Wheelchair-Fencer, Dimitri Coutya took on Tough Mudder on Saturday in aid of disabled children in Africa.

On Saturday 24 September, ParalympicGB fencer Dimitri Coutya, took part in the West Sussex Tough Mudder challenge. Arms, legs and wheels took on the gruelling SAS-style military course together with 10,000 others.

18-year old Dimitri returned from the Rio 2016 Paralympic games just days before the event, completing 95% of obstacles with the help of his 18 team-mates. The T4 Paraplegic left his custom-made wheelchair to plunge into ice cold water, scale 10’ walls, crawl through mud under barbed wire and be carried through live electric wires.

Dimitri tells us: “[Spectators] were surprised – they obviously never dreamed of something like this happening, let alone seeing it.”

The Paralympian and his team hope to raise £5000 to support the work of AbleChildAfrica, a London based charity working with some of the world’s most vulnerable disabled children. Funds raised will ensure that sport is available to those the charity supports. There is still time left to donate by texting ‘MUDD14 £10’ to 70070 or via this link: http://tinyurl.com/acatough.

Dimitri Coutya, says: “Sport has [played] a big part in increasing my confidence and giving me things to push…towards in life, so the opportunity to…do the same for disabled children in Africa was something I instantly enjoyed the thought of taking part in.”

Anne Wafula- Strike (ex-GB wheelchair Paralympian and Patron of AbleChildAfrica) first completed Tough Mudder in 2013, and was part of this years team, says: “We’re raising funds for AbleChildAfrica, a very small charity that is supporting people living with disability to be included in the community. That’s why we decided to go through pain, [to] create awareness of what it’s like to be disabled in Africa.”

Mark Bullock (former Wheelchair Tennis manager for International Tennis Federation and member of the International Paralympic Committee and Paralympic Games Committee) says: “When Dimitri lost grip on the wet monkey bars and plunged into the water his immediate reaction was ‘Again, again’.”

AbleChildAfrica, a UK-based charity empowering disabled children in Africa. They are the leading UK charity working exclusively with and for disabled children in Africa. Around 15% of the world’s population is disabled, that’s 1 in every 7 people. Of those, approximately 80% live in developing countries and 150 million are children. Just last year, AbleChildAfrica reached 5,000 children. For more information please contact 0207 793 4144 or savraj@ablechildafrica.org.uk.

Just 3 out of 23 sports open to athletes with a learning disability – Mencap petition calls for more events to be opened up.

8% of medals (12 out of 147) won by Team GB at the Paralympics were won by athletes with a learning disability, despite them making up just 3% of the overall Team GB. This success adds extra urgency to Mencap’s petition asking the International Paralympics Committee to increase the number of events athletes with a learning disability are allowed to compete in.

Currently athletes with a learning disability are allowed to compete for just 18 out of 528 gold medals. There have been concerns around a lack of demand among athletes with a learning disability to compete at elite levels, however the number of medals won by Team GB athletes with a learning disability proves this wrong.

Over 260 disabled athletes went to Rio as part of the GB team, and just seven of these were athletes with a learning disability. Despite the small number selected, athletes with a learning disability contributed 4 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals to the team’s overall record tally.

Swimmer Jessica-Jane Applegate, who is an ambassador for Mencap, won 2 silver and 1 bronze medals in her events, which included 200m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 100m backstroke.

Currently, athletes with a learning disability can only compete in 3 out of the 23 Paralympic sports. Within those 3 sports, there are just 9 events open to athletes with a learning disability. Prior to the start of the Paralympics, Mencap launched a petition to the International Paralympic Committee calling for more events to be opened up to athletes with a learning disability, which has received over 3,600 signatures to date.

Harry Roche, who has a learning disability, said:

“All of the athletes who competed at the Paralympics did fantastically. I’d like to say a huge congratulations to all of the athletes with a learning disability who took part and won a medal. I’ve really enjoyed watching the Paralympics this year, it has been really good to watch athletes with a learning disability do so well.

“I really hope that at the next Paralympics we will see even more athletes with a learning disability take part in a larger number of events. It is unfair that athletes with a learning disability can only compete in 3 out of the 23 sports. The Paralympics has shown that there is a lot of talent and there needs to be more opportunities made available. We must overcome these barriers as soon as possible.”

Singers, dancers and fireworks lit up the iconic stadium before tributes were paid to Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died on Saturday.

Britain finished the Games with 147 medals, 64 of which were gold. They were second behind China, who claimed 107 golds and 239 in total. Read the full story at BBC Sport. 

As flagbearer Cox represented one of the most successful British Paralympic teams in history. The team has achieved the most gold medals by a British team since 1988, surpassing there medal target for the games.

Amongst the team there have been numerous ‘stand-out’ performances, but Cox’s achievements have been particularly exceptional.

Cox raced into the record books when she became the first British Paralympian since 1984 to top the podium in two different sports at the same Games. She initially struck gold in the C4/5 500m time trial in the velodrome before claiming victory in the T38 400m in the Olympic Stadium, setting a new world record in the process. Cox also started her quest for medals on the track with an impressive bronze in the T38 100m and ended it by playing a crucial role in winning silver as part of the women’s T35 – T38 4 x 100m relay.

Cox said:

“It was a bit of surprise to be told that I would be flagbearer for the team. I’m really grateful that the team thought that I was good enough for this honour, given the strength of performances across all the athletes [in ParalympicsGB] this time around. I’ve just been doing my own thing as an athlete, preparing and racing and I never thought of being flagbearer.

“It’s a great feeling to know that I’ll be standing at the front of such an exceptional group of athletes from GB, to represent what has been such a successful and high-achieving team.

“I only originally expected just to get to Rio, let alone win medals, so to do this is the icing on the cake of an amazing Games. I couldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams. To do something as special as carrying the flag is incredible.”

The choice of Kadeena as flagbearer was made by the Senior Leadership team, led by the Chef de Mission.

Penny Briscoe MBE, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission, said:

“Kadeena’s achievements in Rio have been absolutely remarkable, and she is the perfect choice to be our flagbearer. To strike gold in two sports is no mean feat, and it pays tribute to her talent, pride and determination and also the work of British Athletics and British Cycling, with the support of National Lottery funding, to help her achieve and surpass her goals.

“As the Games draw to a close we can begin to reflect on the exceptional performances of our athletes and this incredible medal haul. The Closing Ceremony is the perfect way to kick off the celebrations for this record breaking team. I am so proud of each and every member of the team.”

To produce the Media Research Report, EFDS commissioned ComRes, who spoke to disabled people, non-disabled people and sports journalists from local, national and specialist outlets. As well as benchmarking media’s current portrayal of disabled people in sport, it assesses opinions on disability sport news. The key findings show:

• The way the media reports on disabled people in sport has a societal impact and has wider effects on people’s perceptions of disability.
• Despite the notable improvement in reporting since London 2012, disabled and non-disabled people want to see more disability sport coverage and parity with non-disabled people in sport.
• There needs to be long-term efforts to improve the media coverage in-between Paralympic years to have a lasting impact for all disabled people in sport. While this is a high profile year for disability sport, there is an opportunity to shape coverage beyond the Paralympics.
• Journalists and sports providers need more support and guidance on appropriate reporting.

For journalists and news providers, there were some key messages:

• A number of groups can contribute to improving media coverage of disability sport and play an active role. They include journalists, news providers, National Governing Bodies of sport, sports clubs and ambassadors.
• Priorities should be to:
  • Focus on achievement rather than disability
  • Avoid overly using terms such as “inspirational”
  • Clearly explain classification systems, recognising disability, but not dwelling on it
  • Use higher quality images, especially for local events.

Beijing Paralympic Gold medalist Eleanor Simmonds MBE  Photo Credit: Mark Lomas.

The accompanying Guide supports journalists and sports providers to produce news content on disabled people in sport. It explores six areas- tailoring content, story type, style and placement, language, media formats and ambassadors.

Last week (25 August), EFDS and ComRes hosted an exclusive event for journalists and key stakeholders in sport. Those present included BBC, Sky Sports News and Sport England. The hosts presented the findings, followed by a panel discussion including David Walker, Sports Editor at the Daily Mirror and Tim Hollingsworth, the British Paralympic Association’s Chief Executive.

 Speaking at the event in London Barry Horne, Chief Executive at EFDS, said:

“The news we consume can affect everyone’s perceptions of themselves as people and, for the talented few in sport, as athletes. This means that it is particularly important that coverage is positive if it is going to encourage disabled people to access opportunities and take part. That is why we all have an obligation to improve our reporting and articles about disabled people in sport.

“Although we are well placed to support journalists and sports providers before the most recognised event in disability sport, the Paralympics, it is paramount that, all year round, we address the issues raised.”

Sport England, the Sports Journalists’ Association and the British Paralympic Association are supporting EFDS with the new research and Guide.

Lisa O’Keefe, Director of Insight at Sport England said:

“While undoubtedly a fantastic showcase of heights which can be achieved, the Paralympics only show one half of the disability sports’ story, with many disabled people playing sport far away from the glare of the Paralympic flame.

“Encouragingly, research shows that there is overwhelming support for seeing more coverage. What’s more, both disabled and non-disabled people agree that the reporting of sport and physical activity for disabled people has improved greatly over the last ten years, which leaves us with a strong platform to build on.”

Andy Elliott, Chair at the Sports Journalists’ Association, said:

“It’s gratifying to know that as an industry we have improved since 2012 and that the majority of articles that report on sport for disabled people use positive language. But the research makes it clear that more can be done.

“The Sports Journalists’ Association is delighted to play its part in supporting EFDS and this important Guide will help sports journalists maintain momentum to increase coverage of disability sports at all levels.”

• You can download the report from 31 August here http://www.efds.co.uk/how-we-help/research
• You can download the Guide from 31 August here http://www.efds.co.uk/how-we-help/resources
• Follow the conversation using #EFDSMediaReport

The IPC selected Dailymotion to provide the streaming services. Dailymotion is the world’s second largest video sharing website with three billion video views per month. It also has an extensive network of media publishers, such as news sites, which use the Dailymotion player on their websites.

Craig Spence, the IPC’s Director of Media and Communications, said:

“We’re really excited that during Rio 2016 we will be live streaming 72 hours of sport each day across 15 channels [throughout the world].  It will mean that fans from around the world can either watch the Games on TV or on Paralympic.org. We’re really excited to be working with Dailymotion for the first time, to use their publisher network and bring the Paralympic Games to new audiences.

“Strategically Dailymotion is a really good choice for the IPC. Half of their user base is located in Asia – the location of the next three Paralympic Games.

“Although the IPC has strong broadcast partners in South Korea, Japan and China, we hope that using Dailymotion’s publisher network during Rio 2016 will help the IPC to build on that for the Games to come”.

The live stream, which will have English commentary, will be available in around 240 territories on Paralympic.org and in around 190 territories on Dailymotion.com/Paralympics. A full list of rights-holding broadcasters can be found here: https://www.paralympic.org/watch-rio-2016. This page will be updated with links to broadcaster streams.

As well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletics, track cycling, football 5-a-side, football 7-a-side, judo, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis will be live streamed. All other sports will feature in the daily highlights which will be streamed at 16:00 and 23:00 BRT each day, as well as two news shows, shown at 03:00 and 10:00 each day.

The IPC will also upload athlete interviews and other original content to the Dailymotion channel.
The Dailymotion player is 100 per cent responsive and HTML5 compliant, the V5 is built for maximum performance on any device. It also has greater accessibility features, such as screen reader, voice over and subtitles.

“It’s our particular goal to distribute content that captivates and engages our existing community of over 400M global visitors,” said Maxime Saada, CEO of Dailymotion. “Our global audience will enjoy the Rio 2016 Paralympics and the Dailymotion player, and our accessibility features will satisfy the public who will discover Dailymotion through this great event.”

The IPC’s video and live stream coverage during the Games can be broken down to the following:

•       Live coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies

•       Up to 72 hours of live sport each day available via 15 HD channels with English commentary

•       Almost 700 hours of video on demand

•       Two daily highlights shows broadcast in English

•       One daily news show

•       Athlete interviews and behind-the-scenes content

This fun, fast paced and fearless game was won 5-1 by the Peterborough Phantoms, who retained the Reddes League Cup for the fourth consecutive year. An amazing achievement for the team, Coach Ian Offers, and for ice sports in Peterborough.

Goals were scored by Scotty Turner with an assist from Kieran O’Meara and Gary Farmer who scored 4 goals, assisted by Kieran O’Meara and Matt Coleman.

Team Mascots, Alex and Amy from Inspire Peterborough’s Inclusive Skating group entertained the crowds with their sledging skills before the match, and the final period saw a raffle for prizes generously donated by Planet Ice and Irwin Mitchell.

Captain Matt Coleman said:

“It’s an amazing feeling to win the game, but more importantly to win the Reddes League Cup again for the 4th time. I knew we had assembled one of the best squads ever for this club, but I also knew that all the other clubs have improved, and they pushed us right to the very last game, so it’s a credit to everyone. I also wanted to thank everyone for their support, from Irwin Mitchell, Inspire Peterborough, Planet Ice and their staff as well as everyone who helps us behind the scenes, this cup is dedicated to them!”

Man of the Match – Peterborough Phantoms: Net minder, Rob Gaze / Cardiff Huskies: Defender and Captain, Russell Willey.

To find out more about the team please visit www.inspirepeterborough.com/phantoms-sledge-team/ where you can read the biographies of the players.

Anybody wanting to get involved in sledge hockey, which is a Paralympic sport and is set to feature in the 2017 Invictus Games, can contact gail@inspirepeterborough.com to attend Inspire Peterborough’s Inclusive Skating sessions for people with disabilities, additional needs and life limiting conditions, their family members and friends. These sessions take place on Fridays from 4:15 – 5:15, with ice skating continuing from 5:15 – 6:15pm. At only £2 per person it’s worth popping along to have a go!

Sledge hockey is an inclusive sport where disabled and able bodied players can all enjoy the sport together, with the only exceptions being the Paralympic and Invictus Games.