The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced the five
individuals who will be inducted into the Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame
during the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Athletes Chris
Holmes, Trischa Zorn, Louise Sauvage and Roberto Marson – who have 100
Paralympic medals between them – will be inducted on 30 August, along
with Paralympian turned coach Frank Ponta.
.IPC
President Sir Philip Craven said: “I would like to congratulate all five
new inductees to the Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame, they are all worthy
of their place in the history books.
“The Visa Paralympic
Hall of Fame is a high profile way of celebrating historical sporting
achievements in the Paralympic Movement. It commemorates Paralympians
and their coaches who have achieved true sporting excellence and ensures
a permanent record and institutional memory is kept of their
achievements.
In regards to the inductees, Holmes, currently
the Director of Paralympic Integration at LOCOG, was formerly a British
swimmer who starred in the pool.
In 1988, he made his debut
at the Seoul Paralympic Games and in total competed in four Paralympic
Games. The highlight of a distinguished career was at the Barcelona 1992
Games, when he won six gold medals and one silver. By the time he
retired from swimming after the Sydney Games he had won 15 Paralympic
medals including nine golds. So impressed was Queen Elizabeth II, she
awarded him an MBE for his services to sport.
Zorn is the
most successful Paralympian of all-time, having competed for USA’s swim
team from 1980-2000. In seven Games, she won a staggering 55 medals,
including 41 golds, nine silvers and five bronze. She held many world
records during her career, two of which still stand today, eight years
after she last competed.
Sauvage of Australia is the
fourth most successful female track athlete of all-time, having won 13
medals, including nine golds. She made her Paralympic debut in Barcelona
in 92 and competed in three further Games in Atlanta, Sydney and
Athens. At her home Games in 2000 she won two golds and one silver medal
much to the delight of the Australian fans. Since retiring she has
launched a foundation which supports children with an impairment and has
taken steps into coaching.
Marson, an Italian who will be
inducted posthumously, excelled at three sports – Athletics, Wheelchair
Fencing and Swimming - during his career which covered four Paralympic
Games. Between 1964 and 1976 he won 26 medals, including 16 golds. After
retiring from competition he founded two sports clubs in Rome and
created and led the Italian Sport Federation for Handicapped People,
which later became the Italian Disabled Sport Federation.
Ponta,
a coach who started out as a highly successful Paralympian, will also
be inducted posthumously after passing away in June 2011 at the age of
75 after a long illness. Between 1960 and 1976, he competed for
Australia in five Paralympic Games covering several sports including
basketball, pentathlon, swimming and wheelchair fencing. At the end of
his competitive career he coached several medal-winning Paralympic
athletes including Louise Sauvage, Priva Cooper and Madison de Rozario.
He was influential in developing junior wheelchair sports in Western
Australia, placing particular emphasis on sportsmanship and fair play.
The
selection process this time around was slightly changed to allow the
public to have their voice heard. In February, in addition to asking the
200 IPC members who they thought should be considered for induction,
the public was also asked for their input via www.paralympic.org.
Athletic
performance, fair play, a contribution to a team or team spirit and
behaviour away from the field of play were all vital factors in the
decision process.
Only those who had competed in two
Paralympic Games, had won medals as an athlete or coach and had not
competed since the Beijing 2008 Games were considered for induction.
Monday, 27 August 2012
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Paralympics 2012: Sporting Rivalries
Just like Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in the Men's Olympics 100 meters finals the Paralympics is no different and today we are are going to look as a few of the rivalries we will all hear a lot ore about in the next few weeks.
Event: C4/5 Kilo
Date: Friday 31 August
Britain's Para-cyclists swept the boards in the velodrome in Beijing four years ago with 17 golds.
But the UCI's tinkering with the Paralympic programme means that two of Britain's leading riders will be going head-to-head for gold in the kilo in what should be a top class and thrilling encounter.
Cundy won gold in the kilo in his category in Beijing and both men won gold in their respective categories at both the 2011 and 2012 World Track Championships
The gold medallist in London will be the one who gets closest to the existing world record for their category and it would be no surprise if both men beat their own record time.
Event: 1500m
Date: Tuesday 4 September
The T54 1500m is traditionally known as the blue riband race in Paralympic terms with the world's best wheelchair racers vying for honours.
Weir, Britain's top wheelchair racer, won gold in an action-packed race four years ago and will be keen not to let his rivals take his title from him.
But he will face a tough challenge from Australian Fearnley and Switzerland's Hug who have been his long-time rivals and both beat him over the distance in a fast race in Switzerland in May.
Weir won his first race over the distance at the Olympic Stadium in May and although he failed to break the world record held by Hug, a gold medal in September would do nicely.
Event: 100m
Date:
Thursday 6 September
Prior to the 2011 World Championships in New Zealand all the talk was how South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius would easily win three gold medals at the London Games.
But American Jerome Singleton had something to say about that, beating Pistorius into second in a photo-finish in the 100m final to cast doubt over Pistorious' perceived invincibility.
However, this year British teenager Jonny Peacock has shown Pistorius and Singleton that it is not going to be a two-horse race, beating Singleton into second at the US Paralympic trials and beating Pistorius's world record in the process.
With American Blake Leeper and South African Arnu Fourie also in the medal mix, this could be one of the best races of the track programme.
Jody Cundy v Jon-Allan Butterworth
Sport: Cycling
Jody Cundy (pictured) will go head-to-head with GB team-mate Jon-Allan Butterworth in the kilo
Event: C4/5 Kilo
Date: Friday 31 August
Britain's Para-cyclists swept the boards in the velodrome in Beijing four years ago with 17 golds.
But the UCI's tinkering with the Paralympic programme means that two of Britain's leading riders will be going head-to-head for gold in the kilo in what should be a top class and thrilling encounter.
Cundy won gold in the kilo in his category in Beijing and both men won gold in their respective categories at both the 2011 and 2012 World Track Championships
The gold medallist in London will be the one who gets closest to the existing world record for their category and it would be no surprise if both men beat their own record time.
Dave Weir v Kurt Fearnley v Marcel Hug
Sport: Athletics
Australian Kurt Fearnley will be a strong challenger in the wheelchair racing
Event: 1500m
Date: Tuesday 4 September
The T54 1500m is traditionally known as the blue riband race in Paralympic terms with the world's best wheelchair racers vying for honours.
Weir, Britain's top wheelchair racer, won gold in an action-packed race four years ago and will be keen not to let his rivals take his title from him.
But he will face a tough challenge from Australian Fearnley and Switzerland's Hug who have been his long-time rivals and both beat him over the distance in a fast race in Switzerland in May.
Weir won his first race over the distance at the Olympic Stadium in May and although he failed to break the world record held by Hug, a gold medal in September would do nicely.
Oscar Pistorius v Jerome Singleton v Jonny Peacock
Sport: AthleticsEvent: 100m
The clash between Singleton and Pistorius is eagerly awaited
Prior to the 2011 World Championships in New Zealand all the talk was how South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius would easily win three gold medals at the London Games.
But American Jerome Singleton had something to say about that, beating Pistorius into second in a photo-finish in the 100m final to cast doubt over Pistorious' perceived invincibility.
However, this year British teenager Jonny Peacock has shown Pistorius and Singleton that it is not going to be a two-horse race, beating Singleton into second at the US Paralympic trials and beating Pistorius's world record in the process.
With American Blake Leeper and South African Arnu Fourie also in the medal mix, this could be one of the best races of the track programme.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Are Paralympians Cheating?
Some of you may have heard recently about some claims that have been circulating about one in three Paralympians cheating to gain an unfair edge.
The so called 'edge' comes in a very unusual way but apparently it is common amongst Paralympic athletes.
When an able bodies athlete starts doing exercise their heart rate increase as does their blood pressure. People who have a spinal injury do not have the same reaction when they exercise. As a result rumours have started to come out about athletes breaking toes with small hammers, giving themselves electric shocks and even testicular strangulation to give the same reaction to provide an edge when lining up on the start line.
During the Beijing Olympics a survey came back to show that 17% of athletes were guilty of this practise known as 'boosting' although about 20 official tests were carried out an no clear evidence of the malpractice was ever found.
I am sure this story will unfold further over the next few weeks and as soon as I hear I will update further. Have a great weekend all :)
The so called 'edge' comes in a very unusual way but apparently it is common amongst Paralympic athletes.
When an able bodies athlete starts doing exercise their heart rate increase as does their blood pressure. People who have a spinal injury do not have the same reaction when they exercise. As a result rumours have started to come out about athletes breaking toes with small hammers, giving themselves electric shocks and even testicular strangulation to give the same reaction to provide an edge when lining up on the start line.
During the Beijing Olympics a survey came back to show that 17% of athletes were guilty of this practise known as 'boosting' although about 20 official tests were carried out an no clear evidence of the malpractice was ever found.
I am sure this story will unfold further over the next few weeks and as soon as I hear I will update further. Have a great weekend all :)
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Paralympic 2012 Tickets Sales Soar
Less than a week to go now folks and excitement in London is rising even further and tickets sales have hotted up even more, news has been release that an additional 140,000 tickets went on sale yesterday and we are being told that they sold out within two to three hours. There are now less than 200,000 seats accross all sports and venues meaning for the very first time in its 52 year history there could be a complete sell out at the games. It has also been confirmed that more tickets will go on sale before the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
It was not all good news today for the Paralympics three Jordan Paralympians have been removed from the games and returned to Jordan to face sexual assault charges. The three men, two of whom compete in wheelchairs, are all members of the Jordanian Paralympics power-lifting team.
Faisal Hammash, 35, faces two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
Omar Sami Qaradhi, 31, is charged with three counts of sexual assault and one of voyeurism. At least two of the alleged assaults were against children.
Motaz Al-Junadi, 45, faces one charge of sexual assault. All the offences are said to have taken place between 16 and 20 August.
For the full story and any latest updates why not check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19355630
It was not all good news today for the Paralympics three Jordan Paralympians have been removed from the games and returned to Jordan to face sexual assault charges. The three men, two of whom compete in wheelchairs, are all members of the Jordanian Paralympics power-lifting team.
Faisal Hammash, 35, faces two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.
Omar Sami Qaradhi, 31, is charged with three counts of sexual assault and one of voyeurism. At least two of the alleged assaults were against children.
Motaz Al-Junadi, 45, faces one charge of sexual assault. All the offences are said to have taken place between 16 and 20 August.
For the full story and any latest updates why not check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19355630
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
One week to go!
In just seven days time the Paralympics will be underway and London will once again become a hive of activity, but just what expectations are the nations of these fine athletes putting upon them. Well the GB team is being expected to bring home a minimum medal haul of 103, one more than they achieved in Beijing in 2008, they are also expected to finish second in the medal table with only the Chinese winning more medals (a fine result if that comes into fruition especially when you compare the size of the two nations.)
What continues to stagger and amaze is that 2.2 million out of the 2.5 million tickets that went up for release have now been taken, with only 300,000 tickets left and seven days before it all kicks off this will be the greatest Paralympic events the world has ever seen.
What continues to stagger and amaze is that 2.2 million out of the 2.5 million tickets that went up for release have now been taken, with only 300,000 tickets left and seven days before it all kicks off this will be the greatest Paralympic events the world has ever seen.
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
What an Olympics!!
From the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony, the Olympics are special! They unite nations brings families and friends together. Whole counties revel together in celebration whilst others break down in tears at the final hurdle. This blog aims to keep you all updated with all news about past as well as the next and all future Olympics.
We are just one week on from the closing ceremony of London 2012 and eight days away from the start of the Paralympics and if the Olympics were anything to go by the Paralmpics are going to be just as spectacular! We expecting an estimated 4200 athletes competing over 503 events in 21 sports. London will be awash with pride as it gets another opportunity to showcase itself on the biggest of stages!! Throughout the next few weeks we will post daily with updates on the games whilst trying to give you the news and views you may not hear in the press! I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as i enjoy writing it. Until tomorrow...
We are just one week on from the closing ceremony of London 2012 and eight days away from the start of the Paralympics and if the Olympics were anything to go by the Paralmpics are going to be just as spectacular! We expecting an estimated 4200 athletes competing over 503 events in 21 sports. London will be awash with pride as it gets another opportunity to showcase itself on the biggest of stages!! Throughout the next few weeks we will post daily with updates on the games whilst trying to give you the news and views you may not hear in the press! I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as i enjoy writing it. Until tomorrow...
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