David Cameron At International Paralympic Day

Prime Minister David Cameron was among the high-profile visitors to Trafalgar Square on International Paralympic Day.

The event is being held to promote next year’s Paralympic Games in London, for which tickets go on sale on Friday.

Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson each partnered a wheelchair tennis player as they tried out the sport in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

The day will end with the official invitation being issued to athletes around the world to compete in 2012.

The Paralympics follow the Olympic Games and run from 29 August to 9 September next year.

British swimmer Ellie Simmonds, who is at the event, told the BBC: “It is good that the Paralympics is now getting on the same scale as the Olympics.”

The event, which features demonstrations of all 20 paralympic sports, coincides with the visit of representatives of the International Paralympic Committee to London.

The heads of National Paralympic Committees from more than 100 competing countries will have the chance to see many of the Games venues.

IPC president Sir Philip Craven said: “The foundations for what could be the most successful Games ever are being laid in London. All we need now is the athletes.”

The committee heads will also be present in Trafalgar Square.

South African runner Oscar Pistorius told the BBC: “For us the Paralympic movement has dramatically increased since Sydney to Athens and to Beijing.

“If you look at where Great Britain is, it’s pretty much at the forefront where it comes to inclusion and accessibility for disabled people when it comes to the Paralympic movement.”

London 2012 chair Lord Coe said: “I want to see lots of people in Trafalgar Square. Whenever we have showcased Paralympic sport in busy locations it has always been a success.

“This is a great opportunity for young people to understand what they are watching, that – and we are going to have to redefine some of these terms – 99 per cent of able-bodied people could not get within a country mile of.

“For everybody, paralympic sport is, and would be, a challenge.”

Coe admitted to having a favourite paralympic sport, adding: “I do enjoy paralympic athletics. We had three stunning wheelchair races on the penultimate day in Korea (at the World Championships).”

Great Britain wheelchair basketball player Ade Adepitan told the BBC how important playing the sport has been to him.

“I spent many years as a youngster really frustrated trying to play able-bodied sports with my friends walking about on callipers,” he said.

“When I discovered wheelchair basketball it changed my life. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for sport and I think sport is having the same impact on kids both disabled and able-bodied all over the world and that’s what we hope we can do with 2012 too.

“This event is extremely important. Generally a lot of people know about the Paralympics, they might have seen a little bit of the sports on TV but here’s an opportunity to come and meet the athletes watch the sports and the events live.

“When I spoke to a lot of my friends about myself playing wheelchair basketball they could not believe how hard it was, how fast it was and how big the players were.”

Thursday’s events kicked off at 0815 BST with the first round of sports being showcased and a world record attempt for the longest rally in a sitting volleyball match.

A non-competitive race between Pistorius, American Jerome Singleton and five local schoolchildren on the track in front of the National Portrait Gallery took place but the two athletes did not to head-to-head because of safety concerns.

A bronze sculpture of Pistorius by artist Ben Dearnley was also due to be unveiled.

One of the final session highlights is a penalty shoot-out at 1800 BST with Great Britain’s blind football five-a-side squad competing against former England internationals Ray Wilkins and Paul Merson, former professional Chris Kamara and youth team players from Chelsea and Swindon.

The official call to next year’s competitors to come to London will take place at 1900 BST.