PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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Former President and National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, has been the main promoter and developer of this major project. It is considered a gift to the people of Azerbaijan and the Paralympic Movement and set to open on 28 August.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.