PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS

From 11 to 14 October, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) conducted its first site inspection visit to one of the bid cities for the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships after this process has already been successfully started for Athletics in September.

Last week, the seven Applicant Cities for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games - Baku (Azerbaijan), Chicago (USA), Doha (Qatar), Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Tokyo (Japan)* - attended the 2016 Applicant Cities’ Seminar at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, during which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) provided advice and guidance to the cities for the months of bidding.

Following its approval by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Executive Committee on 22 September, the 2008 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods has been published and will come into effect on 1 January 2008.

Bonn, Germany - The updated version of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Accreditation and Sport Entries at the Paralympic Games - Users’ Guide has been published today. This version of the Guide was produced and updated for the context of accreditation to be used during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. It will be updated following every edition of the Paralympic Games.

Bonn, Germany - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced today that a Belarusian athlete in the sport of Powerlifting, tested positive for a Prohibited Substance and a sanction of two years ineligibility was imposed for her first doping offence.

In its first year, the Organizational Development Initiative (ODI) is off to a great start. With nine National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) participating from four regions the ODI had officially gone global.

Bonn, Germany - Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced the winners of the Paralympic Awards 2007, which honour those who contribute directly to the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Movement.

From 10 to 12 October, the second World Press Briefing organized by the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG), took place in Beijing, China, with more than 330 media representatives (written press, photographers, news agencies) from all over the world. Representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee (VANOC) and the London 2012 Organizing Committee (London 2012) were present as well.

The city of Cheongju, Korea, was host to the 2007 IPC Archery World Championships, which took place from 2 to 10 October.

Yesterday, Podi, the Petro-Canada Paralympic Schools Programme mascot was unveiled at General Gordon Elementary School in Vancouver, Canada. The mascot was joined by Paralympic athletes and other special guests who tried their hand at Ice Sledge Hockey, Goalball and Wheelchair Basketball.

Last weekend, Gunten at Lake Thun in Switzerland was the meeting place for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletes’ Council.

On the occasion of the Next Step Conference in Windhoek, Namibia, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven and UK Sport Chief Executive Officer John Steele signed a partnership agreement to continue to support the development of the Paralympic Movement through the Organizational Development Initiative (ODI), a long-term strategic investment in those organizations and their key people responsible for the delivery of sustainable and effective Paralympic sport from the grassroots to the elite level worldwide.

Bonn, Germany - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced today that two Ukrainian athletes in the sport of Powerlifting, tested positive for a Prohibited Substance and a sanction of two years ineligibility was imposed for their first doping offence.

From 26 to 27 September, the second Project Review for the London 2012 Paralympic Games took place in London, Great Britain.

On 28 September, the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) launched an online educational tool that reaches out to schools and universities throughout Canada.

Last week, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) conducted its first site inspection visit to one of the two bid cities for the 2010 IPC Athletics World Championships.

On 25 September, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) and Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. Ltd (BOB) signed the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Broadcasting Agreements with China Central Television (CCTV) and Beijing Television (BTV). BOCOG Executive Vice-President Jiang Xiaoyu and BOB General Manager Manolo Romero were present at the signing ceremony in Beijing, China.

Bonn, Germany - From 6 to 17 September 2008, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will take place in Beijing, China. Around 3,500 media representatives are expected to cover the Games. In the course of the preparation for this unique event, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) are collaborating to ensure a successful media accreditation process.

The Next Step 2007 Conference, hosted by UK Sport and the Namibian Government, took place from 19 to 22 September in Windhoek, Namibia.

Last week, Classfication was the central topic during four days of meetings at the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Headquarters in Bonn, Germany.