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Top honours for David Weir and British media at 2013 Paralympic Awards

PosAbility — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:02:00 +0000

British athletes and media were celebrated on Saturday at the International Paralympic Committee’s 2013 Paralympic Awards in Athens, Greece, which recognised the top achievements from the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

In one of the highest profile categories of the night, Great Britain’s David Weir won the award for Best Male which celebrated his London 2012 performance where he won gold medals in all his events.

Weir won four golds in eight days in the 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m and marathon distances in the T54 class.

Weir said: “It’s just great being recognised for what I did in London. It was an amazing achievement, and obviously the IPC could see competing in the T54 events and coming away with four gold medals was one of the toughest things in the world. I fulfilled my dream of coming away with four gold medals at a home Games.”

British media organisations were also lauded for their support of the Paralympic Games, receiving three out of the four Paralympic Media Awards for coverage of London 2012 – a reflection in part of how much British media got behind their home Games.

Channel 4 won the award for Best Broadcast after showcasing more than 500 hours of London 2012 coverage, while Telegraph Media Group won the Best Written (print and online) award, BBC World Service won Best Radio.

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the BPA, said of the British awards: “It is an absolute honour to see so many category wins for British representatives at the IPC Awards. David is an incredible athlete who fully deserves all the recognition he is now receiving for his years of dedication to his sport and it is fantastic that tonight he can add Best Male athlete to his many accolades.

“I am also delighted that the hard work and creativity of British media organisations that covered the fantastic performances of ParalympicsGB athletes at the London 2012 Paralympic Games has been recognised and rewarded by the IPC. From the cutting-edge efforts of Channel 4 to the long-term support of the BBC and the Telegraph, the coverage of last year’s Games clearly demonstrated that the British media were some of the first media organisations in the world to grasp the tremendous power and excitement that the Paralympics can generate. I am confident that the British media will continue to be at the forefront of Paralympic coverage as we head towards Sochi and Rio.”

Also during the evening, the fourth category winner in the media awards, Best Photo, went to Edmonton Journal photographer Larry Wong for his image of Canadian swimmer Benoit Huot.

The other Sports Awards were: Best Female, Best Female Debut, Best Male Debut, Best Team and Best Official. Best Female was won by Wheelchair Tennis player Esther Vergeer (NED), Best Female Debut by sprinter Marlou van Rhijn (NED), Best Male Debut by handcyclist Alex Zanardi (ITA) and Brazil’s 5-a-side Football team won Best Team. Best Official was awarded to Germany’s Sylvia Sekowska (GER), head table official for Wheelchair Rugby at London 2012

The awards were hosted by the IPC and were partnered by the IPC’s International Partner Allianz.

Packed crowds cheer GB to victory on first ever National Paralympic Day

PosAbility — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 08:35:17 +0000

The Copper Box Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was host to packed crowds and GB victories one year on from the London 2012 Paralympic Games in celebration of the UK’s inaugural National Paralympic Day.

International matches in four sports were contested in the Copper Box Arena, Boccia and Table Tennis in the morning followed by Sitting Volleyball in the afternoon and Wheelchair Basketball to draw the event to a close.

Action commenced with a fiercely contested Boccia match between GB and the reigning Paralympic champions Greece. The close match saw the two teams play evenly throughout with the final result coming down to the last ball – GB took two points handing them the victory with an overall score of 4-2 against the number one ranked team in the world.

GB Boccia captain Scott McCowan said: “We are really pleased to have won the match today, we were up against such strong competition and we wanted to come out and show them exactly what we can do. I think our performance today has cemented our progress, to take a win against the Paralympic champions and world number ones is a result we’re delighted about.

“Competing here one year on from London 2012 and having the crowds give us the same level of support that we felt last year has just been great. From a performance perspective, beating the Greek team will really help us with our confidence and focus, and that’s something that we will continue to build on as we head towards the World Championships next year.”

GB’s Table Tennis team were the next in the spotlight with four matches taking place throughout the day. The GB team had stong results with three players winning in confident form over their Brazilian competition – Will Bayley v Paul Salmin (3-0), Ashley Facey-Thompson v Erick Higa (3-1), and Aaron McKibbin v Israel Stoh (2-1). The team did see one narrow loss from Kim Daybell against Carlos Carbinatti (1-2), but this did not take away from the end result with GB winning 3-1 overall.

Aaron McKibbin, 22-year-old from Wandsworth, who made his Paralympic debut at London 2012 claiming bronze with team-mates Will Bayley and Ross Wilson in the class 6-8 Team event, said: “I think I played well today, everyone was quite nervous to perform in front of such a big crowd again which we’re not so used to. It’s definitely been a great practice for the Europeans, to get used to playing under that amount of pressure in a big environment is always good.

“The person I played against was a good player, he’s of a similar standard as me and we always knew it would be a tight match. I was nervous in the first set but once I relaxed in to it I felt I played better and better. The audience were a massive help, I loved being in front of them again and it was great to show that the sport is still there one year on from the Paralympic Games.

“It’s been great to see today that everyone still cares about Paralympic sport, there’s still so much pride shown in the audience and across the country.”

The afternoon session saw the GB Sitting Volleyball team take on the Netherlands merely weeks ahead of the European Championships. Despite the end result of 3-0 to the Netherlands, the two teams were tightly matched throughout with the away team edging forward with fast-paced winning shots.

Robert Richardson, captain of the Great Britain side, said: “Today was an amazingly close match with Holland – we lost 3-0 but the scores were really high in each set so it’s a shame that we weren’t able to convert that in to a win. We played great and it’s always disappointing to not come away with a win, especially as it’s on our own turf and we’re coming back here for the first time.

“Today has all gone towards our preparation for the European Championships which we leave for in a week’s time so it’s great to get some game time. The Netherlands team are actually ranked six or seven places above us in the world, so they’re a good team – we’ve played them before and have matched up pretty well.

“To be back in the Olympic Park, how cool is this. A year ago it was the final for Sitting Volleyball and here we are back here, it’s great for all of us.”

The last sporting action of the day took place between GB and Spain in Wheelchair Basketball. The GB women’s team put in a dominant performance, ultimately running-away with a 15-point margin with a final score of 65-50.

Maddie Thompson, 18-years-old from Hope Valley, said: “The team played so well today, we have a lot of new and inexperienced players and it’s been great to see them get some international court time. Spain are a really good side, we beat them at the European Championships and it’s clear to see that they have developed their team as today was a challenge.

“We’re a confident team at the moment and that was shown towards the end of the match when so many points were going up on the board. If you’re confident, then you’re shooting more and hopefully scoring – our confidence worked for us today.

“This event has just reminded us so much of playing at London 2012, I was getting goose bumps in the changing room because we were right back here again one year on. The crowd, the atmosphere, the music, everything has just been brilliant.”

On an auspicious date which has seen the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games announcement and marks the year anniversary of London 2012, six months to the Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi and three years until the Games get underway in Rio, thousands of spectators visited The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to watch Paralympic sport, visit the Mayor of London’s Liberty festival and to take part in community sports activities to celebrate National Paralympic Day.

www.paralympics.org.uk

Cycling coach Furber takes over disability swimming role

posabilitymagazine — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:12:24 +0000

British Swimming has named Chris Furber as its new Disability National Performance Director.

Furber comes to the sport from British Cycling, where he was the lead coach for the GB Paralympic team who topped the medal table in Beijing and London.

He takes over from John Atkinson, who stepped down after the London Paralympics to take up a new role with Swimming Canada .

“This is an incredibly exciting move for me,” said Furber.

“I love disability sport and the opportunity to lead the sport of swimming, which has 148 opportunities to win Paralympic gold, is an incredible one that I could not ignore.

“I’ve been at British Cycling for 13 years and, while I’m sad to be leaving, I believe the opportunity with British Swimming is ideally suited. I feel the impact I can make will help the team to move up the medal table while building on the good work done by the previous performance director.”

Furber, who has led the team to 42 Paralympic medals since joining British Cycling in 2000, is due to start his new role in May and British Swimming will also appoint a head coach to provide additional strength and depth to the programme.

Chief executive David Sparkes added: “Chris has been a critical factor in the success of the Paralympic cycling team, which embraced many of the characteristics of the successful Olympic cycling team.

“I’m sure he will bring some interesting and exciting ideas from cycling which will drive the future success of the Paralympic swimming team and build on the foundations laid by successive NPDs.”

The British team won 39 medals in the pool in London in 2012, including seven golds, out of the GB total of 120.

The next event for the team is the British International Disability Swimming Championships in Sheffield, which will act as the trials event for the IPC World Championships, which take place in Canada from 11-17 August.

By BBC News

Disability sport: Why were the Paralympics so great?

posabilitymagazine — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:08:35 +0000

I have already explained a little about my own ambitions to return to the top shelf of disability sport in 2016 but it is of course impossible to strive forward without reflecting on what has transpired previously.Lord Coe’s resounding declaration about the home manufacture element of the London Games struck a chord of immense pride for me.

What many people don’t know, however, is the forerunner to the Paralympics was essentially a World War Two veteran rehab programme for those with spinal cord injuries, run by the great doctor in Stoke Mandeville, Sir Ludwig Guttmann.

It was special, it was unique and it will probably never be seen ever again. But why were the Paralympic Games so great?

So, the label of ‘Made in Britain’ has its historical and contemporary relevance, much like the 28^th Olympiad in Athens 2004, there was a strong feeling in Great Britain that the Paralympic Games had returned home in 2012.

But what of Sir Philip Craven, chairman of the International Paralympic Committee, who declared the 14^th Paralympiad in London to be the greatest ever?

I can honestly say, albeit with definite lack of inexperience as insofar I have only been to one Paralympic Games, that he was probably being too humble.

Paralympians and indeed disabled people had never received the attention they did during those two weeks in East London.

Being a spectator for once in the Olympic Stadium was a very surreal moment. Were there really 80,000 people in those seats? Were we really being broadcast into homes up and down the nation, where the vast majority of viewers were watching disability sport for the first time?

Yes, yes and well, yes. I spoke to the track and field officials who said they’d been to Athens and Beijing to officiate but they had never, ever seen anything like London before.

They could not comprehend why on the first day of athletics, where morning heats predominate; the Stadium was nearly full by lunchtime.

To whom do we owe such ground breaking attention? Was it the tireless work of the purple army of Games Makers? Was it the marketing campaign engineered by Channel 4 to portray the Olympics as a ‘warm-up’ to the main show? Was it the athletes themselves?

Or was it the British public’s insatiable appetite for more raw summer entertainment? I am prepared to assume it was a combination of all the above.

It was special, it was unique and it will probably never be seen ever again. But why were the Paralympic Games so great?

Permit me, if you will, to mention two thoughts that entered my mind at different stages of the event in question.

‘Oh my goodness, look at all these disabled people, there are so many,’ – entering the food hall for the first time.

‘Despite the wheelchairs, the ones that walk funny, those that can’t see, those that can’t process a thought too well and the prosthetic limbs, all I see can see are athletes.’ – entering the food hall, again, a few days before the closing ceremony.

Disability was pushed to the background and ability was brought into the foreground for everyone that bore witness to the same incredible sights I did.

But how are we to ensure our Paralympic Games leaves a lasting impact on our society? Before I offer suggestions to that effect, I need to call the Oxford University Press and ask them to remove that awful word ‘legacy’ from their dictionary altogether…

By Sam Ruddock for Metro Blogs

Dias wins second Laureus World Sports Award

posabilitymagazine — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:34:28 +0000

Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias won the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award on Monday (11 March) after winning six individual gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, all in world-record times.

It is the second time Dias has won the award. He last received it four years ago after an equally impressive performance at the Beijing Paralympics, when he won four gold medals, four silver and a bronze.

Still just 24, Dias set the pool on fire in London and he will be one of the home favourites to win more gold medals when the 2016 Paralympic Games are held in Rio.

Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, said: “I offer Daniel my most sincere congratulations on winning his second Laureus Award. His record is absolutely phenomenal. His success in Beijing was exceptional and then he followed that up in London. It is amazing to think what he may be able to achieve in the future. All of Brazil should be proud of this remarkable young man. I would also like to congratulate him on the great work he does in Brazil to promote disability sport.”

Laureus World Sports Academy Member and Olympic swimming legend Mark Spitz said: “Daniel is a great inspiration for the Paralympics and for swimming, for that matter. It’s quite incredible what the Paralympics does for athletes.”

Other finallists for the award included: Canadaian wheelchair basketball player Patrick Anderson, British wheelchair racer David Weir, Italian handcyclist Alex Zanardi, Brazilian sprinter Alan Oliveira and Namibian track star Johanna Benson.

The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premiere honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. The Laureus Awards Ceremony, held in the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, was hosted by Hollywood stars Morgan Freeman and Eva Longoria.

Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports more than 140 community sports projects in 34 countries around the world, including three in Rio de Janeiro. Since its inception, Laureus has raised 60 million Euro for projects which have improved the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.

The Awards were announced in seven categories. The full list of winners is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Usain Bolt

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Jessica Ennis

Laureus World Team of the Year: European Ryder Cup Team

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Andy Murray

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Felix Sanchez

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Daniel Dias

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Felix Baumgartner

There were two additional Awards: The Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and the newly created Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award was presented to Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time.

From Official Paralympic Games Website

Paralympic cyclist backs specialist broker Chartwell

posabilitymagazine — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:56:48 +0000

Paralympic cyclist Jody Cundy, who became a household name after London 2012, has linked up with specialist insurance broker Chartwell to advertise its range of policies.
Jody, 34, a world and Paralympic swimming champion before repeating the feat when switching to the velodrome, has been sponsored by the Norfolk-based broker for several years.
But now he is lending his name to a new advertising campaign that plays on his unfortunate false start in London, when officials denied him the chance to defend his 1km title won in Beijing in 2008.
The world record holder at the event, Jody’s wheel became trapped in the starting gate but, after raising his hand to denote a problem, officials refused to give him the second start that the rules allowed.
His frustrated reaction became the stuff of legend and showed the nation the passion behind four years of intensive training in Manchester alongside the British cycling team’s all-conquering athletes.
The series of adverts show images of Jody with the catchline “because things don’t always go according to plan”.
Gerry Bucke, general manager at Chartwell, which provides a wide range of cover for people with disabilities, said: “We’re delighted to have Jody representing the brand – he showed great mental strength to come back from such a disappointment to win bronze in the pursuit the very next day.
“Unfortunately, accidents do happen and, just as Jody picked himself up off the floor to win bronze, at Chartwell we not only provide great cover at affordable prices, but we’ll be there to help you when things go wrong.”
Jody, whose right foot was amputated as a child after he was born with a defect, was awarded an MBE in 2009, and said: “I’ve been very grateful for the support from Chartwell over the years, and I’m pleased to be able to help a company I’ve had a long association with.”
Of his London 2012 disappointment, he said: “It wasn’t my proudest moment, but it will go down in Paralympic history in the same way as John McEnroe’s outburst at Wimbledon in 1981.
“I basically threw all the toys out of my pram at anybody who would listen, in denial that I wouldn’t be defending my kilo title, and was removed from the velodrome.
“London will always be memorable for me for some amazing highs and some equally amazing lows, but I’m glad I can say I was there and I won a medal in front of the best and noisiest crowd anyone can ask for. What a year for sport, and amazing to have played a small part in it!”
He later apologised to the fans in the velodrome and is focused on regaining his crown in Rio in 2016, his sixth Paralympic games.
Chartwell offers a range of policies for people with disabilities, including adapted vehicle insurance, adapted home insurance, mobility scooters, wheelchairs and travel insurance.
See www.chartwellinsurance.co.uk

Series of Paralympic grand prix events announced for 2013

posabilitymagazine — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:51:57 +0000

Six Paralympic grand prix events are being brought together in a bid to create an elite series. The International Paralympic Committee Athletics wants to build on the success of London 2012 where big crowds saw David Weir and Jonnie Peacock win gold.

British Paralympians have been calling for more opportunities and exposure.

“Should the trial be successful then we will look at how we can expand these events in 2014 and beyond,” said IPC and British Athletics chief Ed Warner.

“These are great developments for the sport and we expect to make further announcements during the year.”

The first event in 2013 will take place in Dubai in March, before competitions in Beijing, Sao Paulo, Grosseto (in Italy), Arizona and Berlin.

The events themselves already existed, but the IPC believes linking them as a series and raising organisational standards means they will attract the biggest names in Paralympic track and field.

Double London 2012 champion wheelchair racer Hannah Cockcroft said: “The fear after London 2012 for the athletes was that there was going to be a limited amount of motivation over the next four years.

“However, the grand prix events and the World Championships will give us plenty of chances to become the best in the world and keep the public interested.”

The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships will take place in Lyon, France in July.

BBC