Youth and adults with physical and visual impairments can showcase their athletic skills at Gateway to Gold talent identification events in four major cities in 2015. US Paralympics, in collaboration with Paralympic partner organisations, will host events in Boston, Houston, Minneapolis and San Francisco/Bay Area this fall.

The Gateway to Gold events are free and open to all youth, adults and veterans with physical or visual impairments. The sports being offered will vary at each of the locations, but the goal at each of the events is the same: to provide athletes an opportunity to try para-sport and to connect with ongoing programmes for further skill development.

“These Gateway to Gold events are really exciting because for some athletes, this may be their first exposure to Paralympic sport, and for others, it is a proving ground to showcase their skills so they can be take their talents to the next level and improve their abilities,” said Rick Adams, chief of Paralympic Sport and National Governing Body Organisational Development. “We would like to thank our partners for their tremendous support of the Gateway to Gold programme and for helping to grow the Paralympic movement in the United States.”

The Gateway to Gold events allow people to experience the world of competitive Paralympic sport and provides them with an opportunity to work with coaches to further develop their skills, and potentially, a future career in Paralympic sport.

US Paralympians who are serving as ambassadors for the program include Dartanyon Crockett (judo), Jessica Long (swimming), Tatyana McFadden (athletics) and Jarryd Wallace (athletics). Each of the ambassadors will attend Gateway to Gold events to share their stories, mentor participants and provide technical assistance during the sport sessions.

The program is sponsored by BP, which has contributed funding and support at the community level since the inception of the Gateway to Gold programme in 2013.

Below are the dates, locations and registration links for all four of the Gateway to Gold events in the USA.

20 September

Houston, Texas

Harris County – Houston Sports Authority

Sports: cycling, powerlifting, athletics, wheelchair tennis

Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/335/pr/

4 October

Boston, Massachusetts

Adaptive Sports New England

Sports: Nordic skiing, rowing, swimming, athletics

Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/334/pr/

10 October

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sports Minneapolis

Sports: cycling, Nordic skiing, athletics

Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/338/pr/

17 October

Berkeley, California

Bay Area Outreach Program

Sports: archery, cycling, swimming, wheelchair basketball

Registration link: https://paralympics.fusesport.com/registration/337/pr/

For more information on US Paralympics’ Gateway to Gold event, please visit the Team USA website.