The Mayor Greets The President
The President of the Ivory Coast Paralympics
Federation, Mr Serge Pacome Trazié, will visit the Mayor of Bedford
Borough’s parlour at about 3.30pm on the Friday, 26th March.
The Mayor will present the President with a
book of Bedford, which is a limited edition of ‘Bedford Portrayed’;
a collection of historic images of Bedford taken from the Cecil
Higgins collection.
Mr Trazié will be accompanied by his
colleague, Mr Kouadio Jean-Batiste Kouassi, the national
Powerlifting coach. There are 20 sports in the Paralympics’
programme for London 2012 with the Ivory Coast likely to compete in
Athletics and Powerlifting.
Mr Trazié’s visit reflects the interest that
the Ivory Coast Paralympics Federation has shown in making
‘Bedfordshire’, and particularly Bedford, their training base for
the team, in pre game preparations.
The Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson,
said: “We are looking forward to welcoming Mr Trazié to the
borough. This meeting will give us an opportunity to discuss his
team’s aspirations for the 2012 Paralympics. The 2012 Paralympics
promise to be a fantastic spectacle, and I hope the borough will
have an important part to play, whether it be with the use of our
excellent facilities for training purposes, or in any other
way.”
In preparation for the 2012 Olympics, the
Bedford International Athletic Stadium has been revamped to
accommodate a significant number of disabled athletes. Automatic
doors have been inserted in the stadium’s trackside, along with
improved changing rooms with disability access, and disabled toilet
facilities. A lift has also been installed in the stadium’s
reception area allowing for wheelchair access to the first floor
social facilities and viewing area.