Africa and Asia get Paralympic support

February 26, 2004 

The Dutch National Committee for International Co-operation and Sustainable Development (NCDO) will fund the "ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games Special Initiative" to the tune of half a million euros. The project hopes to stimulate more involvement in the Paralympic Games from several nations in Africa and Asia.

The project will provide Paralympic seminars, and athlete, coach and administrative development for National Paralympic Committees from Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, India and Pakistan.

The project is being sponsored by a coalition of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Dutch National Paralympic Committee and the Recreational Sports Development and Stimulation Organization (RESPO DS-DI).

Fanny Blankers-Koen dead at 85

January 26, 2004

Holland's Fanny Blankers-Koen, winner of four gold medals in the 1948 Olympic games in London died Sunday January 25th, at the age of 85. She had been in failing health for some time and was living with Alzheimer's disease.

Blankers-Koen competed at the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936, earning sixth place in the high jump and ran on the fifth place Dutch 4X100 relay team.

In between the '36 and '48 games, Blankers-Koen set numerous world records, but missed out on the opportunity, as did every athlete of the era, to compete in the 1940 and 1944 editions of the Olympic Games. 

  A statue of her was erected in her hometown after the 1948 Olympic triumphs. A track meet, the FBK games was eventually named after her as well as a stadium in Hengelo.

The IAAF named Blankers-Koen the best female athlete of the 20th century.

November 4, 2003

Shanghai, China invited several of its sister-cites to participate in athletics, swimming and synchronized swimming, November 2 and 3rd. Delegations from Busan, South Korea; Dunedin, New Zealand; Hamburg Germany; Liverpool, England; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Osaka, Japan, St. Petersburg, Russia, Vladivostok, Russia and Yokohama, Japan accepted invitations to the games.

Shanghai hopes to expand the games to include all of its sister cities in future editions.