Don't forget, the Paralympic Games start tomorrow.

Good luck to all those great people taking part!

I hope they give it some coverage on the tv.

I will be following this guy.

John Mclean will be rowing for gold in the paralypics inagural event in Beijing.
Here is a list of some of his acheivements so far.



2007
Australian Rowing Team for Rowing World Championships in Munich Germany - Adaptive Pairs (Kathryn Ross)
Silver Medal - World Rowing Championships TA2X Division (Partner Kathryn Ross)
2006
Ultraman World Championships
2005
Completed Molokai Challenge. (First Wheelchair athlete in the world. Completed on Double Ski with David Wells)
2002
Inducted into the Hawaiian Ironman Hall of Fame
Completed Kilometres for Kids (K4K)
2001
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race (Grinder on Team Aspect - Finished 12th Overall and 2nd in division)
Awarded Australian Sports Medal
2000
Received Order of Australia (OAM)
1998
First Wheelchair Athlete to successfully swim the English Channel.
1997
First Wheelchair Athlete to successfully complete all "able-bodied" cut off times in the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon.
Crowned ITU World Triathlon Champion, Perth (Physically Challenged Category)
1996
Crowned ITU World Triathlon Champion, Cleveland (Physically Challenged Category)
Hawaiian Ironman Finisher
1995
First Wheelchair Athlete to complete the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon.

Good luck to all of them.

i wonder if the poms will be the aussies in that as well!

You would hope so. A waste of millions if they don't

Yeah, rumours abound about the amount they've spent on the para-games, estimates around 3 times the amount Oz spent on the WHOLE LOT, both para and able olympics.

They'll be really p!ssed if they don't end up with more medals then Oz manages. (Mind you, I'll be soooo happy if they get p!ssed!)

Keep an eye on Michael Milton. Below is taken from his personal website

Michael Milton is one of Australia's best-known athletes. His four-gold-medal haul at the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games endeared him to a sport-loving nation and earned him the title of Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.

In April 2003 Michael tried something new: speed skiing, the drag racing of alpine sport. On the steepest slope in the world he clocked over 193km/hr, smashing a 16-year-old world record and becoming the fastest skier with a disability.

Every year after that he bettered his own world record until, in April 2006, he clocked a staggering 213.65km/hr to also become the fastest Australian skier ever.

A month earlier at the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in (his fifth Paralympic Games) Michael's ski racing career came to an end. Under a new, tougher classification system, he won a silver medal in the Downhill, achieving his goal to "...win a medal, any colour." His ski racing medal count stands at eleven Paralympic medals (six gold) and eleven World Championships medals (six gold).

Milton is now pursuing a new sport: cycling. After six months of intense training, he not only won a gold medal in the 3000m Pursuit at the Australian Track Cycling Championships in February 2007 but also broke the Australian record.

His dream to make the Australian team and compete at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games was sidelined when he was diagnosed with Oesophagael Cancer in July 2007. He has since made an amazing comeback from this serious illness, recording times at the 2008 Australian Track Cycling Championships comparable to his results in the same events 12 months ago.

On Friday 27 June Michael was named as one of 18 athletes in the Paralympic Cycling Team to compete in Beijing.


Good luck to your new endeavours Michael

Why do they have such a big break between the Games and these Games? Any particular reason?

Good question, does seem rather strange.

You'd think they would put it RIGHT after while interest is peaked.

Well they need to "Bump-In" and "Bump-Out" to use a travel/event management term. The Olympics competitors, coaches, teams, spectators etc need to leave and the rooms need to be cleaned the food larders need to be re-stocked, the surfaces and pool quality needs to be adjusted, repaired and updated.

Any changes to access arrangement for the disabled athletes needs to take place, and the athletes need to arrive in advance of the commencment of the games and start thier preparation.

Madi has been in Beijing since last weekend - and she has been on the training track outside the birdsnest all week getting aclimatised and ready.

**I for one am hoping for a great display of athletic brilliance from our athletes, and I would hope there would be a decent coverage on TV for thier efforts!**

Hear, hear!!

Will be watching for Madi, myself! So will everyone I talk to!

I get a little mad with the whole olympics thing.

To me ANYONE who makes it to the olympics is a total inspiration YET with the able body olympics we get FULL coverage - Morning shows cover it completely - Medal Tallies - interviews etc.

Para Olympics and Special Olympics very little - I just heard a 2 sec piece on the news that we have won 10 medals and 4 of them where gold. I had to google to see what we had one.

ARE THESE ATHLETES NOT AS IMPORTANT AS OUR ABLE BODY OLYMPIANS???????? I think they are and should get the same coverage. At least broadcast the events that the Australians are in. PLEASE!!

Anyone having trouble finding information about the Aussie Paralympic news will find it here ABC Paralympics Page

And yes! Snowhunter - this is what we want - equal recognition for an equal effort in training and dedication to a sport and competing for thier country! GO GUYS!

Off to spend the day with Madi's Mum so I will come back with an update and the inside goss for ya's all!

The paralympics people don't go as fast or as high or as (other adjective) as the 'normal bodied' Olympics. Sad as it is, that probably explains the lack of coverage.

Yeah, Pete, but they do show us mere mortals the power of the will to win against all odds! What about the SAfrican runner (Blade Runner) who just missed out on a "normal" olympics spot for 100m - prompting a change in the definitions and banning of "performance enhanching" prostheses for non-para olympians.

Update:

Madi has just had her debut at the Bird's Nest - in the T54 Womens 100m. She rolled 4th in her heat, got a slow start - but qualified for the final on time - slowest but IN!

She was interviewed afterwards and did the country proud - sweet kid she is!! I wish her all the luck for tomorrow for the final - just to make the final at 14 yrs of age is awesome, but a medal of any color would just be the icing on the cake for her.

She was originally just courted for the relay, so this is really a bonus. She has the final of the 100, heats of the relay, and heats of the 400m to go.

And now this:
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ap-paralympics-doping&prov=ap&type=lgns

Reproduced with permission from my mate yahoo

BEIJING (AP)—A Pakistani powerlifter has been banned for two years after failing a doping test, the first athlete to test positive during the Beijing Paralympics.

Naveed Ahmed Butt tested positive for the steroid methandienone metabolites, the International Paralympic Committee said in a statement Tuesday.

The urine sample was taken Sept. 4, two days before the opening ceremony.

“In accordance with the IPC anti-doping code, and after a hearing of the IPC anti-doping committee, the IPC ratified the decision to disqualify Butt from the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games,” the statement said, adding that a two-year ban had been imposed.

Peter Van de Vliet, the IPC’s medical and scientific director, said Butt’s accreditation was also being canceled.

The IPC has said it plans about 1,000 in- and out-of-competition tests on both blood and urine.

Bugger!! Missed it!

Anyone know of a stream where I can get a replay? (Stupid thing is, I had work to do!!)

ABC2/ABCHD had a replay and replay of the interview tonight - so all the daytime stuff will be revisited in the 6-7 telecast recap.

The only TV I have on HD doesn't have a DVD recorder set up with it - bugger! But if I get it from Linda and Roy I will try and email it to you....however I think the final is tomorrow so no time for worrying about the one ya missed!! LOL

Just found the ABC site has a video of the race .. here

She's in the final and looking forward to it by the sound of things. Go Girl!!