Watch Out London

All about para

lympics!

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Índex

Facts

Lee´s story

Lora´s story

Mexico in London Paralympics

Paralympics Flame

Paralympics Disciplines

Credits

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1.-The Paralympic Games is the world’s second lar-

gest major international multi-sport event – after the

Olympic Games, of course.

2.London 2012 goes down as being the most accessi-

ble Games ever. Train platforms were widened, buses

were made wheelchair-accessible, and river piers have

been given ramps. More than 8000 London buses were

fitted with the new iBus system, as well as an automa-

tic radio and display announcement system for the vi-

sually- and hearing-impaired.

3.Trischa Zorn of the USA is the most decorated Pa-

ralympian in the history of the Games. Her Paralym-

pic career spanned 24 years from 1980 to 2004. She

competed in the blind swimming events in 7 Paralym-

pic Games, winning a total of 55 medals – 41 of which

“The world’s

second largest

major

international

multi-sport

event “ were gold

4.The sighted guides for athletes with visual impairment are such an integral part of the

competition that the visually-impaired athlete and guide are considered a team, with both

athletes being medal candidates.

5.Of the 20 sports at the Paralympic Games, only 4 are NOT competed in at the regular

Olympic Games. These are Goal Ball – a team sport played by visually-impaired athletes

who throw or roll a ball with a bell inside it across the end line; Boccia - a sport played in

teams of pairs by athletes with cerebral palsy, which is similar to lawn bowls; Wheelchair

Rugby – played by primarily low-level quadriplegics; and Powerlifting - similar to weightlift-

ing, but using the upper body only.

Paralympic Facts

6.The first ever Paralympic Games was held in London in 1948 at the same time as the Sum-

mer Olympics, when German neurologist, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, organised a sports event for

soldiers injured in the war. A small group of British World War II veterans took part. Then, in

1952, Dutch athletes participated too, and so the first international games for athletes with di-

sabilities took place.

7.The Paralympic Games were initially open only to athletes in wheelchairs. All that changed

in 1976 when athletes with different disabilities were included for the first time.

8.Today there are six disability groups in the Paralympic Games: Amputee, Cerebral Palsy,

Spinal Cord Injuries, Intellectual Disability, Visual Impairment and ‘Les Autres’, which

means “the others” and includes all those who don’t fit into the other groups – for instance

dwarfism, multiple sclerosis, and congenital disorders.

9.The first athlete with a disability to compete in the able-bodied Games was German Ameri-

can gymnast George Eyser. He competed in 1904 with one artificial leg and earned six medals

in one day: three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze.

10.In 2008, South African distance swimmer Natalie Du Toit was the second person to com-

pete in both Games. She also carried her country’s flag at both the Paralympics’ and Summer Olympics’ opening ceremonies, making her the first athlete to ever do so.

Paralympic Facts

“They won’t

know whether

they have been

selected to repre-

sent their

country “

Around the world, thousands of athletes

are gearing up for this year’s Olympic and

Paralympic Games. Among them are two

young British hopefuls, Lee Greatbatch

and Lora Turnham. While they won’t

know whether they have been selected to

represent their country for several more

weeks, both are training hard. Helping

them achieve their dreams are two very

special four legged friends – their guide

dogs Darby and Libby.

Lee’s story

Lee plays blind football, and with over 50 caps representing his country internatio-

nally, including the Blind Football World Cup, European Championships and the

Beijing Paralympic Games, he is a seasoned professional. Blind football is played

with a team of four blind players and a sighted goalkeeper. The ball contains ball

bearings and a sighted ‘guide keeper’ calls to the players so that they know the

rough direction of the goal. “Most of the game is played inside your head,” Lee ex-

plains. “Before the match you walk around the pitch to get the dimensions and

you keep in your mind the diamond-shape formation of the team.

Communication is very important – we call to each other when we have the ball or

are going to tackle – and you need good spatial awareness too.” As well as fitness

training, Lee is currently doing football training two or three times a week, and

plays for West Bromwich in the Blind Football League. “My guide dog Darby

plays a really important part in my training.

Lee & Lora

Lee & Lora

With him I can travel by bus rather than having to pay for taxis,” Lee says. “But I don’t take

him to the matches as he’s still young and I have this fear he’ll steal everyone’s football

boots from the changing rooms!”

Lee describes waiting to hear whether he has been selected for the Paralympics as “a bit like

waiting for exam results” but adds: “It’s a tough call but I think I’m more excited about the

birth of our first baby in April!”

Lora’s story

Lora comes from an illustrious family of guide dog owners – her mother and two brothers

have the same eye condition, and all have guide dogs. Lora has had her guide dog, Lib-

by, since she was 17, and finds her a great support, not just in terms of helping her travel

to her six-times-a-week training sessions, but also emotionally. “She’s very calming when

you’re nervous so it helps having her around. I don’t take her when I’m competing

abroad but I really miss her, and I don’t have the same freedom.” Their relationship is such

a special one that they were shortlisted for this year’s Kennel Club ‘Friend for Life’ compe-

tition.

Lora is relatively new to the sport of para-cycling, where she rides tandem with a sighted

pilot in both road racing and track events. “I was tired of athletics, which I’d done at

school, and discovered para-cycling through a friend. I had a ride on a bike and it felt

very natural – and within three months I was at the Para-cycling World Championships in

Italy, where we won a bronze in the road race!”

The pilot plays an essential role, as Lora explains: “The pilot trains as hard as we do and I

have to rely on her to do all the steering. I have to relax and respond to the movements

of the bike, and if she digs in, I know I have to pedal faster too.”

Mexican Athletes in London 2012 Paralympic

Games, won 21 medals exceeded the ex-

pectation, of the 20 medals of Beijing 2008.

The grate Swimmer Gustavo Sanchez have

become the most representative athlete of

the Paralympics London 2012,with four med-

als, two gold, one silver and one bronze he is

just 18 years old, and he won 4 medals, that’s

impressive, Mexico is proud of him, On Friday

he won the gold in the 200 m freestyle with

record 2'58 .09 ", beating Frenchman David

Smetanine and also Richard Oribe Spanish

world and Paralympic record 3'01 .62 ". when

he won that medal, the Mexican Paralympic

“Gustavo Sanchez ha-

ve become the most

representative athlete

of the Paralympics

London 2012 ”

medal number 20, said "I feel happy, I feel

proud, I feel incredible," In London, he

reached the six possible finals and in four of

them won a medal. He is amazing

In order to participate in the Paralympic

games, previously, he won his first gold in the

100m free, a silver medal in the 150 m com-

bined and a bronze in the 50. "I am immense-

ly proud to hear the National Anthem, this is

for all Mexico” he concludes.

Gustavo is planning to won 6 from 6 gold

medals in Rio de Janeiro, "we will be ready,

we'll be prepared, and hopefully return with 6

medals". He said

Mexico in London Paralympics

“ Maria de los Angeles

Ortiz confirmed again to

be the best in shot put

in London to be the best

in shot put. “

Maria de los Angeles Ortiz confirmed again to be the best in shot put in London to be the best in shot put.

Luis Alberto Zepeda, in category javelin on wheelchair, threw the javelin 28.07 me-ters, winning the gold and leaving the sil-ver to Russian Alexey Kuznetsov. Zepeda won his second and third Paralympic gold medal in his 26 years career since Paralym-pics Greece. "It was a great day for Mexico. Now I'm going to Rio and would be my last competitions, would be my fourth par-ticipation and I retire, "he said.

the last medal was a bronze medal retrieve to Salvador Hernandez. He gave Mexico medal number 21, he was the one that surpass the mark of 20 medals in Beijing 2008.

Mexico in London Paralympics

Three Young

people from Lon-

don 20012’s In-

ternational

Inspiration Kids

run with the

Paralympics

16-year old Erica from London, 14-year old Anthony from Trinidad & Tobago and 16-year old Mary Tarimo from Tan-zania were among the chosen to carry the Paralympic Flame from Stoke Man-deville to the Olympic Stadium in east London.

They also met the International Inspira-tion Ambassador Oscar Pistorius, Pa-ralympic gold medallist and world re-cord holder, who praised them for re-flecting the Paralympic values of coura-ge, determination, inspiration and equality. Each of them was nominated and selec-ted for their dedication or commitment to inspiring young people in their com-munities through the power of sport, or for the personal challenges they have

overcome in their lives.

Erica Kouassi has challenged inequality to create opportunities for young people of all abilities to access sport and play in her school and community; Anthony Kipps was born with Right Primary Focal Femoral Dysplasia, which resulted in his right leg being much shorter than his left, but he has never let this keep him down and is currently training to volunteer at the first National Paralympic Games in Trinidad later this year; finally, Mary regularly gives up her time to assist young disabled children at a local primary school in sports and games sessions.

Oscar Pistorius said: 'As an Ambassador for International Inspiration it is fantastic to see how the programme has touched these young people’s lives, bringing them closer together and encouraging them to look beyond personal challenges. It’s a fa-bulous legacy for the London 2012 Games and one I am proud to represent.'

Paralympics Flame

They were the lucky ones

Here we are about to show you some of the disciplines played in Paralympics in which participants do the best here they are: Archery In to shoot arrows accurately at a target with a diameter of 122cm marked with 10 concentric rings. These rings in-crease in points value the smaller and the closer they get to the centre, so a hit in the outermost zone is worth one point while a hit in the centre, the ‘gold’, is worth 10 points. Athletics the winner is the fastest athlete to complete the distance of the race. The gold medal will go to the athlete with the most number of points at the end of the competition. There are many classifications In Athletics Classes 11, 12 and 13 cover the

different levels of visual impairment,athletes with a learning disability, with different levels of cerebral palsy - both wheelchair users , with different levels of amputations and other impairments, those who have dwarfism, others with different levels of spi-nal injuries and amputations who compete in wheelchairs. Boccia The idea of the game is simple. One side has six red balls and the other six blue balls. The aim is to get your balls closer to the white target ball, the 'jack', than your opponent. A match consists of a set number of ends, four in Individual and Pairs events and six in the Team game. Once all ends have been played the side with the highest score is the winner Cycling This discipline varies depending on the track events such as: - 1km Time Trial, Tandem Sprint, Team Sprint, 3km and 4km Individual Pursuit (two events). Road events consists in different number of laps ranging from 6km to 15km in dis-tance like the Road Race and the Time Trial.

Equestrian Men and women compete against each other equally within their spe-

cific grades, with riders competing on their own horses as opposed to horses

provided by the organisers.

Paralympic’s Disciplines

Football 5-a-side the game uses a spe-cial ball with a bell inside that makes a noise as it moves to guide the players. Matches are played between two teams, each with four athletes who have a B1 level of visual impairment and one goalkeeper who can be sighted or visu-ally impaired. Football 7-a-side Players are allocated a number between five and eight depend-ing on their degree of impairment. Competition is in the form of a group round-robin, after which the top two ranked teams from each group progress to the knock-out stages of competition. Goalball Teams consist of six players, with no more than three from each side on the pitch at one time. All players must have a visual impairment, but to ensure that there is a level playing field, all athletes must wear black-out masks

so that no player can see. Judo Each competition is based on weight divisions – there are seven for men and six for women. Men’s events are -60kg, -66kg, -73kg, -81kg, -90kg, -100kg, +100kg. Events for women are -48kg, -52kg, -57kg, -63kg, -70kg, +70kg. The rules are the same as in Olympic Judo, only the two judokas start gripping each other rather than apart.

Powerlifting Athletes may make three lifts during the competition and must in-

crease the weight attempted by at least 1kg following a successful lift. Each ath-

lete has three attempts at each lift. A fourth lift may also be attempted for a rec-

ord, but this does not count towards the final result of the competition.

Paralympic’s Disciplines

Swimming Swimming comprises med-al events in Freestyle, Backstroke, But-terfly and Breaststroke across distances that range from 50m to 400m. Wheelchair Basketball Played by two teams of five, the rules of the game are broadly similar to those of Olympic Basketball, with the same size court and basket height. Wheelchair Fencing The competition takes place in the form of pool stages followed by direct elimination rounds. During a contest the fencers’ wheel-chairs are fastened into medal frames on the floor, allowing freedom of the

upper body only. The winner is the first to score 15 hits, or the highest scorer at the completion of the contest. Wheelchair Rugby Wheelchair Rugby is played indoors on a regulation-size

basketball court by teams of four, using a white ball that is identical in size and

shape to a volleyball. Teams are mixed, with men and women competing equally

in the same team.

Paralympic’s Disciplines

Editors

Alfredo Gamboa

Francisco Ayala

Publishing

Daniela Gonzalez

Photography

Diana Almaraz

Credits