From the IPC Reception to Vuokatti
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 10:21 amThe first month of 2009 is nearly over, and I have already travelled to Germany and Finland.
The first event I attended was the annual IPC Reception which took place last week in Bonn, celebrating the achievements of 2008 and looking forward to 2009 and beyond. Among the distinguished guests were the Lord Mayor of Bonn Baerbel Dieckmann and the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of the Interior Dr. Christoph Bergner. A slideshow packed with highlights from Beijing was part of the festivities which took place inside Bonn’s Old City Hall. As always, this event gave guests the opportunity to come together to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the IPC.
The Lord Mayor announced that this year the City of Bonn had the great honour to have the IPC as its international partner organization. Our headquarters have been in Bonn for ten years now and we will officially be celebrating that on 4 September. This date will also be used to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the foundation of the IPC.
Following the IPC Reception, I flew to Vuokatti, Finland for the 2009 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships. What a show! Challenging courses, good food and accomodation. And coming from a milder climate in northwest England, it took a bit of getting used to the minus 17 degrees! There are great prospects for further competitions in Vuokatti, as well as the possible formation of an IPC regional centre of excellence for Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing.
What a start to the year! Keep warm!
July 31st, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Its a great to thing to read your opinions on things, so personal. I love your way of writing. Really a great way to have started 2009 for you