UEFA European Under-21 Championship Final Tournament
International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Showcase Matches
26 June 2009
The International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the UEFA (European Football Association) are pleased to present you the football event they proudly co-organize, with the active participation of the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE). The event consisted of two short football matches played by teams made up mostly of players with epilepsy from European countries. The main purpose is to emphasize that persons with epilepsy are entitled and able to live a normal life and to engage fully in social and
sports activities and to perform just as well as people without epilepsy. The event took place in Sweden on Friday June 26th, 2009 just before the opening of the two semi-final games of the UEFA Under-21 championship and will consist of two matches between 4 teams (7 players per team, two half of 7 minutes each per match), with one match being played in Göteborg and the other in Helsingborg. Press Kit
Players raise epilepsy awareness
Demystifying epilepsy was the name of the game as pan-European teams of players participated in showcase matches for the International League Against Epilepsy ahead of the U21 semi-finals.
To read the full story, please click here: UEFA Article or use the following URL
http://uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=4/newsid=842110.html?cid=sentarticles&att=http://uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=4/newsid=842110.html
 Click figure to see video
or go to: www.dapalab.it/LICE/Partita_1.wmv
With over 50 million affected persons in the world, epilepsy is the most common serious neurological disorder. Because effective treatments exist, the majority of people with epilepsy can be made disease-free, enjoy a fully normal life and engage successfully in all kind of professional activities and leisure events, including sports. Unfortunately, however, these same people find their life aspirations limited not by their epilepsy, but by discrimination and the many prejudices that still surround the disease. Invariably, discrimination and prejudices are a consequence of misunderstandings about what epilepsy is, and what people with epilepsy can do. More Information
The International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) is a professional organization made up of physicians, other health personnel and scientists who are committed to improving the life of persons and to advance our knowledge of this disease. ILAE is active in 100 countries and celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2009. As part of its centennial celebrations, ILAE has established partnerships with other organizations to communicate to the public key messages about epilepsy and the role of people with epilepsy in society.
We are grateful to the European Football Association (UEFA) for accepting our invitation to jointly organize a sport event in conjunction with the Under-21 European Football Championship in Sweden. The event, which will involve the active participation of the International Epilepsy Bureau (IBE), will consist of two short football matches played by teams of athletes with epilepsy from all over Europe just before the kickoff of the Championship semi-finals on June 26, 2009. The teams will also include some top-level former professional football players, who generously agreed to come to Göteborg and to Hensinborg to support our cause.
We hope this initiative will contribute to improving knowledge about epilepsy and, most importantly will emphasize that persons with epilepsy are entitled and able to live a normal life and to engage fully in social and professional activities.
We wish you all an enjoyful participation in these events!
Alexis Arzimanoglou, Michel Baulac, Emilio Perucca, Solomon Moshé
ILAE Organizing Committee
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