PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS

Burkett named VISTA 2013 keynote speaker
The Australian Paralympic champion and biomechanics professor will discuss changes in wheelchairs and prosthetic legs at the VISTA 2013 conference.

Fankhauser wins Swiss Paralympic Newcomer Award
London 2012 silver medallist Tobias Fankhauser was named the Swiss Paralympic Newcomer of 2012.

NHL’s Vanek gives boost to Austrian sledge team
NHL player Thomas Vanek donated equipment and resources to help his father’s ice sledge hockey team make their first World Championships.

Jamaica’s Cunningham receives prestigious award
London 2012 gold medallist Alphanso Cunningham was named the Most Outstanding Male Athlete with a Disability at the Commonwealth Sports Awards gala.

Mareike Adermann: Experiences never end
Germany’s Mareike Adermann says that her drive to succeed has not ceased just because she won gold at London 2012.

Hug wins 3rd consecutive Oita Marathon
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug and Japan’s Tsuchida Wakako won the men’s and women’s T34/53/54 titles at the Oita Marathon.
Scheffers contributes to Dutch double
The Netherlands’ Maikel Scheffers and Jiske Griffioen won the men’s and women’s singles competition at the Nottingham Indoor wheelchair tennis tournament.

Eriksson moves from Paralympic to Olympic coach
UK Athletics confirmed that Paralympic head coach Peter Eriksson will become the nation’s Olympic coach, effective immediately.
Haiti celebrates day of para-sport with Agitos Foundation
More than 700 people gathered in western Haiti to raise awareness and promote Paralympic sport.

Oita Marathon to take centre stage
Switerzland’s Marcel Hug and Heinz Frei, and Japan’s Soejima Masazumi and Tsuchida Wakako will all take to the start line on Sunday in Oita City.

Chalmers to 'Push Across America'
After seeing the electric atmosphere at London 2012, USA’s Ryan Chalmers wants to replicate that awareness of Paralympic sport back home with his “Push Across America.”

British medallists attend royal reception with Queen
Together with the country’s Olympic medallists, all of Great Britain’s London 2012 Paralympic medallists met with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.

Scheffers and Ellerbrock to headline Nottingham Indoor
Dutch world No. 2 and German world No. 3 Sabine Ellerbrock look to lead the field at this weekend’s Nottingham Indoor Wheelchair Tennis Tournament.

Sochi 2014 in sight
With 500 days until the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, here’s a brief rundown of winter sport events to keep your eyes on between now and then.

UK Athletics holding Talent Introduction Days
After the success Great Britain’s athletics team had at London 2012, the nation is fielding a search for the next wave of Paralympic athletes.

Great Britain wins 5 para-triathlon world titles
With para-triathlon now a part of the Paralympic Games programme, the sport’s World Championships on Monday were bigger than ever.

Stuart Lieberman: 500 days to Sochi 2014
With a growing interest in Paralympic sport, it is not all about the summer events. The IPC's Stuart Lieberman shares why the Paralympic Winter Games matter, too.

Sochi 2014 launches accessibility map
To mark 500 days until the next Paralympic Winter Games, the Sochi Organising Committee revealed its unique interactive internet project to help people with a disability.

Canada to select sledge hockey team
Hockey Canada is holding training camp this week in Trail, British Columbia to finalise the 2012-13 team roster.

Sochi 2014: 500 days out
With Tuesday (23 October) marking 500 days to go until Sochi 2014, IPC President Sir Philip Craven talks about how they could be a blueprint for future Winter Games.