The Citadele Bank is proud to announce that it is organising a major support programme for Latvia’s Paralympic athletes so as to develop the field of Paralympic sports in the country, to attract other people of differing abilities to take part in the process, and to change public views about differently abled people and what they can do. Citadele employees and clients, as well as the public at large, will be invited to take part in the project, which will be titled “You Are. You Can.”. The aim is to support Latvian Paralympic athletes at this year’s Olympic Games in London and to encourage courage and daring in society.
According to the Latvian Welfare Ministry, there were nearly 150,000 differently abled people in Latvia at the beginning of 2012, or 7.5% of the population. Approximate calculations suggest that only 10% of them or so are active in sports.
“Paralympic sports are professional activities and a major life component for differently abled people,” says the president of the Latvian Paralympic Committee, Daiga Dadzīte. She admits that “differently abled people in Latvia are often afraid of appearing before others or launching an active lifestyle, but the fact is that sports offer one of the most effective forms of rehabilitation after traumas, helping people to exercise their bodies and to take a positive look at life. The development of sports for differently abled people is of great importance in promoting an active lifestyles and full involvement in social life. It also serves as an element of social rehabilitation, and this is of enormous importance in Latvia, where social rehabilitation remains poorly developed.”
“Insufficient state financing creates very serious problems in the development of Paralympic sports,” Dadzīte continues. “This means that we cannot find new athletes, help existing ones to develop their skills, and provide them with equipment and financing for training purposes and for participation in international competitions.”
At the same time, there are numerous Latvian paralympians who train every day and very intensively and have made great achievements already. Latvian paralympians have won nine medals at the Paralympic Games, and that shows that people with courage, desire and daring can achieve outstanding results. The 14th Paralympic Games will be held in London from August 29 until September 9, and this will be the sixth time that athletes from Latvia will take part. We already know that Aigars Apinis, who is two times the Paralympic champion in discus and the holder of two world records, will be attending the games, as will the swimmer Jānis Plotnieks. We will soon find out which of the other nine candidates from Latvia will be going to the Paralympic Games.
“Latvia’s paralympians prove that courage and daring allow people to do a great deal under seemingly difficult circumstances which lead people to stop, pull themselves together at a time when it seems easier to just give, and then do things which might seem impossible,” says Citadele Bank board chairman Guntis Beļavskis. “Paralympians reflect courage and the ability to achieve things. They confirm that if you are, then you can. This philosophy of courage and daring is what we all need, all of our society as a whole. That is why as of June 1, the Citadele Bank will be organising an extensive support programme for Latvia’s paralympians under the slogan ‘You Are. You Can.’ We will present people about whom we are all so very proud to the rest of the world.
The Citadele Bank would ask every resident and company in Latvia to become involved in the movement so as to support Latvia’s athletes and their participation in the Paralympic Games. Beginning on June 1, under the auspices of the “You Are. You Can.” project, Citadele will become headquarters for the paralympians. Each branch and client service centre will support the paralympians, and boxes for donations will be found there, as well. The Citadele Bank will open a special account for donations to the Latvian Paralympic Committee, and donations will be accepted for the committee or for a specific athlete. We’ll also be able to support our athletes by tracking their progress, crossing our fingers and sending them our best wishes on social networks such as Draugiem.lv, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and the Citadele blog.
The account
Latvian Paralympic Committee
Account No. LV45PARX00049296000002
Registration No. 40008025464