Dozens of athletes are on the Grand Strand for the Paralympic Experience, where they participate in events like wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and field events.
Sports Mobility Network and U.S. Paralympics hosted wheelchair basketball on Friday at the J. Bryan Floyd Community Center in North Myrtle Beach.
"This is the first year. We have been hosting the Southeastern Regional Wheelchair Games for eighteen years along the Grand Strand. This particular event this morning is a springboard for our weekend events," spokeswoman Melinda Chappell said.
The Paralympic Experience is comprised of individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairments from across the state, as well as parents, teachers and coaches.
"We have folks coming in from Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and really all over and we're thrilled to be part of this event. Athletes are athletes. They're people first. They start out usually in a rec program and get introduced to sport and then as progress along and along they can choose to move to an elite level like the Paralympics," Chappell added.
New to the Experience this year are field events which include shot discus and javelin, as well as a biathlon exhibition which is really a winter Paralympic sport. "That's new to this area and we're thrilled to introduce it to our community," Chappell said.
The U.S. Paralympics is a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee and is dedicated to promoting excellence in the lives of those with a physical disability. For more information on Paralympic programs, click here.
