Olympic Times – Sports Daily

How the tale of the two cities hosting the 2010 Olympics will end is anyone’s guess, with many predicting the legacy will be a mix of the best and worst of times.
But in the cities outside Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., some people are less convinced it’s an ending that will see them living happily ever after.
While both host cities and those nearby are getting millions in new and upgraded infrastructure, including badly needed housing, some on the outskirts of Olympic glory say they’re getting hardly anything at all.
In Squamish, B.C., which sits along the Sea-to-Sky highway between the Vancouver and Whistler, Mayor Ian Sutherland rails against what he says are broken promises leaving his town bereft of lasting physical legacies from the Games.
A new ferry terminal and service was promised to transport spectators to Squamish, where they were then to transfer to Whistler by bus.

That plan was cancelled.
An ice arena for Paralympic sledge hockey was also supposed to be built.

That plan was cancelled.
Organizers briefly floated the idea of housing media on cruise ships nearby, which would give the town of about 15,000 massive media exposure.

That plan was cancelled.
Squamish was also supposed to be a transportation hub, where buses going to Whistler would stop for people to get a chance to visit on their way to Olympic events.

That’s also been scrapped.
“At the end of the day, it’s a fair amount of frustration for the people who live in Squamish,” said Sutherland, who is running as a Liberal candidate in the current federal election.

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A surcharge of $4 to $18 will be added to all tickets to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic events to cover public transit and administration costs, organizers said Friday.
People attending events in Whistler from Vancouver will be required to buy a $25 round-trip bus pass on top of the surcharge because there will be no parking at venues.
The return-trip pass using the Olympic bus network will be $12 for people going to events at Cypress Mountain.
There will also be a delivery fee for all tickets.
“Most ticket holders will need to use public transportation to get to Olympic events as there will be no parking at venues,” said Caley Denton, vice-president of ticketing and consumer marketing of the Vancouver Organizing Committee.
“One of our goals is to see the increased use of public transportation, walking and cycling as one of the legacies of hosting the Games,” Denton said in a release on Friday.
The surcharges are less than those usually applied to high-profile event tickets and the cost to travel between Vancouver and Whistler is about half that of taking a commercial bus service, he said.
The first phase of ticket sales for the Games begins on Oct. 3, but the transportation passes will be sold separately next year.
“With an Olympic ticket in your hand, you will have access to public transportation on the day of your event in Metro Vancouver, including buses and Skytrain, and in Whistler,” Denton said.
TransLink, the company that operates the public transit system throughout the Lower Mainland, said it is gearing up for the extra ridership.
“One way or another we were prepared for the fact that there’s going to be an awful lot of extra people on transit during the Games time, primarily because there will not be parking at or near most of the venues if not all of them,” TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie told CBC News Friday.
Hardie said by 2010 the Canada Line will be in service, 200 new buses will be added to the transit system and another 200 buses will be put into service especially for the Olympics.
The Canada Line is a $1.9-billion expansion of Vancouver’s SkyTrain elevated rapid-transit system that will run completely separated from traffic to and from downtown Vancouver and Vancouver International Airport in Richmond. It’s expected to be in operation in 2009.
At this point Olympic organizers said they aren’t planning to restrict access on the Sea-to-Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler to only Olympic business.
“The highway will essentially be able to operate as open,” said Maureen Douglas, director of community relations for the organizing committee.
“We will certainly provide the public with guidelines as to the best time to travel. There will be more efficient times to travel south and more efficient times to travel north,” he said.

from: cbc.ca

The Beijing Olympics have given sportswear firm Nike a windfall, with orders surging 50 per cent after the Games.
The company today unveiled surprisingly strong results, with robust sales in the US despite the financial meltdown and recession fears, and a weak dollar adding to its international bottom line.
Revenue from Nike’s Asia businesses grew 36 per cent to $861million (£465.3million), boosted by sales in China, the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
Nike gets more than half its sales outside the US and so was helped by the decline of the dollar against foreign currencies. European sales grew 20 per cent to $1.8billion while in the US they also rose to $1.8billion.
Nike said advance orders were up 3 per cent in the US, with gross profit margins at 47.2 per cent in the first quarter, up from 44.8 per cent a year earlier, helped by higher prices in its home market.
Net profits fell to $510.5million on revenue up 17 per cent at $5.4billion in the quarter. Last year’s result was boosted by a $105.4million tax credit.
In Europe, 15 per cent of the 20 per cent growth came from the weaker dollar and Forex accounted for 10 per cent of the Asian growth.
Global orders for delivery of shoes and apparel from now until January rose 10 per cent, with gains of 4 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively, in europe and Asia.

source: dailymail.co.uk

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Beijing capped its six-week run as the center of world sports, ushering out the Paralympic Games on Wednesday with a lavish closing ceremony.
The ceremony marked the end of seven intensive years of preparations and $40 billion in spending on venues and infrastructure — all meant to symbolize China’s emergence as a leading nation in the 21st century.
A 91,000 sellout crowd in the Bird’s Nest National Stadium saw the ceremonial flame extinguished and the event formally handed over to London, which will host the next Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.
As with the Olympics, officials praised their Chinese hosts for the striking venues, tight organization and stadiums that were mostly filled for 11 days of competition.
The games were held in nearly perfect weather with blue skies and light traffic, leaving Beijing’s chronic air pollution a distant memory.
However, traffic control measures are slated to end Saturday, with 2 million vehicles expected to return to the roads. In addition, heavy industry — shuttered for two months — and building construction is expected to return to pre-games levels, along with accompanying pollution.
“These games have been great games,” said Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee. “Everybody realizes that. These are the greatest Paralympic Games ever.”
The symbolic hand over came as London Mayor Boris Johnson and Beijing counterpart Guo Jinlong gathered on the infield. The London handover segment featured a red London double-decker bus, London landmarks like Nelson’s Column and a moment when a “tea lady” arrived and the show stopped.
Because if one thing unites China and Britain, it is the agreement that all things — even an Olympic ceremony — must stop for tea.
China led the gold-medal table in the Olympics and did the same in the Paralympics, winning 89 gold and 211 overall. Britain was No. 2 with 42 gold and 102 overall. The United States was No. 3 with 36 and 99.
South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit, who also competed in the Olympics, won five gold medals. She lost her left leg after a 2001 motorcycle crash.
Compatriot Oscar Pistroius, a double-amputee sprinter who runs on carbon-fiber legs, won three golds in 100, 200 and 400 meters.
He is hoping to run against able-bodied athletes in next year’s world championships in Berlin, and the London Games. Du Toit also plans to compete in the regular Olympics in London, in the 800-meter freestyle and the 10-kilometer open-water swim.
Four athletes were sent home for failing pre-competition doping tests — a German wheelchair basketballer, and powerlifters from Pakistan, Ukraine and Mali.
In a lunch Wednesday for foreign dignitaries, China president Hu Jintao said the Paralympics would push the government to improve care for the disabled, who historically have received little help or visibility in Chinese society.
“The Chinese government and people will build on the success of the Beijing Paralympic Games to carry forward the humanitarian spirit and advance in an all-round way the well-being of people with a disability in China,” the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Hu saying.
Four thousand athletes from 147 regions and countries took part. That number is expected to reach 4,200 in Britain, which gave birth to the modern-day Paralympic Games. The genesis of the games came in 1948, when German neurologist Ludwig Guttman organized an athletic event in Buckinghamshire — northwest of central London — for soldiers wounded in World War II.
Unlike the tight security at the Olympics, security was much looser during the Paralympics, with the Olympic Green area filled nightly with people lingering on strolls between venues.
That area was often nearly empty during the Olympics, as ordinary citizens were not given access.
It also ends a special run for 100,000 games volunteers, who staffed every nook and cranny at the venues. Their friendly efforts were credited with softening the image of China’s authoritarian government, which before and during the Olympics cracked down on security, visas and battled with journalists over blocked Internet access and freedom-of-the press issues.
“It’s no use to be sad, it’s all ending anyway,” said Jiang Wei, a 19-year-old university student who worked since July 8 in the main press center. “We can take memories and get on with our lives.”

from: ap.google.com

There has never been a Paralympics that has not been hailed the best ever.

The first time I heard the phrase delivered “live” in the stadium was at Atlanta, which was almost certainly the worst ever.
On Wednesday evening in Beijing, President of the International Paralympic Committee Sir Phillip Craven did not let me down, delivering the mantra word for word.
So how does it stand up to the claim?
Let us do the pluses first, and there are plenty of them.
My own personal abiding memory of the Beijing games, the fourth I have attended, was the crowds.
Disabled athletes over the years have been used to performing at most of their meets to sparse crowds made of friends, family and other team members.
Even at the best of the games – Sydney – there was still an element of “rent-a-crowd” about the attendances.
Many of the audiences were almost entirely made up of children, allocated tickets en bloc as an educational exercise.
They were reminiscent of those schoolboy and schoolgirl hockey internationals that used to be staged at Wembley, where the pitch and decibel level of the cheering were excruciating.
Nothing like that in Beijing but many of the events were total, or almost total, sell-outs.
The Bird’s Nest stadium several times had its full complement of 91,000 spectators. The swimming events were full every night. Great attendances too at the basketball.
And when GB quadriplegic wheelchair tennis star Peter Norfolk was winning his gold in the singles, there were more people watching him than turned up to see Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the Olympics.
Perhaps people were benefiting from the fact that the Paralympic tickets were considerably cheaper than at the Olympics, and also yielding to a huge curiosity to get inside stadiums like the Bird’s Nest?
Another major plus was access. I am guided by the athletes here. I talked to many of them, and they all said the same – that facilities in the village, the stadiums and around the Olympic complex were second to none.
Libby Kosmala, a Paralympian attending her 11th games, said she thought that Beijing’s access was “faultless”.

Avoidable glitches
Now for a couple of minuses. These reflect as much on the nature of the games themselves, and their management by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), as they do on Beijing.
There were a number of foul-ups in the running of events trackside and poolside.
It has been hard to get to the bottom of what led to them, but they need to be sorted if the Paralympics is to take its place as a major sporting event.
For instance, two events were ordered to be re-run. One actually took place, the other re-run was cancelled after the objection was withdrawn.
But the re-run is an odd concept in all but the most extreme cases. To be honest, it smacks of patronising attitudes. Olympic gold medallist Steve Cram said he could not remember a re-run ever being ordered.
In one case a re-run was deemed necessary because of a crash, which led to a disqualification.
The disqualification was fair enough, but ordering a re-run because someone screws up smacks too much of the sports day “oh give them another go” attitude, which has no place in the Paralympics.
The other was caused by an administrative error, a wrong lane allocation. The protest about that should have happened before the race was ever run.
Both of these re-run decisions were reached after the medal ceremonies had taken place – so that athletes who had publicly been cheered suddenly found themselves deprived of that medal.
Whether it was miscommunication between the IPC and local organisers is not clear.
What is clear is that in terms of rigorous organisation, these games must look as professional as the Olympic counterparts they seek to be compared to.
Which leads me to the other matter that must be sorted out before London 2012 – classification.

A job well done
There has to be classification in Paralympic sport. The principle of grading people on the basis of their severity of disability, so that like competes with like, is essential. But classification must be managed better.
In these games, there were a number of examples of people being thrown out of events because they were felt to be less disabled than their classification allowed.
Clearly, if there is a blatant example of cheating, it must be dealt with. But the answer to that is not expulsion during the games, but a proper, independent and transparent programme of classification before the games ever begin.
If a competitor performs above the level which appears to be consistent with their disability, it should be dealt with after the games.
We cannot have a situation where doing particularly well, is regarded as a reason for re-classification within the games.
Classification is confusing enough for spectators, and I think in London there should be more attempts to explain it to crowds.
What happened here is likely to lower the reputation of the games, which on the whole is rising exponentially.
The Beijing games have done plenty to continue that process, and they should be congratulated on that.
They should also be congratulated on changes to the environment which will provide a permanent legacy for disabled Beijingers for the future.
It seems impossible to think that the exposure of huge numbers of people to disabled athletes performing extraordinary feats would not change the perception of disability in China.
Though whether change will be sustained at the rate achieved by the needs of staging the Paralympics remains to be seen.
Was it the best ever? It is a subjective judgment, but I would say yes. I would put it on a par with Sydney, but with the added dimension of genuine, deeply enthusiastic crowds. Well done, Beijing!

source: bbc.co.uk

The high-spirit United States beat Australia 53-44 to win their third Paralympic gold in wheelchair rugby here on Tuesday.

The U.S. team won their first two gold medals since the wheelchair rugby was introduced to the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics as a demonstration sport. They took the bronze in Athens four year ago.

Having a redemption of Athens’ loss, the exciting Americans celebrated their fifth straight victory at the tournament with a “wheelchair dance”, spinning their “vehicles” at the court, while the Aussies, with obvious disappointment on the face, gave each other consoling hugs.

“Winning a gold medal compares only to when I was born and when I got married,” said Will Groulx, the American leading scorer.

“This feels so great. We set a goal four years ago, we promised to each other we were going to make it and it is great to see how all the hard work and determination became a gold medal.”

The Aussies, who won a silver at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, should be proud of their own performances as the Americans hardly took any advantage to end the second quarter 21-20.

However, the world’s No. 1 U.S. strengthened their defense at the second half of the game, when the Australian top scorer Ryley Batt often found himself blocked by two or three aggressive Americans.

Will Groulx, who scored 11 of his 16 goals, helped the U.S. to establish a five goal lead by the third quarter and extended the gap to seven in the end.

However, the 19-year-old Australian “Magic Boy” Batt remained the shiniest star of the game with 23 goals and 12 assists.

“I’m not disappointed at all. I would have liked to win gold of course but the U.S. played a better game. Both teams had such great defence, you couldn’t have asked for a better match,” said Batt.

Earlier, the Athens runner-up Canada defeated Britain 47-41 to win the bronze medal. The Britons, ranked No. 4 in the world, repeated their Athens 2004 fourth place.

Mike Whitehead scored 14 goals to become Canda’s best scorer, while Briton Troye Collins led his teammates with 16 goals.

In another two matches of the day, defending champion New Zealand beat Germany 28-25 to place fifth.

The New Zealanders were far from their tournament goals as they missed out on the semifinals by losing the first two preliminaries to Britain and Australia with identical 39-38. Germany, however, bettered their Athens position of seventh to stand on the sixth.

New Zealand captain David Klinkhamer took the fifth finish as a “complete heartbreak”, saying his team “has gone from hero (winning Athens gold) to zero”.

“We underperformed and there is no way to sugar coat it,” said Klinkhamer. “We failed in executing our game plan and we lacked basic rugby techniques. We don’t get to compete often and need to travel more.”

Asian powerhouse Japan, who are also set for a medal, suffered another major setback after they surprisingly lost to Germany at the first round of the fifth place playoffs.

However, the Japanese, most of whom got a haircut to show their determination to win after preliminaries, found no trouble to defeat inexperienced China, trouncing the host 58-32 to finish seventh.

China, who trained less than one year, finished their first Paralympics with five straight losses but showed no regret after the match.

“As rookies, we are here to learn from the world’s top-level teams and I’m proud that we have been improving match by match and my players have never given up on the court,” said China head coach Wen Yan.

“The losses have only inspired us to work harder to do better in London,” she said.

from: xinhuanet.com

Oscar Pistorius completed his gold-medal haul at the Paralympics on Tuesday, winning the 400 meters to go with sprint victories in the 100 and 200.

The South African double amputee known as “The Blade Runner” finished in 47.49 seconds, a world record for his disability class.

Jim Bob Bizzell of the United States won the silver medal at the Bird’s Nest National Stadium, the venue for Olympic track and field. Ian Jones of Britain took the bronze.

Pistorius was cleared in May to run in the Beijing Olympics by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This followed a decision by track and field’s governing body that said he was ineligible.

He then failed to make the Olympic qualifying standard in the 400. He needed to run 45.55, and his best time was 46.25 run against able-bodied athletes.

Pistorius’ next goal is to qualify for the world championships next year in Berlin, where he would face able-bodied runners. He also is looking toward the London 2012 Olympics.

“I’ve got a lot of work to do before that,” he said. “I have five or six able-bodied meets in Europe next year and those are all stepping stones to get to the bigger meets and perform there. I’m looking forward to next year’s calendar and next four years.”

Pistorius, who won gold in the 200 in the Athens Paralympics, runs on carbon-fiber blades. He was born without a fibula, a bone in the lower leg, and both legs were amputated below the knees when he was 11 months old.

Away from the Bird’s Nest, Ukraine defeated Russia 2-1 in seven-per-team soccer to win the gold medal. Volodymyr Antonyuk scored twice for Ukraine and Lasha Murvanadze had Russia’s only goal. Iran defeated Brazil 4-0 in the bronze-medal game.

In the wheelchair rugby final, the U.S. defeated Australia 53-44. Canada took the bronze-medal game, beating Britain 47-41.

In the men’s wheelchair basketball final, Australia beat Canada 72-60. Britain defeated the U.S. 85-77 for the bronze.

Speaking in Beijing on Tuesday, Sebastian Coe said London is ready to match — or surpass — the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.

“It is a massive responsibility,” said Coe, chairman of the organizing committee for the 2012 London Games. “We don’t find it daunting. … Beijing has delivered a spectacular games and we will also deliver a spectacular games.”

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from: ap.google.com

Oscar Pistorius, the South African “Blade Runner,” won his second gold medal of the Beijing Paralympics with a victory in the 200-meter sprint on Saturday, but the day was marked by controversy as the Iran wheelchair basketball team pulled out of the Games ahead of a possible matchup against Israel.

The Iran team was scheduled to play the United States on Saturday in a quarterfinal-round match but withdrew before the game. The winner would go on to meet the winner of the Canada-Israel game.

A spokesman for the Iranian delegation denied that Iran pulled out because of the possibility of playing Israel. The country has had a longstanding no-contact policy with Israel, and Iranian athletes have pulled out of events rather than meet Israelis in sports events.

The spokesman said that the Iran wheelchair basketball team withdrew because the Beijing organizers had swapped the starting times of the US-Iran and Canada-Israel matches. That swap had been made without explanation.

“Each match should be done one after another,” Iran deputy chef de mission Iran Doust said. “But unfortunately, concerning our match they didn’t observe the order and that’s the reason” for the pullout.

As it happened, Canada defeated Israel. The Canadians will face the Americans on Sunday.

TRACK AND FIELD: Pistorius won his second gold at the Bird’s Nest before a crowd of more than 50,000, taking the 200 meters by nearly a full second over the silver medalist, Jim Bob Bizzell of the U.S.

“This race is definitely going down as one of my best ever races,” Pistorius said. “I’ve never run in front of a crowd this big and just the crowd, the athletes, it was an awesome race and I couldn’t have hoped for anything better.”

He has one race to go, the 400 meters on Sunday.

China won five gold medals at the stadium on Saturday. Eighteen-year-old Yang Sen won the men’s 100-meter T35 in a world record 12.29 seconds, while Wang Fang retained her crown in women’s 200-meter T36. Yu Shiranwon the men’s 200-meter T53, and Xia Dong (men’s shot put) and Jimisu Menggen (women’s discus throw) won gold medals with world-record performances.

Xinhua’s wrapup of the day’s action is at this link.

The International Paralympic Committee’s “Sixty Seconds” YouTube show for Friday/Saturday (see window below) begins its highlights package with Friday’s Canadian sweep of the women’s 200-meter medley (SM13). Chelsey Gotell of Antigonish, N.S., finished first in a world record 2 minutes 28.15 seconds, followed by Winnipeg’s Kirby Cote of Winnipeg and Valerie Grand’Maison of Montreal. That’s followed by early Saturday road racing action, including American Oz Sanchez’s gold medal in the 12.7-kilometer hand-pedaled cycle time trial with an average of 23.35 mph, and the victory by Heinz Frei of Switzerland in another HC category. There’s also football seven-a-side (S9) action, with Russia taking on Brazil:
Universalsports.com’s re-stream of its coverage of Saturday’s track and field events is available at this link. The site’s one-hour-20-minute highlight package from Saturday’s early events are at this link.

SWIMMING: At the Water Cube, Erin Popovich finally didn’t win a gold medal — she won a silver. Popovich finished second to Huang Min of China in the women’s 50-meter butterfly (S7). “She took it out fast and had a better race than me,” Popovich said. “Hats off to her. China is having a phenomenal meet.”

Popovich, who has won 4 golds at these Games and 14 in her Paralympic career, has one more race in Beijing: the 50-meter freestyle on Sunday.

Justin Zook of the U.S. won gold in the men’s 100-meter backstroke (S10) after setting a world record in the preliminary heat of the event.

Countryman Jarrett Perry also set a world record during a preliminary heat of his event, the 100-meter backstroke (S9), but the final was won by Australian Matthew Cowdrey, his third of the Beijing Games to go along with two more from Athens 2004. Perry took the bronze.

WHEELCHAIR RUGBY: The American team had its hands full with a tough Japan team, winning by 44-37. Will Groulx led the U.S. with 12 goals and four steals, while Bryan Kirkland pitched in 11 goals and four assists.

The murderballers’ final group-stage game is Sunday against Canada, the team that beat the Amerks in the semifinal at Athens four years ago.
WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL: While the U.S. men’s advanced through forfeit, the women’s team advanced to the gold medal game by beating Australia, 60-47, in the semifinal.

With less than five minutes to go, the U.S. was clinging to a 46-45 lead after fighting back after trailing for most of the third quarter. But the Americans pulled away at the end.

Christina Ripp and Stephanie Wheeler led the U.S. with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

The Amerkas will play Germany for the gold medal on Monday.
WHEELCHAIR TENNIS: Nick Taylor and David Wagner won the quad doubles gold with a three-set victory over Boaz Kramer and Shraga Weinberg of Israel. Taylor and Wagner overpowered the Israelis in the first set, 6-0, lost the second by 4-6, but won the third, 6-2, to defend their gold from Athens four years ago.

TABLE TENNIS: The U.S. duo of Mitch Seidenfeld and Tahl Leibovitz lost, 3-2, to Ukraine’s Yuriy Shchepanskyy and Vadym Kubov in the Class 9-10 teams tournament to end American participation in the table tennis competition at the 2008 Paralympics.

Seidenfeld, who won a gold and bronze in the 1992 Games and a silver and bronze in 1996, lost his singles match while Leibovitz, of Ozone Park, won his. But the Ukranians won the doubles match to prevail over all.

source:olympics.blogs.nytimes.com

The Iranian men’s wheelchair basketball team has withdrawn from the Beijing Paralympics competition on the first day of quarterfinal competition.

The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and the International Paralympic Committee today announced that Iran have pulled out of competition “due to their dissatisfaction with the draw proposed for the cross-over round and subsequent schedule”.

There is conjecture that this in in reference to the possibility of Iran playing Israel if they got through to the next round.

Iran was due to play the USA today.

In a statement the IWBF said it “regrets this decision taken by Iran and the disruption caused to the tournament”.

The move means the US teams goes through to the semi-finals. The ABC has been unable to contact the Iranian team.

The spokeswoman for the United States Paralymic team Jeannine Hansen would not be drawn on whether the Iranian team was making a political statement.

“The team is focused on playing and looking forward to Canada,” she said.

“But beyond that I’m not going to comment. Iran really needs to speak for their reasons for withdrawing.”

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source: abc.net.au

Natalie Du Toit of South Africa won her fourth gold medal in swimming at the Beijing Paralympics, taking the 400-meter freestyle on Friday in a world-record time for her disability group.

Du Toit, who lost a leg in a 2001 motorcycle crash, finished in 4 minutes, 43.81 seconds — 0.15 better than the mark she set three years ago in London.

One of two athletes in the Paralympics who also competed at the Beijing Olympics, Du Toit has set three disability group records in winning four golds. She also set records in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley. Her other gold came in the 100 freestyle, where she already holds the record.

She will wrap up her Paralympic program Sunday in the 50 freestyle, where she also holds the disability group record.

Du Toit won five golds and a silver at the Athens Paralympics, but chose to compete in only five events in Beijing. She said she could have done even better Friday.

“I had a really bad turn and had to stop and start again, which wasted a lot of energy,” she said. “I didn’t think I would do a best time.”

Du Toit finished 16th at the Beijing Olympics in the 10-kilometer open-water swim. A promising Olympian until her injury, she’s hoping to qualify for the 2012 London Games.

Fifty-four medals were up for grabs Friday. In the major disciplines, there were 16 in swimming, 15 in cycling and 18 in track and field. Spain won three golds in swimming to lead all countries.

Britain dominated cycling with four gold medals and six overall. The United States won seven medals in cycling, including three gold. Spain also managed three gold medals in cycling and six overall.

In track, sprinter Oscar Pistorius is expected to win the 200 on Saturday, adding to the gold he won earlier in the week in the 100.

In the medal standings, China leads with 37 gold and 109 overall. Britain has 33 gold and 69 overall, followed by the United States with 23 and 56 overall.

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from: ap.google.com

China swept two of the three gold medals on offer on the fourth competition day of powerlifing at the Beijing Paralympic Games here on Saturday.

Veterans Bian Jianxin and Fu Taoying claimed the women’s 60kg and 67.5kg category respectively, putting China’s gold total to four.

Bian, 34, gold medallist of the women’s 48kg category in 2004 Athens Paralympics, lifted 135kg to clinch the 60kg category gold and break the world record.

Amal Mahmoud Osman of Egypt took the silver in 117.5kg, while the bronze went to Pa Igbiti of Nigeria in 110kg.

Though she failed in her first attempt of 134kg, Bian succeeded in her second to break the world record. She then renewed her record to 135kg in her third lift. Bian tried 136kg in her fourth attempt, but failed.

“It was a mistake to choose such a heavy weight in the first attempt,” she said. “I didn’t feel good physically. Fortunately, I made it in the next try.”

“I feel more excited this time, as a champion we should always challenge our limits and ourselves. Even though I lifted 4kg less than what I had expected, I won the gold anyway,” she said.

In the women’s 67.5kg category, three-time Paralympian Fu Taoying lifted 142.5kg to win the fourth gold for the host. Fu lifted 145.5kg in her fourth attempt to break the world record of 144kg, which was made by herself in 2007.

Amoge Victoria Nneji of Nigeria lifted 132.5kg to take the silver, while the bronze went to Rasha Alshikh of Syria in 117.5kg.

“It is my third Paralympics,” said Fu, winner of the 56kg category in 2000 Sydney Paralympics and 60kg in 2004 Athens Paralympics. “I really want to win a medal at home, and now it comes true.”

Apart from the two gold medals, China also collected a bronze, as Wu Maoshun lifted 200kg in the men’s 67.5kg category.

Metwaly Ibrahim Mathna claimed one more gold for Egypt, as the hercules lifted 217.5kg, while Ali Hosseini of Iran lifted 215kg to take the silver.

Sunday will see women’s 75kg, 82.5kg and over 82.5kg category, as well as the men’s 75kg category.

British rowers dominated the Beijing Paralympics by claiming two golds at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on Thursday while China and Italy shared the remaining two golds.

Britain pulled off a gold double in the women’s and men’s single sculls.

Helene Raynsford made history by winning the first Paralympic Games gold medal ever awarded in the sport of rowing with a runaway 12-second edge over Luidmila Vauchok from Belarus and Laura Schwanger of the United States.

Reigning world champion Tom Aggar followed Raynsford’s victory moments later by taking the men’s single sculls.

“I was listening out at the start line, but I didn’t hear the result of (Raynsford) as I was focusing more on my own race. It’s a bit of a shame, maybe they could have swapped the order and put me on first,” joked Aggar after claiming his gold.

In attempting to claim the gold medal, Aggar found himself in the unfamiliar position of having a determined rival on his stern for the entire journey, Ukraine’s Oleksandr Petrenko.

Petrenko had a great regatta through the preliminary races and pushed Aggar all the way to claim the silver with a mere 3.94 seconds in arrears. Israel’s Eli Nawi took the bronze.

“It was a great race, I was happy to be pushed all the way,” said Aggar, who has compiled the Grand Slam, having won the world championships and the World Cup. “It’s been an amazing experience to be here competing. I started rowing one year and a half ago, to make it here is indescribable.”

“It’s a long way off (from the London 2012), but I’ll be sticking with rowing. I love rowing, I’m really passionate about it and I’ll be looking forward to competing on home soil.”

China’s Tan Yeteng finished fourth, with American Ron Harvey and Australia’s Dominic Moneypenny in fifth and sixth.

Home excitement then bubbled over when China held off a fast-finishing Australia to take the gold medal in the mixed double sculls.

Shan Zilong and Zhou Yangjing scored a hard-fought victory with only 0.89 seconds over Australia’s Kathryn Ross and John Maclean, early leaders and eventual bronze medallists Josiane Lima and Elton Santana from Brazil 7.67 seconds further behind.

“Indeed, our rivals are very strong, especially the Brazilian and Australian teams,” said Zhou. “They finished first and second in the world championships in 2007 and we were in the seventh place. And today’s result has proved that we have the potential and the ability to compete with them.”

Brazil started strongly, leading China and the rest of the field through the halfway mark by over two seconds, but that early pace seemed to take its toll as China noticeably lifted their stroke and work rates, an effort Brazil couldn’t match.

As the tempo of the race increased, the Chinese pair maintained their rhythm and by the 750 meters mark had enough fuel in the tank to hold off a fast-charging and increasingly-threatening Australian combination over the closing stage.

Italy then took its turn to step onto the top of the podium after their quartet scoring a hugely impressive all-the-way win in the mixed coxed fours.

Two more powerlifters have been kicked out of the Beijing Paralympics after failing doping tests, bringing the number of athletes expelled from the Games to four, organisers said Thursday.
Powerlifters Facourou Sissoko, from Mali, and Liudmyla Osmanova, from the Ukraine, were both slapped with two-year bans for failing pre-competition drug tests, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said.
Sissoko, 46, tested positive for the banned steroid boldenone metabolite, on September 6, the day of the opening ceremony, the IPC said in a statement. He had been due to compete on Sunday.
Osmanova tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, also a banned steroid, the statement added. The 22-year-old, tested at a training camp on August 29, was due to start her medal bid on Saturday.
The positive doping tests bring the number of powerlifters expelled to three. Pakistani Naveed Ahmed Butt, 37, tested positive for a steroid on September 4, it was announced Tuesday.
On Wednesday, German wheelchair basketball player Ahmet Coskun was kicked out of the Paralympics for taking a banned drug contained in hair loss treatment.
A statement from the German National Paralympic Committee said that although finasteride does not enhance performance, it can be used to cover up drugs that do.
Before the Games started, IPC president Philip Craven said he was hoping for a “totally clean” event but he acknowledged the doping problems associated with powerlifting.
A total of 461 tests had been carried out at the Games, both in and out of competition, by the end of Tuesday.
At the Athens Games in 2004, 680 doping tests were conducted, resulting in 10 violations.
The Beijing Paralympics, involving more than 4,000 athletes, run until September 17.

from: afp.google.com

Russia’s minister of regional development says he has been inspired by Beijing 2008 and that the Sochi Organising Committee will analyse every detail of the Olympic and Paralympic experience to ensure the 2014 Winter Games are equally impressive.

Speaking after a high-level Russian delegation had toured Beijing’s venues for the 2008 Games, Minister Dmitry Kozak, described the facilities and management of the Paralympic Games as ‘amazing.’

“I am now excited about returning to Russia and committing to delivering an equally impressive event in Sochi in 2014,” he said. The delegation also included the Governor of the Krasnodar Region, Alexander Tkachev, the Mayor of Sochi, Vladimir Afanasenkov, the President and CEO of Sochi 2014, Dmitry Chernyshenko, and the President of the Olympstroy State , Victor Kolodyazhny.

“It is extremely important for us to think over each detail and analyze the full Olympic and Parlaympic experience so that Sochi will become a leading Russian resort, but also a world-class centre for winter sport and tourism after hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014,” Mr Kozak said.

Dmitry Chernyshenko, President and CEO of Sochi 2014, said being part of the IPC Observer Program at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games had been a very informative experience. “We will use the vital knowledge we have gained from Beijing to ensure that Sochi 2014 is a truly innovative and inspirational event,” he said.

from: sportbusiness.com

Pontypridd swimming star David Roberts is celebrating a golden hat-trick. Triumphing in the 400m freestyle (S7) in a new world record, won his third gold medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games.

Roberts’s time of 4:52.35 broke the record held by New Zealander Dean Booth’s since 2000 by 1.40 seconds. Not that he was satisfied.

“I expected better from myself this evening. I was really nervous when I was coming out and that doesn’t normally happen to me.

“I wanted to perform better but this is amazing to have my tenth Paralympic gold medal.

“I don’t know why I was nervous. That will be something I will be discussing with my coach before Sunday.”

He has amassed his ten gold medals from Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. And his 2008 campaign is not over yet he returns to the starting blocks on Sunday for the 50m freestyle before he competes in the medley relay on Monday.

Philip Carling, Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, was quick said: “David is always striving to excel and to better his performances. Ten gold medals in a career is absolutely superb. His success is particularly impressive considering how the Paralympic movement has moved on since Athens. We have seen other countries catching up yet, David has still maintained dominance in his events.”

Roberts is coached at the Wales National Pool in Swansea which was built with more than 8m pounds of National Lottery funding by the Sports Council for Wales. He is coached by former miner Billy Pye:

“In Billy Pye, we have a world-class coach and he has cultivated the careers of many swimmers including David. We can be very proud of the fact that the pool in Swansea supports many of the Paralympic swimmers competing in Beijing.”

The Pye training stable also features gold medallists Eleanor Simmonds, Rob Welbourn and Graham Edmonds.

Newport’s Pippa Britton faced a difficult encounter in the archery when she came up against fellow Brit Mel Clarke in the quarter-final of the compound. She will return to action next week for the team competition.

On the track, Tracey Hinton of Cardiff and guide runner, Steffan Hughes, qualified for tomorrow’s 400m semi-final.

Wales’s London 2012 hopefuls also put in promising performances. Chepstow sprinter Jenny McLoughlin, who is just 16-years-old, finished seventh in the heats of the 100m.

Meanwhile, her training partner, Kate Arnold of Newport, who turned 20 last week, delivered a new personal best, finishing ninth in the 200m. Arnold, a former swimmer made the switch from pool to track relatively recently and was originally not expected to qualify for Beijing.

Brian Alldis, who is coached by Tanni Grey-Thompson, was unable to advance to the semi-final of the 800m. The Cardiff wheelchair racer finished seventh in his heat which was won by David Weir:

“I’m a bit disappointed. I couldn’t get on the back of the pack as they pulled away and I was about two seconds off my PB. It was good that Dave was in the heat but it probably made it harder for me.”

The shot putt saw two North Walians take season bests. Beverley Jones of Queensferry finished fifth while training partner Rebecca Chin, the youngest member of the Welsh contingent at 16-years-old, finished tenth. Chin will be using the experience from Beijing as she trains towards London 2012.

Rower James Roberts demonstrated his potential for London 2012. Together with Karen Cromie of Northern Ireland, the Prestatyn rower today finished in fifth place in the double sculls at Shun Yi, an event won by hosts, China.

Bridgend footballer Keryn Seal suffered a Spanish inquisition. Paralympic GB’s visually impaired five-a-side football team lost 3-1 to Spain in a dramatic game that saw Britain take an early lead before the European Champions dominated the second half.

Britain now lies fifth in the rankings after three matches with two to play. They take on Brazil on Saturday.

Fortune didn’t shine on the women’s wheelchair basketball team either. Losing 42-50 to Germany in the final group game, Clare Strange, from Newport, and Caroline Matthews of Cardiff will face Japan in tomorrow’s quarter-finals.

Racing has been delayed in Qingdao but sailor Steve Thomas and the Sonar crew lie seventh overall. Not yet halfway through the race schedule, there is still time for the Bridgend man to move into a medal spot.

ONES TO WATCH FRIDAY DAY 6

ATHLETICS Cardiff’s Tracey Hinton and guide runner Steffan Hughes of Aberaeron will be in the line-up for the 400m semi-final. Hinton won three medals at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000.

CYCLING After success on the track, hopes are now riding high for the ParalympicsGB road cyclists. Rachel Morris of Pembrokeshire is making her Paralympic debut in Beijing as she goes in the time trial. As a double world champion though, she will certainly not be fazed. Nor will Simon Richardson. He is also on time trial duty but confidence will be high after winning two gold medals in the Velodrome.

SWIMMING Gareth Duke produced an emotional performance four years ago in Athens but winning gold second time around will really be an achievement. Known as El Dulche to his team-mates, he was victorious over the 100m breaststroke in Athens and he is well remembered for his tearful medal presentation. Twelve months later, his went into the operating theatre to receive a new kidney donated by his father, Trevor. Newport’s Liz Johnson is also in the swim – she will be racing in the women’s 100m breaststroke.

SAILING Steve Thomas of Bridgend will be into races nine and ten in Qindao. They currently lie in seventh position overall.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL Clare Strange and Caroline Matthews are into the quarter finals and will face Japan.

WHEELCHAIR RUGBY The rugby tournament kicks off which will see Oswestry’s Jason Roberts and Abergavenny’s Josie Pearson. Pearson is the only female in the entire competition to be playing murderball, as it is fondly described by Paralympians.

from: newswales.co.uk

IF Australia’s wheelchair basketballers roll to a medal in Beijing, Brad Ness won’t have much time to celebrate.

Barely a week after the Games end, Ness is due back with his team in Europe, where growing numbers of disabled players are breaking down barriers as full-time professionals.

With a comfortable salary and a free car, apartment and other perks thrown in by his Rome club, athletes such as Ness are enjoying some of the rewards and recognition of able-bodied counterparts.

“Guys are able to live by playing their sport. It’s every athlete’s dream,” said Ness, who has been Australia’s top scorer at the Paralympics.

Ness played the last two seasons in Taranto, where players are local celebrities.

“In Taranto, everyone recognises you and you’re in the paper regularly. We get up to 2000 people at home games. It’s a great atmosphere. You really get the love there,” Ness said.

Pro leagues are already well-established in Spain and Italy, but other countries such as France, Germany and Turkey are also getting into the act.

Professional opportunities in Paralympic sports remain rare, with the basketballers, a handful of track-and-field athletes and competitors on the world wheelchair tennis tour the only ones to have made it big on pro tours.

“Down in Oz it’s still seen as an amateur sport, almost a disabled sport. You only have to come and watch a game to see that we are athletes and we play hard,” Ness said.

The exposure of the Paralympics makes them a proving ground for aspiring professional players, said South Africa’s top scorer Nicholas Taylor.

“(The Paralympics) give us the sort of competition we need to really prove ourselves at the international level and show pro teams in Europe we can hold our own,” said Taylor, who plays semi-pro basketball in Australia.

Catching the attention of a European club can mean salaries of up to E6000 ($8500) a month. Free cars and apartments are typically provided and clubs also pick up incidental costs including international airfares.

“(The packages) are not as much as an (able-bodied) player, but it’s nothing to scoff at,” said Australia’s Shaun Norris, who has two seasons in the Italian leagues under his belt and will switch to a Madrid club after the Games.

“They try to make you just concentrate on basketball and that’s it. That’s what’s so great — to not have a job and just make it 100 per cent basketball and become an even better player.”

from: theaustralian.news.com.au

The South African double-amputee Oscar Pistorius won the 100 meters Tuesday at the Paralympic Games, though he missed his objective of beating his own world record time.

Pistorius, nicknamed “Blade Runner” because of his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, finished in 11.17 seconds at the Bird’s Nest stadium, about a quarter of a second slower than his world mark of 10.91 set last year.

Pistorius surged past Jerome Singleton of the United States in the closing stages to take the title in the T44 class, with another American, Brian Frasure, coming in third.

Marlon Shirley also of the United States fell down during the race. Pistorius is also hoping to win gold medals in the 200 and 400 meters.

“Regardless of what the time was, I’m really happy,” Pistorius, 21, told reporters.

Pistorius was born without his fibula, the smaller of the two bones in the lower legs, and when he was 11 months old both limbs were amputated below the knee. He took up running as a teenager to recover from a rugby injury and has broken more than 20 Paralympic world marks. He holds world records in his category for the 100, 200 and 400 sprints and won the 200 at the Athens Paralympics in 2004.
The International Association of Athletics Federations, track’s ruling body, ruled that Pistorius’s J-shaped carbon fiber blades gave him an advantage and barred him from competing against able-bodied athletes. In May, he won a ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport that overturned the ban.

But he failed to make the Olympic qualifying standard for the 400-meter individual sprint. The South African Olympic Committee bypassed him for its 1,600-meter relay team for the Beijing Games.

Also Tuesday, Paralympics organizers annulled a track result and ordered the winner to return her medal after upholding a protest over the race, in which six wheelchair athletes fell and one was taken to the hospital.

A crash during the final lap of the women’s T54 class 5,000 meters on Monday night resulted in just five of the 11 racers finishing. Diane Roy of Canada was asked Tuesday to give her gold medal back as organizers rescheduled the race for Sept. 12.

Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland, whose fall produced a domino effect at the Bird’s Nest stadium, was disqualified from the rerun, organizers said.

Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida was taken to the hospital for X-rays but had no broken bones, said Peng Mingqiang, the medical services manager at the stadium.

The annulment was declared after Australia’s team said their racer Christie Dawes had been obstructed. A U.S. protest about another incident wasn’t heard, nor was an objection by the Swiss team about officials blocking racers in the last 50 meters as they tried to help the injured, Cohen said.

from: iht.com

In the first drugs scandal of the Paralympic Games, a Pakistani powerlifter has been kicked out and given a two-year ban for steroid use.
The International Paralympic Committee says Naveed Ahmed Butt, 37, tested positive for a steroid on September 4, two days before the opening ceremony.
Butt had been due to take part in the men’s 100kg event next week.
The president of the IPC, Philip Craven, said at the weekend that he was hoping for a “totally clean” event following hard work by authorities to stamp out doping through extensive testing and education.
IPC medical and scientific director Peter Van de Vliet told reporters that despite the disappointment of a positive test, the incident highlighted the committee’s efforts to run a fair Games.
So far a total of 297 tests have been carried out at the Games, both in and out of competition.
At the Athens Games in 2004, 680 doping tests were conducted, resulting in 10 anti-doping rule violations.

source: radioaustralia.net.au