Paralympic athlete Julian Bajada will undergo a 28-kilometre indoor rowing challenge in aid of the Malta Paralympic Committee.
The challenge, which is sponsored by NIKE through Intersport, will take place at the Intersport store in Piazetta, Sliema on 28th June 2022 from 6pm onwards.
Mr Bajada’s challenge will be the longest ever distance to be rowed by a paralympic athlete in Malta and is equivalent to rowing from Mellieħa to Sliema.
The announcement was made through a press conference on Wednesday.
Mr Bajada is a 28-year-old paralympic athlete who was born without one hand and with multiple physical impairments in both his legs, and today is the Secretary General of the Malta Paralympic Committee.
He has made it his mission to empower individuals with physical impairments and to help them unlock their full potential through paralympic sport.
As a result, he is aiming to raise €28,000 through this challenge to develop Malta’s first paralympic rowing team.
Malta Paralympic Committee Secretary General Julian Bajada
The funds raised will be invested in the necessary set-up to make this happen, including purchasing paralympic rowing boats and adapted sports equipment, while also supporting a paralympic rowing holistic sport development programme.
Additionally, the challenge also aims to raise awareness on paralympic sport as a whole, to encourage others to take up a sport and support other paralympic athletes.
“Paralympic sport has the power to change lives, not only for individuals with physical impairments to believe in their own abilities and reach new heights, but for society to embrace the paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality,” Mr Bajada said.
This challenge is being held in collaboration with Intersport and Siġġiewi Rowing Club, which is Malta’s first all-inclusive rowing club to introduce Para Rowing.
This comes as part of NIKE’s efforts to create a better world by “championing disabled athletes and expanding sport for the next generation.”
NIKE is celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) this year by acknowledging that we are never done listening.
Over 20 years ago, NIKE pushed to lend an ear and gain insight through its disabled employees and the disabled community, to better understand the importance of their needs and desires.
Intersport and NIKE are represented in Malta by Hudson, with the former having seven stores spread across Malta while NIKE has a 350sqm store at The Point Shopping Complex in Sliema.
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