Bonn, Germany - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced today that two Ukrainian athletes in the sport of Powerlifting, tested positive for a Prohibited Substance and a sanction of two years ineligibility was imposed for their first doping offence.

On 28 September, the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) launched an online educational tool that reaches out to schools and universities throughout Canada.

Last week, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) conducted its first site inspection visit to one of the two bid cities for the 2010 IPC Athletics World Championships.

On 25 September, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) and Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. Ltd (BOB) signed the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Broadcasting Agreements with China Central Television (CCTV) and Beijing Television (BTV). BOCOG Executive Vice-President Jiang Xiaoyu and BOB General Manager Manolo Romero were present at the signing ceremony in Beijing, China.

The Next Step 2007 Conference, hosted by UK Sport and the Namibian Government, took place from 19 to 22 September in Windhoek, Namibia.

Bonn, Germany - From 6 to 17 September 2008, the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will take place in Beijing, China. Around 3,500 media representatives are expected to cover the Games. In the course of the preparation for this unique event, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) are collaborating to ensure a successful media accreditation process.

Last week, Classfication was the central topic during four days of meetings at the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Headquarters in Bonn, Germany.

Yesterday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that its Executive Committee approved the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods for 2008.

On 21 September, around 750 employees of the world class-ship builder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) gathered, together with their families and friends, at the FSG shipyard in Flensburg, Germany, to participate in the official launch of the first vessel built for Canadian shipping company B.C. Ferries.

The 2008 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport (ICSEMIS) is the successor of the Pre-Olympic Congresses and the Paralympic Congress, and will be held in Guangzhou, China, from 1 to 5 August 2008, themed "Sport Sciences and Harmonious Society in the 21st Century".