By Tom Degun

September 8 - Justin King (pictured left with Sebastian Coe), the chief executive of retail giant Sainsbury’s, has told insideworldparasport that the company becoming sponsors of the London 2012 Paralympic Games is their biggest sporting achievement to date.



In May this year, Sainsbury’s were appointed as the first multi-million pound Paralympics-only sponsor of the London 2012 Games in what organisers claim is the biggest ever deal for the Paralympic Movement.

Last month, Sainsbury’s also unveiled double Paralympic Champion Ellie Simmonds as the new face of the “"Sainsbury’s Active Kids" scheme to get more children involved in sport and while the organisation is involved in a number of sporting events, including being the title sponsor of the Sainsbury’s UK School Games, King admitted that the Paralympics are their top priority.

King told insideworldparasport: "The Paralympics is the pinnacle of our involvement in sport and we build on that through the active kids programme and our sponsorship of the UK School Games.

"But most people are hugely excited about the Olympic and Paralympic coming to London and we felt that by sponsoring the Paralympics uniquely, and becoming the first Paralympics-only sponsor, that we could really continue to tell a story of sport inspiring people for life.

"What our customers and colleagues told us is that while they are they are excited by the Olympics and great athletes like Usain Bolt, it is in someway the Paralympics and the Ellie Simmonds’ of this world that tell a more inspiring story of people triumphing in adversity.

"We therefore signed up Ellie to be the spokesperson of the active kid programme and that completes the circle if you like; perhaps our most famous Paralympic woman in Britain backing our first Paralympics-only sponsor.

"She was the first person we though of to back this campaign so we were absolutely delighted she wanted to do it.

"We hope she can continue to add to her medal collection, which is getting very large now, in 2012 and also be a young person speaking up or active kids and making kids fell that if Ellie can really commit herself to sport and be so successful, maybe I can get something out of sport as well.

"That’s really what it’s all about."

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