Local Veteran Competes in National Veterans Wheelchair Games

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       Anchorage, Alaska. -- July 5,2006 -- Orlando Perez, a disabled Army veteran from Orlando, Fla., is competing in the 26th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, being held through July 8 in Anchorage, Alaska. With more than 550 athletes from 46 states, Puerto Rico and Great Britain, this is the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world. All athletes are military veterans who use wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries, certain neurological conditions, orthopedic amputations or other disabilities. Perez, 31, is a paraplegic. He is currently receiving care at the VA medical facility in Tampa, Fla.

       Perez is competing in the following events:

softball
track (100 meters)
track (800 meters)
track (1500 meters)
basketball

       "The National Veterans Wheelchair Games are life to me," said Perez. "I know this is one time when I will feel like a warrior again. The Games bring out the sports animal in me, and I get a great feeling when I see my fellow athletes. I plan to make my mark on these important Games." Perez, a native of Puerto Rico, won the Spirit of the Games Award as the most inspirational athlete at last year's Games. He has brought many family members along to Alaska to watch him compete. (See national athlete profile on the Games' web site under "News Media.")

       Athletes in the Games compete within three divisions -- Masters (over age 40), Novice (first-time competitors in the Games), and Open (all others, or those who chose to compete in this category). They also compete within classes according to the level of their physical ability, with three quadriplegic-level classes (IA, IB, and IC), and four paraplegic-level or amputee classes (II, III, IV, and V). Perez competes as a Class V in the Open division.

       The Games are presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), and are hosted this year by the Alaska VA Healthcare System and Regional Office and the Paralyzed Veterans of America Northwest Chapter. Funded with help from a host of corporations and service organizations, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games are a showcase for the benefit of sports rehabilitative programs, and the remarkable athletic abilities and personal achievements of our nation's disabled veterans.

Note to Editor:
If you would like to interview Perez, he can be reached after July 10 at (407) 287-1144. For more information about the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, contact Kim Byers, NVWG Public Affairs Coordinator at (734) 761-7824. (Above information regarding military service and disability provided by veteran.)