Bridgestone expands support of adaptive sports, athletes

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—With just one year remaining until Toyko 2020 Paralympic Games, Bridgestone is expanding its support of adaptive sports by partnering with sports organizations: the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Nashville-based Amputee Blade Runners and Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio.

The 2021 Paralympic Games will begin Aug. 24 in Toyko.

Bridgestone said the partnerships are part of the company's "ongoing efforts to help remove barriers in society and create advanced solutions that increase accessibility for all."

"The support for these three organizations will extend the company's Worldwide Paralympic Partnership to reach local communities by championing adaptive athletes, increasing accessibility to sport, and advancing diversity and inclusion education in areas where Bridgestone operates," the company said.

Team USA Paralympian Scout Bassett is a member of Team Bridgestone and a CAF ambassador. At 14, CAF awarded Bassett a grant to fund her training as a runner, starting her journey to becoming a U.S. national champion, a world championship medalist and a paralympian in track and field.

Bridgestone filmed a television spot with Bassett and kids from the CAF late last year that was originally slated to be part of Bridgestone's Tokyo 2020 campaign this summer. Bridgestone is reevaluating its plans for when the spot will air due to the Games' postponement for COVID-19.

The spot celebrates "clutch performance," highlighting how "Bridgestone and the world's best athletes deliver trusted performance when it matters most."

"Scout is a perfect example of this," the company said, "performing her best in the biggest moments, regardless of the obstacles standing in the way, while also working to make a difference off the track."