Paralympic Team Captain Confirmed

Tim Prendergast has been appointed as Team Captain for the 2008 New Zealand Paralympic Team to Beijing for the 6th -17th September Paralympic Games.

It will be Prendergast’s third Paralympic Games having represented New Zealand in both Athens and Sydney.

He is no stranger to what it means to be a high performing athlete, having won three Paralympic medals and this experience will be valuable for those who are attending their first Paralympics.

Prendergast, 29 will compete in the 1500m and 5000m track events at Beijing.

“As Tim and all of the other past Paralympians say there is no other event that emulates a Paralympic village environment and games ... it can be quite daunting. It is great to have an athlete of his calibre competing and being a role model for other athletes too,” says Beijing Paralympics Chef de Mission, Duane Kale.

The role of Team Captain provides the critical link between athletes and team management. Like all athletes, Prendergast has a job to do. However in addition to that responsibility he will be the 'go to' person for athletes who feel that you are unable to raise or address issues with your coach or team management.

Predergast is well equipped for this role from the experiences he has incurred through his athlete representative position within Paralympics New Zealand and his current professional role as an athlete mentor in the London where he currently resides.