NYC & Company And Sports Commission Launch New Online Resource Guide For People With Disabilities

NYC & COMPANY AND SPORTS COMMISSION LAUNCH NEW ONLINE RESOURCE GUIDE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

City�s Official Tourism Website to Host New Guide Dedicated to Helping New Yorkers and Visitors with Disabilities Find Information on Adaptive Sports and Recreation

Exercise Your Ability: The Ultimate Guide to Sports and Recreation for People with Disabilities Launches on Sports Commission Micro-Site, nycgo.com/sports

New York City (December 2, 2009)�NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth Podziba and Mayor�s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Matthew Sapolin today announced the creation of the online edition of Exercise Your Ability: The Ultimate Guide to Sports and Recreation for People with Disabilities. With an expansive list of adaptive sports organizations, the resource guide will appear on NYC & Company�s recently launched sports micro-site, nycgo.com/sports, as a resource for athletic and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities across the country. The website will be a leading source of information on all the spectator and participatory sports that New York City has to offer.

"I am pleased to present New York City's online edition of the adaptive sports publication, Exercise Your Ability: The Ultimate Guide to Sports and Recreation for People with Disabilities," said Fertitta. "The information contained in this directory gives readers the opportunity to explore many of the engaging adaptive sports programs available throughout the United States. This guide supports the mission of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and the New York City Sports Commission to encourage the highest levels of sports participation among all people."

"Exercise Your Ability provides valuable information on the myriad of adaptive sports and recreation programs in New York City and the country," said Podziba. "This resource showcases many exciting recreational and therapeutic programs that are available, and it is our hope that this book encourages people with disabilities to lead a healthier, more active lifestyle."

"Exercise Your Ability, with the information it provides, has been instrumental in helping people of all ages and with all types of disabilities become involved in sports," said Sapolin.

Exercise Your Ability contains well-researched information on more than 200 organizations that help people with disabilities experience the joy of sports participation. The goal of this book is to encourage all New Yorkers and the more than 55 million people with disabilities in the United States to join in the challenging and rewarding world of sports. The guide features inspirational forwards from marathoner Marla Runyan and mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer. Runyan, who is legally blind, is a two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004). Her 2002 New York City Marathon time of 2:27:10 was the second-fastest debut time ever by an American woman. Weihenmayer became the only blind man to reach the summit of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, in May 2001. In 2008 Weihenmayer joined the elite ranks of mountaineers who have climbed the "seven summits," the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

"It is my hope that every person can discover the rewards of exercise. No matter the activity, a life-altering challenge awaits you," said Runyan, the first-ever Paralympian to compete in the Olympic Games. "With creativity and determination, the possibilities are endless. It is with great honor that I take part in this publication�a valued resource that might lead the way to self-discovery. And I would like to send a personal thank-you to the New York City Sports Commission for its creation."

"I firmly believe there is something inside each of us that can only be described as a light�a light that feeds on adversity,� said Weihenmayer, who is also a motivational speaker and an author. �This light uses hardship as fuel�the greater the challenge, the brighter this light burns. This light has the ability to make us more focused, more creative, more driven and, from time to time, can even allow us to transcend the limits of our bodies and give us power. Thanks to the New York City Sports Commission for providing this guide, which, when used with this inner light, will help us achieve some great things in our lives."

In December 2008 the Sports Commission was integrated with NYC & Company, New York City�s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization. This brought the City�s sports- and event-marketing functions under one roof to streamline and maximize tourism, marketing and partnership opportunities throughout the five boroughs.

About the New York City Sports Commission:
The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. The Sports Commission has played an integral role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the Nautica New York City Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.

About NYC & Company:
NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide.

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