101 Local Veterans to Attend National Wheelchair Games In Puerto Rico June 21-26, 1999.

JACKSON HEIGHTS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 1999--

One hundred and one veterans from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania will attend the 19th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Puerto Rico, June 21-26. The Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA) will sponsor each athlete.

The EPVA contingent, the largest among the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) regional chapters, will compete against approximately 500 other athletes from across the United States, Puerto Rico and Great Britain. The Games, presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the PVA, are the largest annual wheelchair sporting event in the United States.

"Eligible veterans who have never before competed in the Games or in wheelchair sports are especially encouraged to participate. While this event has produced world-class wheelchair athletes, for many newly injured veterans it is their first exposure to wheelchair sports," said Angelo G. Bianco, a member of the EPVA Board of Directors.

"The Games are so much more than an athletic event," said PVA National President Homer S. Townsend. "Many participants claim that the Games changed their lives, reintroducing them to their forgotten self-esteem and confidence. The Games reminded them of their abilities and distanced them from their disabilities, both in sports and in the many other daily challenges faced in life."

"This event is just one of many activities the EPVA provides to its members and others with disabilities," said Bianco. "Our goal is to make sure that paralyzed veterans and others with a disability enjoy a full range of activities and are able to continue to be an active part of society."

In this year's events, veterans will go for the gold in track and field, swimming, basketball, weightlifting, softball, airguns, quad rugby, bowling, table tennis, archery, a wheelchair rally, and wheelchair slalom. Participants are grouped for competition according to gender, similar degree of athletic ability and competitive experience or age.

The competition is open to all U.S. military veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injury, certain neurological conditions, amputations or other mobility impairments. The San Juan, P.R., VA Medical Center will host the Games this year.

EPVA was founded in 1946 to serve the needs of paralyzed veterans in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. EPVA is dedicated to enhancing the lives of veterans with a spinal cord injury or disease by assuring quality health care, promoting research and advocating for civil rights and independence.