Visa Inducts Five Paralympians into Hall of Fame

(ATR) The Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame now has five new members following an "inspiring celebration" at the Grand Mercure Hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

Junichi Kawai, Chantal Petitclerc, Franz Nietlispach, Neroli Fairhall and coach inductee Martin Morse join 19 other athletes and coaches already in the Hall of Fame since its inception at the Torino 2006 Olympics. Each inductee was congratulated by International Paralympic Committee president Philip Craven who gave out the awards.

"Visa decided to support the Paralympic Hall of Fame as a demonstration of our commitment to athletes worldwide, much like our Team Visa program," Visa director of global sponsorship marketing Kara Linse tells Around the Rings.

"The Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame recognizes athletes and coaches from all walks of life, and shares the same values with Visa of acceptance, partnership and innovation."

Fairhall – an archer from New Zealand who was the first paraplegic to compete in the Olympics at Los Angeles 1984 – was inducted posthumously as New Zealand Paralympic Committee chair Selwyn Maister and World Archery Para-Archery Committee member Carole Hicks accepted the award on Fairhall’s behalf.

The induction ceremony on Sep. 9 welcomed more than 125 guests who learned about the inspiring careers of each of the inductees. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet the athletes and coach following the ceremony.

Swiss wheelchair athlete Franz Nietlispach told ATR it’s a "big honor" to be recognized for all of his achievements in the Paralympic Movement. Nietlispach competed in every Summer Paralympics from 1976 to 2008 in three different sports – earning 22 medals and 14 golds along the way.

"It’s great for me to be here," he says. "They brought me back to my friends to share all the memories and this is beautiful. I’m really proud to be here and see all of the races."

Linse tells ATR that the company is also honored to recognize their incredible achievements.

"Coach Morse, Junichi, Chantal, Franz, and Neroli share Visa's commitment to acceptance, displaying it in their individual communities and sport throughout their entire lives," Linse says. "We’re excited to honor them as they join other elite athletes in the Hall of Fame, recognizing their contributions to the Paralympic movement."

Reported by Kevin Nutley in Rio de Janeiro.

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