Tampa to Host National Veterans Wheelchair Games

The 33rd National Veterans Wheelchair Games will be held July 13-18, 2013 in Tampa, FL. The Games are presented by Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Tampa Convention Center and St. Pete Times Forum will serve as the main venues for the Games.

Information is available on the website at http://www.pva.org/

 Each year more than 500 novice and experienced athletes meet for a week of archery, swimming, weightlifting, basketball, quad rugby and more. The National Veterans Wheelchair Games are the largest annual wheelchair sports competition of its kind in the world.

Throughout the week, veterans realize their abilities and potential while enjoying the spirit of healthy activity and fellowship. Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Department of Veterans Affairs have co-presented the Games since 1985.

The theme of the event is "Seize the Day in Tampa Bay;” Games in previous years have been held in locations around the United States, including Richmond, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; Denver, CO; Spokane, WA; Omaha, NE; Milwaukee, WI and Anchorage, AK.

About Paralyzed Veterans of America:
For more than 65 years, Paralyzed Veterans of America has been on a mission to change lives and build brighter futures for seriously injured heroes—to empower these brave men and women with what they need to achieve the things they fought for: freedom and independence.

The organization was founded by a band of service members who came home from World War II with a spinal cord injury.  They returned to a grateful nation, but also to a world with few solutions to the challenges they faced. They made a decision not just to live, but to live with dignity as contributors to society.  They created Paralyzed Veterans of America, an organization dedicated to veterans service, medical research and civil rights for people with disabilities.

Today, the work continues to create an America where all veterans and people with disabilities, and their families, have everything they need to live full and productive lives. Paralyzed Veterans national officers and our 34 chapters represent thousands of veterans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.