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2008-07-25 - IWTC 2008 in Cremona : a smash hit!
Game, Set and Match! Invacare World Team Cup a smash hit!
July the 25th, 2008
Held in Cremona, Italy, from June 9th – 15th, the 2008 Invacare World Team Cup proved to be a smash hit.
Although the Umbrian sun blazed down on the courts all week, the five categories - Men’s World Group 1, Men’s World Group 2, Women’s, Quad and Juniors – nevertheless presented five new winners and medalists.
Men’s winners: World Group 1
1st Place: Sweden
2nd Place: France
Men’s winners: World Group 2
1st Place: Great Britain
2nd Place: Belgium
Women’s winners
1st Place: the Netherlands
2nd Place: France
21st title with 2-0 win over fifth seeds France.
Quads
1st Place: The Netherlands
2nd Place: The United States of America
Juniors
1st Place: The Netherlands
2nd Place: The Great Britain
More details can be found on the ITF website
The opening ceremony took place on June 9th; seasoned IWTC fans will know that the ceremony is usually held away from the city centre; this year however, the ITF took the tournament to the people and staged the opening service on the elegant Piazza del Comune.
Setting the scene
The Cremonese mingled with international guests as over 300 athletes from 34 nations flocked to witness a special recital given on a Stradivarius (the city is renowned for crafting the famous violins) as well as a rousing military band, both of which provided an emotional way to kick-start the proceedings. Invacare ambassador Mr. Rainer Küschall performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the Cup.
Invacare present on and off court
As the games were played out to enthusiastic fans throughout the week, Invacare were involved in events, both on and off court.
The company hosted various activities for clients and customers alike, including a symposium on June 12th entitled ‘Sport, disability and the meaning of life: winning the most important match’ given by IWTA President and Chairman of the Symposium, Mr. Martin McElhatton. Held in the beautiful Palazzo Trecchi, the event was full to capacity as it attempted to accommodate over 150 attendees. Mr. McElhatton spoke about the inclusive nature of sports, explaining how sports participation increases the visibility of people with a disability and how tennis can promote inclusion and integration.
Discover the complete list of speakers at the 2008 International Scientific Symposium.
The Cremona-born world-class footballer Gianlucca Vialli, a former Juventus striker and Chelsea manager, spoke at the Symposium on behalf of the Vialli and Mauro Foundation for Sport. The foundation was set up by the footballer to raise funds for research into cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 
The conference was followed by a cocktail and unique dance piece from extraordinary brother and sister duo Nienke and Mark Leenman sponsored by Invacare and Küschall.
In the evening, Invacare hosted a gala dinner for clients, featuring a captivating performance of jazz, voice from German-born Ute Kaiser, another talented musician accompanied by keyboard player, Dirk Benner.
Friday 13th gave customers the opportunity to attend a dedicated Küschall training session, with the chance to gain insight and input from the European Trainer.
Latest models on show
An Invacare showroom was also a permanent fixture during the week. The stand attracted attention and interest in the wheelchairs on show which included models from the sporty Top End range and the complete products from the Küschall range as well as the latest ‘K-Nova’ and ‘Champion’ wheelchairs.
Before the closing games on June 15th the Saturday night played host to the ITF (International Tennis Federation) Gala Dinner, during which former Invacare European Sales and Marketing Director Chris Chard presented a Top End tennis chair to the Silver Fund to help to promote tennis in developing countries. The special sports wheelchair was finally attributed to the Tanzanian team.
To the delight of all present, IWTA President Martin McElhatton took the opportunity to confirm Invacare’s involvement at the 2009 World Team Cup, to be held in Nottingham, UK. Next year’s event is set to be extra-special event as the Cup will be celebrating its Silver Anniversary.
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