Paralympics

[the Deel Rover]

according to this report one of the irish lads was expelled from the games   
- Irish player not disabled enough
Eurosport - Thu, 11 Sep 12:37:00 2008

Ireland has called into question the integrity of the classification process for Paralympians with cerebral palsy after one of their athletes was expelled from the Beijing Games for being insufficiently disabled.

Derek Malone, an athletics bronze medallist at the 2004 Paralympics, was ruled ineligible after officials said he did not "demonstrate enough impairment of function in football" in Ireland's first match in the seven-a-side football in Beijing.

The 28-year-old said he was "bitterly disappointed" and the victim of his own success in training so hard to manage the symptoms of his condition, an impairment which results in altered neuromuscular function.

"Cerebral palsy has shown to be a very trainable condition but if you stop training for any length of time, the symptoms will return. There's no cure for cerebral palsy," Malone said.

"I find it ridiculous. High-performance sport is about pushing the limits...how can you have a system that penalises athletes for working hard at their skills? I refuse to let a flawed process cast aspersions on the integrity of the achievements I have made."

All athletes competing in the seven-a-side football, a sport contested only by athletes with cerebral palsy at the Games, are assessed and classified by officials according to the extent of their impairment.

Those, like Malone, who have the least disability must have "an obvious impairment that has impact on the sport of football".

Ukraine, Brazil and the Netherlands joined the Irish in expressing their concerns about the process, which they said was "not open and transparent" and suffered from "unequal application to different nations".

"It appears to be the case that if he had not pursued his athletic endeavour with such zeal for a significant time period leading to these Games, he is more likely to have been classified eligible," said Liam Harbison, Secretary General of the Paralympic Council of Ireland.

"That is at odds with the very ethos of high-performance sport...we feel he has become a victim of a flawed rule book."

Alan Dickson, President of the governing Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA), said he would meet the concerned delegations later on Thursday.

"We have had a recognised classification system in place for some time," he said.

"As the sport moves on, you have to be prepared to move that on too...clearly people are training more and that may have an effect on their functional ability."

Malone said he had trained for four years for Beijing, sacrificing his social life and engineering career to fulfil his Paralympic dream.

"How can someone suggest my disability doesn't affect my sport?" he asked. "My whole sporting career has been a battle to beat the symptoms...I don't want another kid to work so hard and end up in this situation."

Reuters

[ziggysego]

To spin it around, would he have been allowed to compete in the Olympics? If not, then what else can he do but join the Paralympic team. Stinks to the high heavens this one.

[Silky]

Stinks to the high heavens this one.

The whole event stinks if you ask me.

[ziggysego]

If that's your opinion, fair enough. Not going to waste my time trying to show you the light 

[Uladh]

To spin it around, would he have been allowed to compete in the Olympics?

whay would he not be allowed to compete in the olympics?

[ziggysego]

To spin it around, would he have been allowed to compete in the Olympics?

whay would he not be allowed to compete in the Olympics?

Can't mind your man's name, but there was a Disabled athlete on Team GB that wasn't allowed to complete in the Olympics.

[Silky]

Thanks. That explains it.

[Uladh]

To spin it around, would he have been allowed to compete in the Olympics?

whay would he not be allowed to compete in the Olympics?

Can't mind your man's name, but there was a Disabled athlete on Team GB that wasn't allowed to complete in the Olympics.

why not?

[ziggysego]

why not?

Apparently his bionic leg might give him an unfair advantage.

[Mentalman]

Smyth wins 100m gold in Beijing

Derry sprinter Jason Smyth twice broke his own world record on the way to claiming Ireland's second gold medal at the Paralympics in Beijing.
Smyth stormed to a comprehensive victory in 10.62 seconds in the T13 100 metres final on Saturday.
Earlier, Smyth had clocked 10.81 in the heats which cut .04secs off his previous world record mark.
The Londonderry athlete will hope to claim a second gold medal in the 200m final on Tuesday.
Smyth was elated after claiming the 100m gold.
"I knew it was there. It was just a matter of coming out and doing it on the big occasion, and I'm so pleased I did," said the visually-impaired sprinter.
"I'm thrilled. It's awesome. I've put in so much work.
"The race went very well. My start was just average but I got going and once I was close to the end I knew that I had it."
   
Smyth revealed that he wasn't aware that he had clocked another world record until completing his lap of honour.
"I only realised when I came back here when I saw the screen," said the sprinter in the interview mixed zone.
"You're in a stadium with 91,000 so you've got to make the most of it and I did (by having the lap of honour).
"The people here come out in force. They get into it and there's a good atmosphere."
The 200m heats are scheduled for Monday morning at 0236 BST with the final taking place on Tuesday at 1240.
Smyth earned a sprint double at the World Paralympic Championships in 2006 and that mantle the burden of favouritism going into Beijing.
"You know you are expected to win but you don't really want to think about it or talk about it.
"I'm glad it's all kind of done now and it paid off."
Belfast runner Michael McKillop claimed the T37 800m gold for Ireland on Wednesday.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7613893.stm

[ziggysego]

Just found out a friend of mine is dancing at the Paralympics handover cermony tomorrow. Gonna have to watch that!!