The EHF is delighted to support the DHB’s bid to have ParaHockey ID as a demonstration sport for Berlin 2023, we wish them well in their bid and we know that if successful this would be a perfect opportunity for our European ParaHockey ID players to shine on a world stage!
Berlin will host the 2023 Special Olympics World Games. Here, in addition to the 26 sports from 21 federations already in
competition, two new sports will have the chance to be included as demonstration sports. The German Hockey Federation is applying for one of these two places with ParaHockey ID. On Monday the federation presented the bid, the special field hockey protagonists and supporters to the media in Mönchengladbach.
Carola Meyer has not only been DHB President since May 2019 but as Vice President of the European Hockey Federation EHF, she is also responsible for the development of ParaHockey ID internationally. That’s why she is particularly pleased about the application: “We are working with great commitment at European level to further develop and establish this variant of field hockey sport. This opportunity to present ParaHockey ID as a demonstration sport at the 2023 World
Games in Berlin would therefore be a further boost – not only in Germany. We’re doing a lot of convincing our clubs to include this field hockey variant for people with disabilities in their offerings, also because we know how much enrichment it brings to the clubs that have been offering ParaHockey ID for years”.
The deadline for bids for the demonstration sport in Berlin is October 15th. The German Hockey Federation has already submitted its application. It also includes statements by two new ambassadors of the sport. The 35-year-old Mahmut Gerdan from Mönchengladbach is himself a passionate ParaHockey ID player and has already represented Germany as a national player at a European Championship.
Mahmut Gerdan: “I like to be on the field with my friends and would love to go to Berlin with the team!”
Selin Oruz is a member of the senior national team, won bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio and last year was European Vice-Champion with the DHB women’s team. Mahmut Gerdan: “I like to be on the field with my friends and would love to go to Berlin with the team!” Selin Oruz: “I am very happy to support the ParaHockey ID project. I think ParaHockey ID is great and I would like the athletes to get more attention. Also because of my personal involvement with my
disabled brother Enis, I am very interested in creating certain equality of opportunity for parasports in field hockey as well.”
Photograph: German ambassadors for ParaHockey ID, Mahmut Gerdan and Selin Oruz (DHB (c))
