PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS

Sir Philip Craven meets French President Hollande during Paris visit
French President was keen to learn more about the impact and legacy a Paralympic Games can have.

No. 11 Young para-alpine skiers win big in Sochi
Nearly half of all gold medallists in para-alpine skiing at Sochi 2014 were under the age of 23, showing the sport has a bright future ahead of it.

FEI elect new President and host awards ceremony
Belgian Ingmar De Vos is the new FEI President whilst Sydney Collier and her service dog Journey picked up the Against All Odds award.
Richard Browne named USATF Para-Athlete of the Year
London 2012 silver medallist picked up the award after a tremendous 2014 which saw him go undefeated and set a new 200m T44 world record.

No. 4 Petushkov shows impossible is nothing
Russian Nordic skier Roman Petushkov triumphed an unprecedented six times at his home Paralympic Winter Games at Sochi 2014.

NPC Sierra Leone develop strategic plan
Nine people gathered to take part in a workshop, where they began to develop the strategic plan for the country’s National Paralympic Committee.

No. 12 Amy Purdy raises profile of para-sport in USA
Paralympic bronze medallist Amy Purdy shot to fame in the USA in 2014, creating more awareness for the Paralympic Movement – an achievement marked in the IPC’s Top 50 Moments of 2014.

Selection process underway for Rio 2016 volunteers
More than 240,000 people applied for 70,000 positions, with strong interest from the USA, Russia, China and Great Britain.

Great results for Russia, Germany at alpine Europa Cup
Skiers have been competing in giant slalom events in Kuhtai, Austria, as they prepare for the 2015 Worlds.

Golden para-cycling success for Kiwis in Melbourne
Cyclists amassed vital ualifying points for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

British Paralympic Association celebrates 25 years
One of the IPC’s first NPCs also awarded a lifetime achievement award to Caz Walton.

Paralympic champions Redkozubov and Rothfuss claim Europa Cup wins
Skiers tackled the slalom on the first day of the IPC Alpine Skiing Europa Cup in Kuhtai, Austria on Friday (19 December).

IPC joins World Olympians Association’s #TargetEbola campaign
Paralympic Movement’s global governing body joins a growing list of sporting bodies backing the initiative
Australia bag two golds at ISAF Sailing World Cup
Paralympic champions Fitzgibbon and Tesch took SKUD18 gold whilst Bugg dominated the 2.4mR class.

How much does a wheelchair curling stone weigh?
A regular stone is made out of special granite from the Scottish Island Ailsa Craig and weighs 19.96kg.

Denis Toomey announced as Chef de Mission for 2016 Irish Paralympic Team
President of Cycling Ireland will spearhead the Irish team at Rio 2016

No. 14 Brazil springs a surprise and wins World Championships silver
Against all odds, Brazil won silver at the 2014 World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball Championships in Elblag, Poland.
Suzuki to make season debut in Kuhtai
Japanese sit-skier Takeshi Suzuki won his first Paralympic gold at Sochi 2014, on the anniversary of losing his legs, and will return to the snow at the Europa Cup.

The logistics of global para-equestrian
Team Australia give an insight in to the challenges faced taking part in global para-equestrian competition.
Americas NPCs take part in workshops on classification and coaching
Final “Road TO15: Agitos Foundation Sessions” event is held in Mexico City and attracts nearly 75 participants from 17 National Paralympic Committees.