NEWS FROM BEIJING 2008 PARALYMPIC GAMES

Beijing, China - Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has officially confirmed that a minimum of eight hours per day of live commentated coverage of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will be broadcasted onIPC's internet TV channel ParalympicSport.TV. Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co., Ltd (BOB), host broadcaster of the Paralympic Games, will provide live signals of twelve Paralympic sports including Athletics, Boccia, Cycling (Track), Football 7-a-side, Judo, Table Tennis, Swimming, Volleyball (Sitting), Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, and Wheelchair Tennis.

As the entire media team of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is now in the Chinese capital for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, the operations are fully up and running. The Games do not begin for another four days, however the members of the staff are in place to relay as much information as possible to the Paralympic fans all around the world.

A total of 870,000 tickets have been sold as of late last night for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. These impressive numbers will prove to be a large turnout that will expand the Paralympic audience, and essentially the Paralympic Movement. The tickets first went on sale little over two months ago on 20 July, and it is estimated to pass the one million mark any day now.

The Paralympic Village in Beijing officially opened its doors yesterday to Paralympic delegations from all over the world. The village is expected to be the temporary home for 7,400 guests, around 4,000 of whom are athletes, during their stay in Beijing.

The countdown for the Paralympic Games in Beijing is officially in the single digits. The competitions are approaching and most athletes have finished their final training. Gathering their competitors together, countries from around the world are now wishing their respective teams well as they fly to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

As the Olympic Games wind down, China’s capital is gearing up for an influx of new athletes, visitors, and background materials that will accompany the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. More specifically, all of the souvenir stores will be filling their aisles and shelves with Paralympic-themed products.

The following members of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Management Team will be onsite in Beijing to assist with any media and communication related activities:

Bonn, Germany - Universal Sports, a multiplatform destination for amateur sports programming throughout the year which is co-owned by NBC Universal and InterMedia Partners, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced today an agreement to provide the first-ever multiplatform broadcast coverage of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, presented by GE in the United States.

Bonn, Germany - Four accomplished Paralympians and one Paralympic coach, will be celebrated as inductees of the Paralympic Hall of Fame, presented by Visa, this year. The ceremony will be held during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in China.

More than 300 Chinese athletes who will be competing at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games are finishing up their preparation this week at the China Disability Sports Training Centre. With 16 days to go until the Opening Ceremony in Beijing, the athletes are among the 547-member China delegation, the largest in history, competing in all 20 events at the Games.

The Ukrainian Paralympic Team was officially the first to arrive in the Chinese capital of Beijing late last week. The delegation of athletes and officials, which landed at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Thursday, spent less than eight minutes clearing through customs. Beijing, as the host of the 2008 Paralympic Games, had opened a special passage and assigned 12 policemen to help facilitate the procedure.

For the first time during the Paralympic Games, a real-time blog with entries from the IPC President will be up and running for all those interested in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. The IPC President’s Blog will be a daily look into the Games activities, but more specifically, into Sir Philip Craven’s day.

As the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games are only a few days away, more and more broadcasters are announcing their increased coverage and schedules for this year’s highlight. The Paralympics will be held from 6 to 17 September and are available for viewing all around the world.

Starting tomorrow, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) will begin printing and selling tickets for events of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in designated Bank of China locations in Beijing and co-host cities.

Two recent contests, held in conjunction with Petro-Canada’s Paralympic School Programme “It’s the Real Deal”, gave the winners the chance to display and distribute their independently designed work at the Paralympic Games.

The German Bertelsmann Group has released a video commercial for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

In an exciting first step to involve corporate support in raising awareness and promoting clean sport, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently announced its first sponsorship arrangement with Lenovo.

The Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) has officially announced their basis for selection of the distinguished torchbearers for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Torch Relay. There will be a total of 850 people participating in the exciting event.

The OR@S is the centre of Samsung’s on-site Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic activities. First debuting at the Sydney 2000 Games, the OR@S Pavilion is an engaging venue offering a relaxing lounge area for athletes and their fans and family members. The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games are the first time that Samsung will operate its OR@S during the Paralympics.