge
Companies invited to race for a cause on September 14 in Malibu, CA The Challenged Athletes Foundation has been named the official charity beneficiary of the new Corporate Challenge division at the Zuma Beach Triathlon, San Diego, CA, June 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) has been named the official charity beneficiary of the new Corporate Challenge division at the Zuma Beach Triathlon, taking place Sunday, September 14, 2025, in Malibu, California. This exciting new initiative invites companies to unite their employees around wellness, camaraderie, and purpose while raising critical funds to help individuals with physical disabilities gain access to sport. The Corporate Challenge is a first-of-its-kind division within the Zuma Beach Triathlon that allows corporate teams to compete in a fun and meaningful way. Employees can race individually or form relay teams to complete the Zuma Distance course, a 0.5-mile ocean swim, 18-mile bike ride along the Pacific Coast Highway, and 4-mile run on the Malibu coastline. Each participant commits to raising a minimum of $250 for CAF, with proceeds funding adaptive sports equipment, training, and mentorship. There's no cost for companies to enter employees register and fundraise independently. 'The triathlon in Malibu has always played a key role in elevating both the sport and the visibility of adaptive athletes,' said CAF co-founder Bob Babbitt, an inductee into both the IRONMAN and USA Triathlon Hall of Fame. 'I still remember watching CAF athletes like Sarah Reinertsen and Rudy Garcia-Tolson race alongside celebrities like Robin Williams. Those moments didn't just inspire; they sparked real national momentum for inclusion in sports. Having CAF now named the official charity of the Zuma Beach Triathlon's Corporate Challenge feels like a full-circle continuation of that legacy.' Michael Epstein, founder of the Zuma Beach Triathlon, added, 'We've always believed sport can bring people together in extraordinary ways. The Corporate Challenge is a new chapter, giving companies the chance to rally their teams around fitness, fun, and a mission that truly matters. We're honored to have CAF as the beneficiary and excited to welcome companies to the start line.' The Corporate Challenge offers turnkey wellness and team-building opportunities for organizations of all sizes. Participants will benefit from coached swim clinics in the lead-up to race weekend, as well as perks like VIP parking, branded gear, and exclusive fundraising rewards. Team scoring and corporate leaderboard will recognize top-performing organizations. Most importantly, all proceeds from the Corporate Challenge will go directly to CAF programs that help individuals with physical disabilities pursue active lifestyles through access to adaptive sports equipment, coaching, and community. The Corporate Challenge presents a unique opportunity for companies focused on employee wellness and culture-building to inspire camaraderie through sport while supporting a powerful cause. Companies such as Lionsgate, Medtronic, Libertana, and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch have already committed teams and are actively fundraising to help expand access to sport for athletes of all abilities. Companies interested in joining the Corporate Challenge can register at contact zumachallenge@ for more information. Space is limited and the registration deadline is August 15, 2025. About Zuma Foundation:The Zuma Foundation is a Malibu-based nonprofit dedicated to creating inclusive health and wellness events, including the Zuma Beach Triathlon. Through a long-term partnership with the City of Malibu, the Foundation supports youth-serving nonprofits and promotes character development, healthy lifestyles, and mental well-being. Learn more at About Challenged Athletes FoundationThe Challenged Athletes Foundation® (CAF) stands as a global leader in empowering individuals with physical disabilities to embrace vibrant, active lives. CAF firmly believes that engaging in physical activity fosters self-esteem, encourages independence, and enriches the quality of life. CAF has been at the forefront of the adaptive sports movement for more than three transformative decades, catalyzing change and redefining possibilities. Since its inception in 1994, CAF has raised over $191 million and fulfilled 52,000+ funding requests from people with physical disabilities across all 50 states and more than 70 countries, impacting another 60,000 individuals annually through its outreach efforts. From providing essential equipment like handcycles to offering mentorship and encouragement, CAF's mission is clear: to provide opportunities and support to those who aspire to lead active, athletic lifestyles. To learn more, please visit # # # # Attachment The Challenged Athletes Foundation has been named the official charity beneficiary of the new Corporate Challenge division at the Zuma Beach Triathlon, CONTACT: Christy Fritts Challenged Athletes Foundation 858.442.9570 christy@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Sports Access For Children, Weekend Warriors And Veterans
The intersection of accessibility and sports often conjures images of high-speed blade runners at the Paralympics—the elite level of competition. These are the athletes who get featured on television and set records. But for millions of others with disabilities, the issues are more under-the-radar. Amputees who long to go for a casual run—or snowboard, or ski—need affordable prosthetic solutions for lower or upper limbs. Adaptive sports athletes need rehabilitation strategies tailored to their disability and unique injuries. Below are the champions in all of these fields, and more. Courtesy of Angel City Sports A two-time Paralympic gold medalist, Ezra Frech is on a double mission: get Paralympic sports recognized and covered and appreciated in the way that Olympic competitions are; and have Angel City Sports, the adaptive sports organization founded with his father Clayton, create a pipeline of elite Paralympic athletes. Born with a left leg needing to be amputated and missing fingers on his left hand, Frech could become the hometown face of the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games, where he will attempt to be the first athlete in either Paralympic or Olympic history to win gold medals in the 100-meter dash, the long jump and the high jump. Frech's story will be featured in Adaptive: Paris, a documentary series airing on Peacock July 28. "I genuinely feel I was put on this earth to normalize disability," Frech says. "My dreams of going down as one of the greatest Paralympians of all time, one of the greatest athletes of all time, is just a stepping stone to create broader change." Angel City Sports hosts competitions, trains athletes in 30 sports and has conducted hundreds of clinics. "Not everyone's going to go to the Paralympics," Clayton Frech says, 'but once you find your spot, even if it's just fitness and going to the gym, you go live your life." Obtaining quality lower-limb prosthetics is difficult even in developed countries. "In the U.S., up until last year, Medicare and private insurance only paid for those they consider to be 'active' amputees, meaning typically younger individuals," says Sveinn Solvason, president and CEO of Iceland-based Embla Medical, which produces the prosthetics and orthoses (external frames for weak limbs) used by millions worldwide under its Össur brand. In developing countries, the story is even worse, with only a fraction able to obtain proper prosthetics. Embla is attacking that on three fronts: by investing almost $40 million a year in new technology (bionics, sensor-based motion and new materials); by deploying hundreds of engineers on research that could reduce the cost of prosthetics; and by educating insurance/payer systems on the long-term health benefits—and therefore reduced costs—of better mobility and therefore healthier lifestyles. Embla also runs about 200 clinics that custom-assemble prosthetics for people in 11 countries. Traditional prosthetics for amputees are clunky and almost discourage activity, let alone the playing of sports. But fancy blades, the kind you see at the Paralympics, cost thousands of dollars even in less-sophisticated home versions. Eight French college students set out to change that, creating a carbon-fiber blade for the everyday runner (or walker) that uses "end of roll" leftovers from Airbus' aircraft manufacturing. A patented Velcro attachment lets tread be swapped out when it wears down. The work went from a student project to commercial in 2022, with a product that costs 30-50% less than competitors. Next up: feet for skiing and snowboarding, and branching out into the U.S. market. "You have more energy return—it's really the sensation of springing," Hopper cofounder Lou-Emmanuelle Leclercq says. "When some people try our blade, the first thing that they say to us is, 'Oh wow, I just felt the wind on my face. That was something I forgot in my daily life.' " Courtesy of Jill Moore It's called 'the dignity of risk'—a child's need to challenge themselves on a playground even if it means learning the hard way by falling off a jungle gym or tumbling down a slide, skinned knees be damned. But kids in wheelchairs and with other disabilities often can only sit and watch their friends. Landscape Structures builds playgrounds across the U.S. and Canada with universal design so disabled children can use them as readily as anyone else: merry-go-rounds and swings accommodate wheelchairs so all kids can enjoy them together; for low-vision children, contrasting colors and shapes help them see where different activity stations, even dangers, are. 'Playgrounds can be scary but they're important—you want the chance to try,' says Moore, a former Team USA wheelchair racer. 'We have the right to make informed choices and take reasonable risks to learn how to grow and succeed.' Millions of disabled children—and disabled parents—have enjoyed Landscape Structures playgrounds in the past several years alone. Paralympians get the attention, but what about the everyday athlete with a disability who just wants to shoot some hoops or go for a neighborhood jog? Since 1956, Move United has provided nationwide sports opportunities, competitions and education for people with disabilities. With 245 member organizations in 45 states, most of the country's population is within an hour's drive of a Move United facility or competition, and about 125,000 athletes participate annually in 70 sports. "We're about just getting people out of their couch, out of their house and engaged in community," CEO Glenn Merry says, who notes that people with disabilities involved in sports are twice as likely to enter the workforce. The organization also offers free, on-demand virtual adaptive fitness classes and special programs for wounded veterans, which could have unique effects on that community: Merry says that although the formal research is slim, anecdotal evidence suggests that wounded veterans involved in sports take their lives by suicide less often. After decades of lip service at best, NBC has finally figured out how to broadcast the Paralympics as sports, not disabled people playing sports. Wheelchair basketball players crash the boards as ferociously as anyone in the NBA. Powerlifters' neck veins fibrillate. Last year France's blind soccer team won the gold medal in Paris in a shootout, with its home fans going bananas. 'The athleticism, once you really understand what you're watching, it makes you appreciate them as athletes even more,' says Alexa Pritting, who oversees winter and summer Paralympic coverage for NBC. 'The No. 1 thing I've heard from athletes is that their disability is the least interesting thing about them. It's appreciation for the sport and not always the backstory.' Today, NBC hires former Paralympians to serve as color commentators during live events, just like any other sports broadcast, and paralympic coverage (both live television and streaming) has grown from a mere trickle 20 years ago to 1,400 hours across all 22 Paralympic sports in 2024, reaching 15.4 million viewers across all platforms. The 2028 Los Angeles games could be the ultimate coming-out party, introducing fans to a whole new world of sports and encouraging disabled athletes to play, too. Courtesy of Nico Marcolongo Many U.S. service people come home from conflict missing limbs or with other injuries that keep them from playing sports again. Operation Rebound, a program run by the Challenged Athletes Foundation, has provided thousands of veterans (as well as injured first responders) with prosthetics, orthotics and other equipment that insurance and the Veterans Administration do not cover, while also offering coaching, training, competition expenses and other support. 'Sports equipment is considered a luxury,' says Kristine Entwhistle, CEO of the Challenged Athletes Foundation. 'If a running prosthetic is $15,000, a rugby chair is $7,000, these are big-ticket items required for participation that aren't affordable.' Operation Rebound's service to the veterans community is particularly vital, as sports and exercise are known to reduce PTSD symptoms and increase feelings of community. After winning seven Paralympic medals in wheelchair racing from 2000-2008—and winning two Boston Marathons—Blauwet earned her medical degree from Stanford and has become perhaps the nation's leading expert on preventing and rehabbing injuries for all adaptive sports athletes (professional and recreational) to get them back into competition. For example, wheelchair athletes' shoulders take a unique pounding; fractures and other musculoskeletal injuries can require altogether different therapies; and blind athletes must take different concussion tests. 'A shoulder tear for me is like an ACL tear for a soccer player,' says Blauwet, who beyond her posts at Spaulding Rehabilitation and Mass General is also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. 'And your life is completely disrupted. Like you can't push off to get yourself into bed.' Away from the clinic, Blauwet has spearheaded equal support for elite athletes—none more symbolic than the adding of 'Paralympic' to the 'U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee,' which led to higher medal bonuses and media coverage. For decades one of the most prominent impact-makers in the field of intellectual disability, Special Olympics holds close to 50,000 events per year for four million athletes. But the real mission of the organization goes beyond the positive experiences in competition. "We use the power of sport to ensure that our athletes are more accepted in communities, in the workplace and wherever people operate,' Global CEO Mary Davis says. Special Olympics also educates professionals in a variety of fields, including education, healthcare and software development. "People with intellectual disability are one of the most marginalized populations in the world when it comes to provision of healthcare," mostly due to lack of understanding, she says, while adding that software developers, including those working on AI tools, can have a huge impact on the community: "If developers fail to listen to people with intellectual or developmental disability, that's going to result in about 3% of the population being locked out of this technology. We do not want to be left behind." Courtesy of USOPC The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic committees became one entity in 2019, almost instantly leading to better rewards, training and exposure for elite Paralympic athletes. The USOPC works not only to serve both Olympians and Paralympians and facilitate competitions, but also to encourage venues to become accessible and collegiate competitions to welcome both groups, as USA Track & Field did this year when it absorbed the U.S. Paralympic Track & Field program. The committee made Operation Gold, the monetary bonus for winning a medal, the same for all athletes. It extended Elite Athlete Health Insurance to all. Sometimes the committee must treat athletes differently—a wheelchair basketball or sled hockey game is very different from traditional versions—or health needs may be different from one athlete to the next. "We constantly look at, 'Are we doing this differently for a reason, or are we just doing this differently and they should be integrated?'" CEO Sarah Hirshland says. "Yes, our name is integrated. Yes, our team and the way we talk about team USA is fully integrated. But operationally, there's still work to be done." The Warrior Games, held annually by the U.S. Department of Defense, were founded in 2010. "We were at the height of the wars," says Amanda Miller, who leads the Warrior Games' Army team. "Many service members sustained very severe injuries. They said, we've come a long way in the medical recovery of these service members and saving their lives on the battlefield, but let's do something fun to really showcase their resilience. It really brought to light the impact adaptive sports plays on the healing recovery journey." Prince Harry watched them in 2013 and was inspired to create the Invictus Games, a similar competition which expanded to multiple nations. The Warrior Games return to Colorado Springs in July and will include about 350 athletes, eleven sports and five teams: Army, Navy/Coast Guard, Air Force/Space Force, Marines and Special Forces/Command.
CBC
09-06-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Para boxing helped this N.B. man regain his confidence, now he wants that for others
Social Sharing Andrew Lawlor has spent the past eight months getting ready for his first-ever boxing match. But he isn't like most boxing newcomers. He's 57 years old and has one leg. "When you go from being reasonably able-bodied and you get hurt and a lot of your abilities are taken away, you lose a lot of confidence in your own physicality, your own ability to do things," he said. Lawlor had his left leg amputated above the knee after a car accident in 2018. As a result of the same accident, he also has partial use of one eye, and one arm that "doesn't really work." "But I'm not going to tell you which one because I've got to fight in a week," he joked. WATCH | 'The world's going to tell you that we're lesser physically, and we're not' In this corner, a Fredericton Para boxer aiming to get the sport recognized 2 hours ago Duration 3:04 Andrew Lawlor is ready to get in the ring, but there are few other Para boxers he can compete against. He's fighting an athlete who is not disabled instead. Although he wouldn't have called himself an athlete before the accident, he was a longtime rugby player, so he soon began playing wheelchair rugby. That's where he met a man who would become his mentor: New Brunswick Paralympian Hal Merrill. "He told me something and I will never forget it. He just said, 'It's gonna be OK' and he rolled away," Lawlor said. "And I didn't know what he meant at the time, but I know now. And he's right. It is OK." Merrill passed away in March, but he's still an inspiration to Lawlor. "He helped me believe in myself," he said. Lawlor's wife Lesley has also been a support every step of the way. She said she wasn't surprised when he took up Para boxing. "You can never tell Andrew no for anything," she said. "He just continues to get stronger and stronger and stronger, and he's unstoppable." Getting into the ring As Lawlor began to regain his physical strength, he started taking boxing classes for the cardio workout. He met Dave LeBlanc and Rennie Bradford at Fight 4 Fit 'n Health Fitness Centre in Minto. "I fell in love with the sport, and Dave and Rennie showed some faith in me and my ability to maybe get in the ring," said Lawlor. From there, they started looking for someone who Lawlor could fight against. But there aren't many other Para boxers in the region. So Lawlor's first match, on Saturday, will be against a non-disabled boxer who will use a wheelchair for the fight. "He's half my age. Twice as big. He's got a ton of experience which I don't have, so I've kind of got him right where I want him," Lawlor said with a laugh. LeBlanc said there have been some challenges in training Lawlor, because when a wheelchair boxing match happens, the two chairs are locked together in the centre of the ring. "This is like us going into a whole new realm of boxing that we've never dealt with," LeBlanc explained. "I've always been able to throw a punch, move to the side, roll back, do a couple slips. You can do the slips, but you can't roll back, not when you're tethered together." Now, only days away from the fight, Lawlor is as excited as he is nervous. But the outcome isn't what's important. "I've already won," said Lawlor. Expanding the sport The match is not going to count toward any official standings, because Para boxing isn't an officially recognized sport in New Brunswick. And that's part of the reason why Lawlor isn't fighting another Para boxer. "Because it hasn't been promoted or supported here in New Brunswick, there haven't been many developed," Lawlor said. He and his coaching team are working with Parasport New Brunswick to try to get the sport officially recognized. "We should have the opportunity to play any sport we want, or pick up a guitar or a bass or go sing on stage or act in a play." said LeBlanc. "There shouldn't be any barriers to this life and we're working together to reduce one more." CBC News reached out to Parasport New Brunswick for an interview, but did not receive a response by publication time. There's also a larger push coming from Atlantic Canada to try to get Para boxing recognized by the Paralympics. In Nova Scotia, Aaron Kinch is a Para athlete and coach of two Para boxers. He's hosted several unofficial Para boxing matches. "They're all exhibitions as of right now due to insurance purposes," he said. "No winner, no loser, just like a demonstration." About five years ago, he founded the International Adaptive Boxing Federation, which now has members from 20 countries, including Canada. Kinch said his group hopes to have Para boxing officially recognized in time for the next Paralympics in 2028. "These guys go from not being able to compete in boxing … and then they train, they get in the ring and they have a lot of fun, and that would mean the absolute world to all these guys," he said. Lawlor may not have Olympic aspirations, but he does want to see the sport continue to grow. He's looking to get certified as a coach, so he can be a mentor to others the way Merrill was for him. "I do almost all the things I used to do now, just in a different way, and the toughest one to convince that, was me," he said. "And if I can help someone else shorten that journey, I think this is all worth it."
Malay Mail
04-06-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Paralympic sport gets spotlight in LA 2028 as city unveils plan for accessible, athlete-friendly Games
LOS ANGELES, June 4 — Events for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games will be held in downtown LA, Exposition Park, Venice Beach, Long Beach, Carson and Arcadia under the venue plan released by Games organizers LA28 on Tuesday. Like the LA Olympics, the Paralympics will seek to take advantage of the city's vast network of existing sports venues when it hosts the event for the first time. Downtown LA will be a major hub of activity with wheelchair fencing, para judo, para taekwondo, boccia and para table tennis all held at the Convention Center. 'By hosting multiple competitions side by side, the events will encourage constant movement, shared fan engagement and a festival-like environment that highlights the diversity of athletic performance,' LA28 said in a release. Wheelchair basketball will be held at Arena, home of the NBA's LA Lakers, with the US men's team looking to capture a fourth consecutive gold medal. Goalball, a sport designed exclusively for people with visual impairments that requires total silence from the crowd, will take place at the nearby Peacock Theater in an acoustically optimised setting. LA Memorial Coliseum will host para athletics and the Paralympics closing ceremony, while the opening ceremony will be held at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL's Rams and Chargers. Galen Center will host para badminton and wheelchair rugby, Carson will stage para archery, wheelchair tennis and para cycling, while Arcadia's Santa Anita Park will be the site of para equestrian. On the west side of the city, Venice Beach will host para triathlon and mark the starting point of the para athletics marathon, while Long Beach will host seven events including para swimming, blind football and para climbing's debut. The most gender-balanced Paralympics yet will award the most medals in its history and feature 4,480 athletes across 23 sports. With every competition taking place within a 35-mile radius, the venue plan seeks to minimize travel times for athletes staying in the Paralympic Village. 'The Paralympic Games showcases the highest level of athleticism, skill and endurance and it is important for LA28 to deliver a plan that not only elevates Paralympic sport but brings it to the next level,' said LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover. LA Mayor Karen Bass said the Games would provide an opportunity for LA to improve inclusive accessibility citywide. 'The legacy of these Games will be imprinted on our city forever – proliferating beyond the boundaries of these venues to better all of Los Angeles,' she said. The Paralympics will be held from August 15-27 in 2028. — Reuters
Japan Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Japan Times
LA28 unveils venue plan for largest ever Paralympics
Events for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games will be held in downtown LA, Exposition Park, Venice Beach, Long Beach, Carson and Arcadia under the venue plan released by Games organizers LA28 on Tuesday. Like the LA Olympics, the Paralympics will seek to take advantage of the city's vast network of existing sports venues when it hosts the event for the first time. Downtown LA will be a major hub of activity with wheelchair fencing, para judo, para taekwondo, boccia and para table tennis all held at the Convention Center. "By hosting multiple competitions side by side, the events will encourage constant movement, shared fan engagement and a festival-like environment that highlights the diversity of athletic performance," LA28 said in a release. Wheelchair basketball will be held at Arena, home of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, with the U.S. men's team looking to capture a fourth consecutive gold medal. Goalball, a sport designed exclusively for people with visual impairments that requires total silence from the crowd, will take place at the nearby Peacock Theater in an acoustically optimized setting. LA Memorial Coliseum will host para athletics and the Paralympics closing ceremony, while the opening ceremony will be held at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL's Rams and Chargers. Galen Center will host para badminton and wheelchair rugby, Carson will stage para archery, wheelchair tennis and para cycling, while Arcadia's Santa Anita Park will be the site of para equestrian. On the west side of the city, Venice Beach will host para triathlon and mark the starting point of the para athletics marathon, while Long Beach will host seven events including para swimming, blind football and para climbing's debut. The most gender-balanced Paralympics yet will award the most medals in its history and feature 4,480 athletes across 23 sports. With every competition taking place within a 35-mile radius, the venue plan seeks to minimize travel times for athletes staying in the Paralympic Village. "The Paralympic Games showcases the highest level of athleticism, skill and endurance and it is important for LA28 to deliver a plan that not only elevates Paralympic sport but brings it to the next level," said LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover. LA Mayor Karen Bass said the Games would provide an opportunity for LA to improve inclusive accessibility citywide. "The legacy of these Games will be imprinted on our city forever — proliferating beyond the boundaries of these venues to better all of Los Angeles," she said. The Paralympics will be held from August 15-27 in 2028.
