September 27, 2004

Normally festive Paralympic closing ceremonies will take on a more somber note, as organizers have decided to curtail the artistic portion of the ceremony out of respect for victims of a bus crash who were on their way to watch the Paralympic Games.

Seven Greek high school students were killed and more injured when a truck reportedly blew a tire and hit the bus on a road some 100 miles north of Athens.

Organizers have decided to restrict the ceremony to the walk-in of athletes, ceremonial handing of the flag to Beijing, a short speech from the IOC president, and then the games flame will be turned off.

Organizers have offered to refund tickets for those not wishing to go to the shortened ceremony.

September 22, 2004

Mixed in with the unfortunate news of two horses dying at or just after the Olympic Games was this lighter anecdote.

British three-day eventer Pippa Funnell had to be called by her full name "Phillippa Funnell" while at the games in Athens.

The name Phillipa was perfectly appropriate for the equestrian events as in Greek it means "horse lover."

The reason for the change? The word Pippa in Greek evidently carries with it negative sexual connotations that would not have been appropriate for Greek broadcasters or stadium announcers to say.

September 21, 2004

Arestote, a 16 year old horse ridden by French rider Valerie Salles, collapsed and died just as it was entering the competition ring to begin the Paralympic dressage competition at the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Center

Salles had ridden the horse in competition at least since 2001. A preliminary examination has concluded that the horse died instantly of heart failure, but a more detailed investigation continues.

Salles was an equestrian rider thrown from her horse in 1996, and lost the use of both of her legs. She continued to compete in dressage competitions, overcoming a fall and broken arm last year to qualify for the 2004 Paralympic Games.

At the Olympic Games in August, the horse Over and Over, from Belgium ridden by Joris Vanspringel, broke a leg during the cross country portion of the event and had to be euthanized.

Paralympic Games Open in Athens

September 17, 2004

Athens welcomed its second games of the summer, with the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games today in Athens Olympic Stadium. Early participation estimates have been placed at just over 3800 athletes from 136 nations. The number of participating nations was lower than had been anticipated. Up to as many as 147 nations had been expected to enter participants in the games. Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar, Papua New-Guinea and Vanuatu all dropped out earlier in the week,

Paralympic officials plan to drug test about 700 of those athletes during the games, focusing track and field, cycling and powerlifting. Nine lifters were suspended for doping infractions at the previous games in Sydney.

Some confusion surrounded Taiwan's delegation to the games this week, and their leader, first lady Wu Shu-chen. Some Taiwanese news sources said that pressure was being exerted by Beijing to bar the first lady from being the official representative of the delegation.

Paralympic officials simply stated that she had erroneously been given the wrong credential, one reserved for national paralympic administrators. Wu is honorary chairwoman of the Chinese-Taipei Paralympic Committee. Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan claimed discrimination, the IPC said it was simply following the rules, and several other individuals who had been named team leader of their delegation (including Australia, South Africa, the United States, Germany and a few others) were also not entitled to the specific credential reserved for national paralympic administrators. Taiwanese staffers were still not satisfied, calling the slight "unendurable", and that they would not accept any switch in credentials.

Wu is disabled herself, after an assassination attempt on her husband in 1985, in which she was hit by a truck, and left paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

News sources are watching for any discourse or act of of cordiality between Wu and Deng Pufang, son of China's late leader Deng Xiaoping, president of the China Disabled Persons Federation and head of China's Paralympic Delegation. 

Sudan upset over Greece's refusal to admit Sudanese spectators

September 7, 2004

Agence France Presse and the BBC are reporting that Sudan will file a complaint in the European Court of Justice after several Sudanese citizens were detained in Greece during the Olympic Games.

The Sudanese claim the travelers reportedly had won travel and Olympic tickets in a lottery by a travel agent to go to the games. Greek authorities stated that the travelers did not have Olympic tickets, proof of where they would be staying, or enough funds for a stay. They were all stopped and detained in the Athens airport.

Sudan claims 24 people were arrested, Greece said they stopped and deported 18 Sudanese.

Sudan will claim violations of Article Nine of the Universal Human Rights Convention, and violations by Greece of the "civil, political, cultural, economic and social rights" provided for in the UN conventions.

August 31, 2004

The Greek government, via the Education Ministry, has purchased 50,000 tickets to give to schoolchildren and teachers in Athens in hopes of avoiding a repeat at the Paralympics of the sparse crowds on the first weekend of the Olympic Games.  The tickets will be for weekend and afternoon events, when children are out of school.

June 2, 2004

With complaints against security measures, volunteerism, sponsorship, and the managing of the environment, anarchist groups across Greece are calling for solidarity across Greece and the world, in an "Action Day against the Olympic games" June 19.

Anarchist flyers have been circulated calling for protests to "Sabotage the Olympic Games," stating "May the Olympic Games die in their birthplace."

The anarchists are calling for the protests to be "coordinated and strengthened against the Olympic games on June the 19th, and their destructive effects, by organizing manifestations, occupations, interventions and further more, in their cities inside and outside of Greece, in one major dynamic movement."  

IPC inspecting Athens preparations

February 12, 2004

The International Paralympic Committee is currently in Athens inspecting preparations for the Paralympic Games to be held in Athens September 17-28.

The IPC will be inspecting all aspects of the organization from venues to media services to transportation to food and will issue a statement at the end of the visit on Friday.

Thinking forward to the Winter Paralympic Games in Turin in 2006, dates have been preliminarily set for the games from March 10-19. A new section on the torino2006.org web site has been opened up dedicated to the Paralympic events.

Olympic Games shot put may be held in ancient Olympia: IOC to confirm

November 22, 2003

The organizing committee of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the IAAF have agreed to hold the shot put competition in the ancient stadium in Olympia as opposed to Athens. 

The IOC Executive Board still need to approve of the plan, which will be considered in meetings next month, and the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Authorities are also still involved in the discussions.

Early reports had only the men's event being held in Olympia. Now both the men's and women's shot put are included in the proposal.

All participants are to be housed at the International Olympic Academy which was begun at the site in 1961.

Special care is being taken to preserve the historic and archeological state of the stadium at Olympia. The event will be featured on television, but mostly portable television cameras will be used.  No temporary stands, video display screens or other construction is to be permitted.

Pescara to host 2009 Mediterranean Games

October 23, 2003

Pescara, Italy has been chosen over Patras, Greece and Rijeka, Croatia for the right to host the 2009 Mediterranean Games.

Rijeka, a candidate for the games for the third time, was eliminated in the first round of voting. Pescara finished second in the first round of voting (Patras 33, Pescara 27, Rijeka 22) but won 41 votes in the second round to 37 for Patras, with four abstentions. Because 41 votes was exactly 50 percent of the votes, and not a simple majority, a third round of voting was needed. Pescara won the third round 42 to 36.

The CIJM (Comité International des Jeux Méditerranéens) has also selected a new President, Amar Addadi of Algeria, after the resignation of long-time President Claude Collard, who stepped down for personal reasons.

Nine companies have applied for the opportunity to organize the opening and closing ceremonies. The winner will be selected by the end of 2003.

Mediterranean Games officials have also stated that they are pleased with the progress of work towards the organization of the 2005 Mediterranean Games scheduled for Almeria, Spain in 2005.

Athens Paralympic organizers meet with IPC

July 3, 2003

Athens 2004 and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) met last month for meetings of the 4th Paralympic Games Liaison Committee to discuss plans for the 2004 Paralympic Games.

The IPC was pleased with the organizing bodies progress in all areas, and efforts in Athens to make sure that all businesses were accessible to the disabled.

The IPC and the ATHENS 2004 Organizing Committee have decided together to cancel the 2004 Paralympic Congress. The Congress usually takes place prior to the Opening Ceremony of Paralympic Games.

There are three other congresses between now and Athens in which Paralympic issues will be a part. The VISTA 2003 Conference , the Pre-Olympic Congress and VII IOC World Congress on Sport Sciences.

After banning all intellectually disabled athletes from the Paralympic games due to the scandal in Sydney in 2000, the IPC has now decided that only exhibition events in athletics, swimming, basketball and table tennis will be allowed for intellectually disabled athletes in Athens.

Athens to create lab to test systems

August 2002

Athens 2004 Olympic Games organizers are building an "Integration Laboratory" in Athens which will run a sort of "virtual Olympics" to test all of its essential computer systems.

The lab will run simulations of all 36 sports, and all other essential services such as accreditation and room reservations and the dissemination of information to the press.

The tests will also train personnel, and the capability to run the equipment under a variety of conditions and non-ideal situations.

The planned system is being built with two networks at all venues with one main and two auxiliary systems.

The smooth running of information systems, especially results systems has been a difficult task at most international games for the past two decades, on that the media has complained about loudly.

Crowded Field for 2009 Mediterranean Games Bids

July, 2002

Several Italian cities, as well as cities in Greece, Egypt, Croatia, Morocco and Yugoslavia have shown an interest so far in bidding for the 2009 Mediterranean Games.

The list of Italian cities includes Cagliari, Catania, Genoa, Grosseto, Latina, Naples, Palermo, Pescara, Rimini, Trieste and Venice.

Egypt was bitterly disappointed when Cairo was dropped from the final round for the 2008 Olympic Games. Egypt's Olympic Committee chief Mounir Sabet said at the time: "We feel sad and are studying the reasons behind the decision." Sabet said Egypt would continue with its plans to build sports facilities and that Egypt "We will apply to host the 2009 Mediterranean Games."

Of the Olympic bid, Egypt's Youth and sports minister Ali el din Hilal said: "This is Egypt's first experience and we have benefited from it. Perhaps the first Olympic bid experience in recent memory for Egypt. Egypt also bid for the Olympic Games in 1916, 1936 and 1940 and hosted the 1951 Mediterranean Games, 1953 and 1965 Arab Games, and 1991 African Games.

Greece would use facilities from the 2004 Olympic Games in a proposed 2009 Mediterranean Games.

Spain is the host for the 2005 games in the city of Almeria.

The host for 2009 is scheduled to be chosen in 2003.