Search

Placeholder Content Image

Outrage as Paralympian gets disqualified for "unfair" reason

<p>Elena Congost, had just finished the T12/B2 run in third place, but was disqualified and had the bronze medal taken from her, for this one simple move. </p> <p>The 36-year-old was running in the vision-impaired category with guide Mia Carol Bruguera. When her guide faltered with a cramp in the final metres before the finish line, Congost instinctively helped him from falling over and let go of the rope that binds them together.</p> <p>This is not allowed within Paralympic rules as all runners must be connected to their guide via a tether. </p> <p>As a result, Japan’s Misato Michishita was elevated to the bronze medal after finishing fourth.</p> <p>In a heartbreaking interview after the race, a devastated Congost said: “It’s unfair, surreal.” </p> <p>“The next athlete was three minutes behind me. It was just a reflex action that any human being would have done – holding on to someone who is falling.”</p> <p>“But that doesn’t mean that there is any kind of benefit or help. In fact, it is clear that I stop dead.</p> <p>“I can’t find any explanation for this. It’s sad because, in addition, I had just been without a scholarship. And I’m not going to get one now. They will leave me out of everything again when I have shown everything I can do.</p> <p>“I have not been disqualified for cheating, but for being a person, for helping someone.”</p> <p>In a separate interview with Spanish outlet Marca, she said that despite being disqualified, she is proud of her actions. </p> <p>“I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being a person and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and is to help or support them,” she said.</p> <p>“I’m devastated, to be honest, because I had the medal. I’m super proud of everything I’ve done and in the end they disqualify me because 10 metres from the finish line I let go of the rope for a second because a person next to me fell face first to the ground and I grabbed the rope again and we crossed the finish line.</p> <p>“The next athlete is three minutes away from me, so it was a reflex action of any human being to hold on to a person who is falling next to you.”</p> <p>Fans around the world were outraged at the disqualification verdict and have called for officials to overturn it. </p> <p>“Shame on you. Give the medal back to Elena Congost,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p> <p>“Where is the Olympic spirit? Elena Congost was disqualified after running 42km and helping her guide not to fall to the ground. She has lost the bronze medal and her sports scholarship. Disgusting," another wrote. </p> <p>"Give the medal to Elena Congost. This decision ruins the paralympics. How can you be called inclusive if you can’t help a person from falling?” a third added. </p> <p><em>Image: X</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

"It's a miracle that I'm living": Victory dance for Aussie Paralympic superstar

<p>Alexa Leary has emerged victorious at the Paralympic Games with a gold medal, three years after her life was changed from a horrific bike crash.</p> <p>In July 2021, Alexa was on a bike ride training as a triathlete when her front wheel clipped a bike in front of her, sending her flying form her bike at 70 kilometres an hour. </p> <p>Leary then underwent lifesaving surgery after the crash shattered her skull and left her unable to walk or talk, and spent 111 days in hospital. </p> <p>Now, the 23-year-old from the Sunshine Coast broke her own 100m freestyle world record on Thursday morning, walking away with a gold medal. </p> <p>"It's been a long, rough journey for me," Leary said at the Paris La Defense Arena.</p> <p>"It's a miracle that I'm living, and I'm walking and I'm talking. I was told that I never would three years ago, and I've just come so far."</p> <p>"I am so impressed with myself. I'm like, 'Lex, look how far you've actually come'.</p> <p>"It's not sad to talk about, but it's an emotional thing. My family is the reason why I'm here, and they're up there [in the stands] looking at me. Honestly, it's amazing."</p> <p>Alexa, who still struggles with memory problems and regulating her emotions, then shared how she kept at it in the pool as a recovery tool after her life-changing surgery, but found herself wanting to keep bettering her athletic ability. </p> <p>"I'm a passionate person," Alexa said after winning solo Paralympic gold.</p> <p>"When I want it, I'm going to go out and do it. I have to.</p> <p>"So I wanted to keep swimming for recovery. But I was like, 'Nah, I'm more than that!'."</p> <p>Alexa's parents, Belinda and Russ, watched their daughter's extraordinary win from the sidelines, reflecting on the haunting memories of Alexa's journey in hospital and how she came out the other side.</p> <p>Russ said, "I reckon she wanted that [gold medal] in her belly for three years. She wanted it. She got it. Unbelievable."</p> <p>Belinda added, "She's the same girl [post-accident], but everything's heightened, but all she ever wanted was to show people that anything is possible."</p> <p>"And what she's been through over the last three years, her thing is with a TBI [traumatic brain injury] anything is possible."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Disbelief as Aussie Paralympian stripped of medal

<p>Australian athlete Jaryd Clifford has been disqualified and stripped of his medal after officials stepped in at the end of the mens 5000m event in Paris. </p> <p>The 25-year-old runner crossed the line in third place, claiming a bronze medal and was celebrating with his team when the news came in of his disqualification. </p> <p>Paralympic officials claim the Aussie had dropped the tether which ties him to his guide moments before he had crossed the line in the men’s T13 final.</p> <p>Vision-impaired runners must hold onto the tether until they’ve finished the race in its entirety.</p> <p>Clifford, who was the only runner in the field to use a guide, was left visibly distraught after learning he had been disqualified and stripped of his bronze medal.</p> <p>“I went and saw mum and dad and my girlfriend and broke down,” Clifford said. </p> <p>“I had my little cry on the side of the track. If you talk about reacting to results as grief, I had my grieving moment." </p> <p>“Out on the track, I was a little bit numb, I’m still a bit numb … I am pretty shattered, to be honest, if I’m frank about it, we went in with the aim of winning gold.”</p> <p>He later wrote on social media, “I’m absolutely gutted that we made such a critical mistake today. Remaining tethered is a fundamental rule of guiding and I’m shattered that I lost my mind in those final metres. I’ve got so much more to give, I promise to bring everything for the 1500m on Tuesday.”</p> <p>Fans watching on couldn’t believe the Aussie had been stripped of the medal in a moment that had no impact on the final outcome of the race, as one person on X wrote: “So you run 4999 metres tethered and one not? That wouldn't affect the result of the race so the race rules are s**t.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Ulrik Pedersen/CSM/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Why aren’t the Olympics and Paralympics combined into one Games? The reasoning goes beyond logistics

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-misener-992664">Laura Misener</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> </em></p> <p>As the lights go out on an outstanding Olympic Games in Paris, with <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/7-in-10-canadians-tune-in-for-paris-2024">record-breaking media attention</a> and <a href="https://olympic.ca/press/paris-2024-team-canada-brings-home-historic-medal-haul/">excellent medal results for Team Canada</a>, it’s important to remember the Games aren’t over — it’s just the halfway mark.</p> <p>While the closing ceremonies on Aug. 11 seemed like the end of the event with the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/as-the-olympic-flame-heads-for-los-angeles-what-can-we-expect-from-the-2028-games-1.6997247">official handover to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Games</a>, the 2024 Games are really just on pause.</p> <p>This two-week break between Olympic and Paralympic Games isn’t a respite at all. Paris is now getting ready to host the Paralympic Games, which will <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/information/competition-schedule-for-the-paralympic-games">begin on Aug. 28 with the opening ceremony</a>.</p> <p>In two weeks, a whole new set of elite international athletes will descend on Paris for the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/sports/paralympic/">third largest sporting event</a> in the world. Canada will be sending <a href="https://paralympic.ca/news/team-of-126-canadian-athletes-set-to-compete-at-paris-2024-paralympic-games/">126 athletes to the Paris Paralympics</a> to compete in 18 sports.</p> <p>Staff will be working hard to set up venues for the Paralympic sports. This means tearing down some temporary venues and putting up others that facilitate accessibility for Paralympic sports, athletes and their entourage.</p> <p>Transforming <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/the-games/village">the village</a>, which housed just over 14,000 athletes and team personnel for the Olympics, to get it ready for the 8,000 para athletes and staff for the Paralympic Games is no simple feat.</p> <h2>A logistical nightmare</h2> <p>At this juncture, the question often arises as to why the Olympics and Paralympics aren’t combined together into one Games. The reasoning behind the decision is more complicated than it might appear.</p> <p>In 2001, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee signed the <a href="https://www.paralympic.org/feature/2-historic-one-bid-one-city-agreement">One Bid, One City</a> agreement to protect the interests of the Paralympic Games. The agreement requires host cities to stage both the Olympic and Paralympic Games using the same venues, facilities and infrastructure. This also unites the two sporting movements.</p> <p>The sheer size of such an event would make it impossible for almost any city to host a single combined Olympic and Paralympic Games. Consider the logistics of an event that would include approximately 15,000 athletes over 50 sporting disciplines.</p> <p>In the current iteration, there are already 15 cities outside of Paris playing host to events. For instance, sailing was <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/marseille-marina">held in Marseille</a>, shooting was <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/chateauroux-shooting-centre">held in Châteauroux</a> and the rowing and canoe-kayak events were <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/vaires-sur-marne-nautical-stadium">held in Vaires-sur-Marne</a>. Even a city with the resources and infrastructure of Paris could not, and would not, host an event of that size.</p> <p>Combining the games would necessitate a change in structure, and inevitably sports — likely Paralympic sports — would be dropped. Hence the two-week break between Games.</p> <h2>Paralympics deserve their own spotlight</h2> <p>The discussion about the separation of the two events goes much deeper than logistical concerns. Some supporters of the Paralympic Games see the need and value for a <a href="https://time.com/7004176/olympic-paralympic-games-separate/">separate event</a> that showcases and highlights elite athletes with disabilities.</p> <p>IPC President Andrew Parsons, for example, argues that hosting the Paralympic Games separately <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147694/merging-olympic-and-paralympic-games">focuses on their broader mission</a> of drawing attention to “issues of disability rights, accessibility, and broader areas of inclusion for the legacy of the event.”</p> <p>The distinct Paralympic event showcases the elite performances of Para athletes, giving them the attention and celebration deserved. All too often, Para athletes’ successes are overshadowed by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795221103410">tendency of media to prioritize non-disabled athletes</a>, often marginalizing or overlooking the achievements of athletes with disabilities.</p> <p>The challenge, then, is for the host city to maintain the momentum from the Olympics and ensure Paralympic athletes receive the recognition they deserve for their sporting successes. The Canadian Paralympic Committee launched their <a href="https://paralympic.ca/games/paris-2024/">Greatness Moves Us</a> campaign recently to highlight the stories of excellence of Paralympic athletes and galvanize support and viewership.</p> <h2>A lasting legacy</h2> <p>Ultimately, the Paralympic Games showcase elite sporting excellence in a way that no other event does. But the Games are about so much more — championing inclusion, disability rights and a lasting legacy of social change.</p> <p>Paris is an example of a city that has stepped up to the challenge. It put <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/travel/paris-olympics-accessibility-disabled.html">accessibility at the centre of its bid</a>, knowing full well the challenge ahead of them in the historic city.</p> <p>Leading into the Games, the city has made good on <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147595/paris-accessibility-paralympics-games">many promises around accessibility</a> and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities. The city upgraded the overground transportation network by adding fully accessible bus and tram lines, and introduced 1,000 accessible taxis.</p> <p>They also tackled some challenging tasks, such as upgrading historic venues into accessible sporting spaces. More than €10 million was allocated to improve the accessibility of six major sports facilities, including the <a href="https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/georges-vallerey-swimming-pool-reopens-after-renovation-work-27046">Georges Vallerey swimming pool</a> and the <a href="https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/the-pierre-de-coubertin-stadium-has-been-renovated-for-the-olympic-games-27211">Pierre de Coubertin stadium</a>.</p> <p>The aim is to sustain the momentum, not only between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but long after they conclude, with the goal of creating a more <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/our-commitments/promoting-the-role-of-sports/more-inclusive-society">inclusive society</a> in France.</p> <p>Leading up to the start of the Paralympics, there is some concern about whether the momentum will be there from a viewership perspective and spectators in the stands. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games set records for viewership in a Games that was largely devoid of spectators in the stand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p>American <a href="https://www.wkar.org/wkar-news/2022-01-17/opinion-sports-are-a-shared-human-experience-bringing-us-joy-and-drama-so-it-is-time-to-appreciate-the-paralympics-on-par-with-the-olympics">television network NBC</a> reported 15.5 million viewers per night for the 2020 Olympic Games, in contrast to 14 million viewers in total for the 2020 Paralympic Games.</p> <p>But many of us will be looking more at the momentum of the event to be a catalyst for inclusion, access and opportunity beyond the events. Once all the lights go out on the Games, it is the lasting legacy of social change that will be the ultimate judge of the success of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236670/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-misener-992664">Laura Misener</a>, Professor &amp; Director, School of Kinesiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: ALI HAIDER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-arent-the-olympics-and-paralympics-combined-into-one-games-the-reasoning-goes-beyond-logistics-236670">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Aussie gold medallist withdraws on eve of Paralympics to be with dying mother

<p>An Australian athlete has withdrawn from the Aussie Paralympic team just hours before the event is set to begin. </p> <p>Heath Davidson, a  37-year-old wheelchair tennis player from the Mornington Peninsula, announced on Monday night that he would not be making the trip to Paris for the Games as he will spend time with his mother who has been moved into palliative care.</p> <p>Davidson announced the news in a statement on Instagram, explaining his reasoning behind the "difficult decision". </p> <p>"I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the 2024 Paralympics. My mum has been admitted into palliative care and I want to be here at home with her during this time," he wrote. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_ISWSIz4r0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_ISWSIz4r0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Heath Davidson (@heathdavidson13)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The Aussie Paralympic team was quick to throw their support behind Davidson, with Australian Paralympic Team Chef de Mission Kate McLoughlin saying, “Heath is a much-loved member of the Australian Paralympic Team. He adds spark to the Village with his quick wit and cheery personality.”</p> <p>“We’ll miss having him here in Paris, but we all understand that family comes first and we know he’s made the right decision for himself and his family. We want Heath to know that every member of the team is wrapping their arms around him virtually from Paris.”</p> <p>The 2024 Games in Paris would've been Davidson's third Paralympics, after won gold in the wheelchair tennis doubles alongside Dylan Alcott at the Rio De Janeiro Games in 2016, with the pair then backing it up with a silver medal in Tokyo 2021. </p> <p><em>Image credits: SportsPressJP/AFLO/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

"You are terrible": Brutal comment that drove Paralympian to greatness

<p>From a young age, Paralympian Madison de Rozario knew that people treated her differently. </p> <p>"There's an enormous lack of expectation in what we [people with disabilities] are able to do in sport, in workplaces, in school," she told <em>9honey</em>. </p> <p>"It can be the death of potential … I didn't recognise that's what I was experiencing as a young kid."</p> <p>Born in Perth, Western Australia, De Rozario developed a neurological disease at just four-years-old and has used a wheelchair ever since.</p> <p>It didn't hold her back from playing sports with her two sisters, and now she is a Paralympic champion with six medals to her name - two golds, three silvers, and a bronze medal.</p> <p>De Rozario recalled how Frank Ponta – a silver medallist at the first ever Paralympics in 1960, an inaugural Australian Paralympic Hall of Famer, and coach to several Paralympic icons – helped her overcome her early doubts. </p> <p>"There was a lot of sympathy, a lot of pity, which I didn't recognise as pity at the time," she said. </p> <p>"And then there was Frank, and he had none of it."</p> <p>Ponta was part of a generation of para athletes that fought for recognition and support back when most Australia treated them as if they were invisible.</p> <p>She recalled how the first time Ponta saw her try to play basketball at just 12-years-old, he told her, "you are terrible at this sport".</p> <p>While it's not exactly what a young athlete would expect to hear, she acknowledged that she was terrible, but Ponta saw her potential.</p> <p>He dug an old racing wheelchair out of a storage cupboard, strapped her in and told her to go for a spin around the carpark. </p> <p>"It was way too big for me and I absolutely fell in love with it," she recalled. </p> <p>Not long after, Ponta was training her multiple times a week even in the toughest conditions.</p> <p>Not only did he believe in her, he <em>expected</em> her to achieve great things and that expectation changed everything. </p> <p>"I think he was the first person that didn't treat me carefully," she said. </p> <p>"He just treated me like an athlete."</p> <p>A year later, one of Ponta's protegees, Sauvage, took over De Rozario's coaching and helped her nab a last-minute spot at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.</p> <p>De Rozario debuted 48 years after Ponta and brought home the silver medal, the same medal he won at his debut. </p> <p>Ponta sadly died in 2011, a year before De Rozario competed in London, leaving behind a legacy for all para athletes to come.</p> <p>"I feel so just incredibly lucky that I had one of them in my corner. I didn't even realise it until he was gone," she said. </p> <p>"I feel so lucky that that's how my career started, with someone who just embodied all of those things that now as a 30-year-old, I hold very, very close."</p> <p>These memories help fuel her as she prepares for her fifth Paralympics in Paris this month. </p> <p>This year she hopes to make Ponta proud and be the inspiration to the next generation of para athletes. </p> <p>"That part still sits so restlessly in me," she said. </p> <p><em>Image: DARREN ENGLAND/EPA-EFE/ Shutterstock Editorial</em></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Hard to watch! Paralympic champion given the worst gifts ever

<p>A Spanish Paralympic cyclist has been given the worst trophy gifts in history, with his calm and collected reaction making waves online. </p> <p>Ricardo Ten Argiles was last week crowned world champion in three separate events at the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.</p> <p>During the post race ceremonies, he was presented with two gold medals, along with two very surprising gifts from the event's major sponsor: international watch company Tissot.</p> <p>The 47-year-old was gifted not one, but TWO watches in a fancy display case, despite having both his arms amputated at the forearm. </p> <p>A video of Ten keeping a straight face while being handed one of the watches has started to spread across the internet with more than 800,000 views.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Not a very well thought gift. <a href="https://t.co/hRhaTfnGsE">pic.twitter.com/hRhaTfnGsE</a></p> <p>— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) <a href="https://twitter.com/OutOfCycling/status/1691136594747469836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>One video shows Ten standing on the podium and exchanging some friendly words with an official as he holds the watch case tightly between his arms. </p> <p>Understandably, the mortifying moment has been met with outrage and black humour. </p> <p>The athlete himself has been laughing off the incident and has embraced the way his social media pages have exploded with comments.</p> <p>Many of the comments suggested that Ten regift the expensive watches at Christmas, while others wondered how officials at the event could've let the awkward gifts happen. </p> <p>Despite the outrage from fans, Ten responded to one news story about the “tactless blunder” by writing on Twitter, “I am very happy to have won two TISSOTs, one for each arm, but above all for what it means for Paralympic cycling, total inclusion of the sport at the highest level”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Twitter</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Sneaky twist in Olympic medallists' $20k bonus

<p>Australian athletes who won a medal at the Olympics or Paralympics in Tokyo this year are about to receive a major monetary bonus – but there is one catch.</p> <p>Australian athletes who finished on the podium at the Olympics in Tokyo will not receive the bonus of $20,000 if they retire after the Games.</p> <p>The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) gives a $20,000 cash bonus to Olympic gold medallists, while silver medallists and bronze medallists take home $15,000 and $10,000 respectively.</p> <p>The AOC has confirmed it will not give money to any athletes who are retiring after the Games – all for one exception. If the athlete is a Paralympian and they retire after the Games, they will still receive the bonus.</p> <p><strong>Medal Incentive Funding from AOC</strong></p> <p>The Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) is entirely funded by the AOC and is independent of the federal government.</p> <p>Set up as an annual athlete incentive scheme, an AOC statement says: ‘MIF aims to incentivise athletes to continue training, with the goal of representing Australia at the next Olympic Games, summer and winter,’</p> <p>The AOC statement explains the MIF is not available to athletes who stop competing at an elite level.</p> <p>‘Athletes must maintain appropriate training regimes with the intention of gaining national selection in the following year in order to receive the payment,’ the statement explains.</p> <p><strong>This rule does not apply to Australia’s Paralympians</strong></p> <p>However, this rule will not apply to Australia’s Paralympians.</p> <p>Sports Minister Richard Colbeck said: “Every Australian Paralympian who received a medal for their performance at the Tokyo Games will receive a bonus payment.”</p> <p>“This includes any athlete who is planning to retire,” he added.</p> <p>Only last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia’s Paralympic medallists will for the first time receive equivalent bonus payments to their Olympic counterparts.</p> <p>Speaking before the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister said the move recognised the “national significance” of the Paralympic team.</p> <p>Prior to Mr Morrison’s announcement, the Paralympic athletes did not receive any monetary bonuses for winning medals.</p> <p>This year’s Paralympics featured more than 4500 athletes representing 163 different countries.</p> <p>Australia finished seventh on the Tokyo Paralympic Games medal tally with 21 gold, 29 silver and 30 gold medals.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

Olympic and Paralympic athletes light up Sydney Opera House

<p>As the Paralympic cauldron was extinguished, celebrating the end of the Tokyo Games 2020 in the National Stadium on Sunday night, a show of another kind was unfolding on the sails of the Sydney Opera House.</p> <p>With various states of lockdown still affecting many in Australia, there was no chance for ticker tape parades and crowded streets of cheering supporters to celebrate our returning athletes.</p> <p>So, a modern twist for an age-old tradition was found. Athletes and their families everywhere – whether still in Tokyo, in quarantine back in Australia – could tune into a five-and-a-half-hour livestream like no other.</p> <p>All 665 of Australia's Paralympians and Olympians had their faces and names projected onto the Opera House sails for 30 seconds each, giving them their moment in the spotlight.</p> <p>Two official photographers captured thousands of photos from the livestream along with Olympic and Paralympic montages and ‘Thank you Tokyo’ shots, with every athlete to receive a personalised image as an Australian-made gift to remember their Tokyo experience.</p> <p><strong>Largest show of this kind at the Opera House</strong></p> <p>According to the NSW government this was the largest collection of images ever projected onto the Sydney Opera House.</p> <p>Working with the Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia, Sydney Opera House and The Electric Canvas, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet managed the project, collecting every athlete's image over two weeks then mapping them onto a design concept to fit the Opera House sails.</p> <p>The Games have been credited with giving people in every state and territory a positive boost and a break from the stress of lockdown and the seemingly never-ending coverage of COVID.</p> <p>Australia's athletes were impressive right to the end, with Madison de Rozario winning the women’s Paralympic marathon while teammate and marathon newcomer Jaryd Clifford, finished with a silver in the men's event on the final day.</p> <p>While the Games are nothing without the athletes, and they deserve their Opera House tribute, many of them will tell you their own lasting memories will be of the volunteers who for days on end stood in the heat and humidity directing busloads of competitors and officials.</p> <p>They were also making sure the fridges stayed full of water, or were simply charged with reminding every single person that passed through the security gates to "please, sanitise your hands".</p> <p><strong>Some of the best quotes of the Paralympic Games</strong></p> <p>As a final tribute, the Olympic Information Service in Tokyo compiled some of the best quotes of the Paralympic Games, which we share with you now as a final farewell:</p> <p><em>"I wouldn't change anything. I'd break my neck again if I could."</em> - Australian wheelchair rugby player, Richard Voris on "living the dream" after his friend accidentally jumped on his neck while swimming, leaving him quadriplegic.</p> <p><em>"When I modelled for (US fashion label) Tommy Hilfiger I had this realisation that this perfect body does not exist; only a handful of people have this type of body, this lifestyle. If you look around, all of us have little bumps and bruises all over us and we are all imperfect."</em> - US swimmer Haven Shepherd, who lost both her legs at 14 months old when her parents strapped a bomb to themselves and held her in their arms in an attempted family suicide in Vietnam.</p> <p><em>"I love what the Paralympics represents – it represents more than sport, it represents people with disability, succeeding in what they love, it gives us purpose, it gives us a passion, it changes cultures, changes perceptions. We can work, we can get jobs, we can be teachers, we can be mums, we can be dads, we can travel, we can be partners, we can have kids, we can do so much."</em> - Australia's tennis quad singles gold medalist Dylan Alcott, on the power of the Paralympics.</p> <p><em>"It was so good to have a female on the podium – that just happened to be me."</em> - British track cyclist Kadeena Cox who won the gold medal in the C1-5 750m team sprint, reflecting on being the only woman in the mixed team final.</p> <p><em>"I was literally swimming using one lung. I risked my life by coming here because my right lung is not functioning. But I came here to deliver a message representing millions of refugees around the world. There are thousands and thousands of disabled refugee athletes who are counting on me, so I didn't want to let them down."</em><br />- Syrian-born swimmer Ibrahim Al Hussein, representing the Refugee Paralympic Team, revealing he competed at Tokyo against the advice of his doctor.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

Aussie Olympians receive hefty bonuses from billionaire Harry Triguboff

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australian athletes who took home medals from the Tokyo Olympics are set to receive an additional bonus from billionaire Harry Triguboff AO, with athletes to be awarded an extra $5,000 per medal they won.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) revealed that Triguboff, the Meriton Managing Director, donated $645,000 to the organisation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The AOC said the donation was an “unsolicited gesture” and “unexpected bonus” for Australia’s top athletes.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Thank you Harry Triguboff AO! 👉<a href="https://t.co/TXDlTlqTGv">https://t.co/TXDlTlqTGv</a><br /><br />The <a href="https://twitter.com/MeritonGroup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MeritonGroup</a> Managing Director has donated $5,000 to each of the 99 Australian Olympic Team members who won 129 medals at the Tokyo Olympics. 🥇🥈🥉<br /><br />📸 Sam Ruttyn / <a href="https://twitter.com/dailytelegraph?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dailytelegraph</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TokyoTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TokyoTogether</a> <a href="https://t.co/7Ou2CI44aw">pic.twitter.com/7Ou2CI44aw</a></p> — AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) <a href="https://twitter.com/AUSOlympicTeam/status/1433379955094790148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Harry is hugely proud of what our team achieved in Tokyo, and for him to say ‘thank you’ in this way is hugely generous and most unexpected,” AOC President John Coates said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The donation is per medal, so for those Olympians whose efforts were rewarded with multiple medals, it will make coming home to family and friends all the sweeter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“On behalf of the AOC, and in particular our 99 medal winners, we say thank you Harry.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Triguboff, who has a fortune of $17.27 billion, stressed the importance of rewarding athletes during the pandemic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We are always successful at the Olympic Games. However, this time it was especially important because we are close to recession and many people have been impacted by the virus,” Triguboff said, per the AOC.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The medallists in Tokyo made us all very happy and we were glued to the television and were only thinking of our athletes during this difficult time.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news comes as pay disparities between Olympic and Paralympic athletes have come into the spotlight, with a SBS report revealing that Paralympians do not and have ever received the same performance bonus.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">The superhumans get nothing??? That’s a disgrace. <br />“Australian Olympians who won gold at the Tokyo Games received $20,000. Our Paralympians will get zero” <a href="https://t.co/OCd93DzXIW">https://t.co/OCd93DzXIW</a></p> — 🩴 Annie Parker 🩴 #SmashThePatriarchy #FullyVaxed (@annie_parker) <a href="https://twitter.com/annie_parker/status/1431553390706925573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since announced that Paralympic athletes who win medals at the Games would receive the same bonuses as Olympic athletes from now on.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gold medal winners will receive $20,000, while silver and bronze medallists will be awarded $15,000 and $10,000 respectively.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: AUS Olympic Team / Twitter</span></em></p>

Money & Banking

Placeholder Content Image

Calls to sack Kyle Sandilands after shocking Paralympics comments

<p>Radio host Kyle Sandilands was live on <em>KIIS FM</em> as he branded the Paralympics as “horrific” after watching the high-jump event and the soccer.</p> <p>“Players throwing themselves on the ground like sausages to block the ball” was how he described watching the soccer, going on to suggest “Shake it off” the popular Metro Station song be the theme song of the games.</p> <p>“Kyle’s comments are abhorrent, ignorant and ableist” Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John says as he calls for Kyle to be sacked from his role in broadcasting.</p> <p>“These comments are hurtful to disabled people. He needs to pull his head in and apologise to our athletes and the disability community”.</p> <p> </p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843652/kyle-sandilands-story-2-copy.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/682d36de8da342ce9e50b4d0a464c4d3" /></p> <p><em>Image: Twitter </em></p> <p>Australia sits eighth in the medal tally as Dylan Alcott’s semi-final win brought the audience to tears on Wednesday night.</p> <p>The 30-year-old tennis professional beat Dutch teen Niels Vink in what he described as “the best match of his life”. Moments like these have really won over millions of viewers across the world.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/KIIS1065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KIIS1065</a> How you can possibly not sack <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KyleSandilands?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KyleSandilands</a> after his abhorrent comments about our amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paralympians?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Paralympians</a>?! He needs to go IMMEDIATELY or you are obviously condoning his able-ist attitudes and comments!!! Hang your heads in shame for allowing this to happen!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KIIS1065?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KIIS1065</a></p> — Matt (@Matt62485467) <a href="https://twitter.com/Matt62485467/status/1433268824489402371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>While Kyle admitted to liking the “spirt of the contest” he quickly slapped down newsreader Brooklyn Ross who said Paralympians put in more effort than those able-bodied athletes.</p> <p>“You can be nice to handicapped athletes, but you don’t have to compare them to the non-handicapped. You don’t have to lift them up to be better than the non-handicapped” he said.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843653/kyle-sandilands-story-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6d7ce4e8a2e84059a922f1c5e276e1f8" /></p> <p><em>Dylan Alcott. Image: Getty.</em></p> <p>Kyle Sandilands has always been a controversial figure in the media and has previously been close to losing his job on the most popular radio show in Sydney.</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

World’s tallest athlete towering in Tokyo

<p>The world’s tallest athlete Morteza Mehrzad, who competes sitting down, is 246cm tall and he’s part of the Iranian men’s sitting volleyball team which is on track for back-to-back gold medals at the Paralympics.</p> <p>The middle-eastern nation has dominated the sport for decades — winning six of the past eight gold medals in the men’s game — but it’s the addition of Mehrzad which has made the team even more unbeatable.</p> <p>The 33-year-old is the second tallest man alive and the tallest Paralympian in history.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.12648221343875px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843638/tallest-athlete-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e7faee5aa18846fc80928421dc4af12c" /></p> <p>In a sport where players with a variety of ailments sit down and try to get the ball over the net which is approximately 1.15m off the floor, it’s very easy for Mehrzad.</p> <p>Iran will meet the sport’s other powerhouse Bosnia Herzegovina in the semi-finals on Thursday night in a rematch of the gold medal game in Rio four years ago.</p> <p>On that occasion, Mehrzad made the difference and Iran won the medal.</p> <p><strong>Iran’s coach asked Mehrzad to join</strong></p> <p>Iran’s coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani saw Mehrzad on a TV program about physical disorders and got in contact with him, asking him to join the team.</p> <p>He took up the sport nine years ago and made his international debut in 2016 and immediately started winning awards. He’s only improved, continuing to dominate at the Paralympics.</p> <p>Even sitting down, when Mehrzad raises his right arm, it reaches a height of 1.93 metres. When spiking — the term used to describe a forceful attacking shot to get the ball over the net — he can get his dominant hand up to 2.3m in the air.</p> <p><strong>It’s not all good news for the Iranian sports star</strong></p> <p>While it’s easy to see why Mehrzad would be happy with his progress, it isn’t all good news for the Iranian superstar.</p> <p>He suffers from acromegaly - a medical condition which arises from the brain’s pituitary gland producing too much growth hormone after the body’s growth plates have closed. By the age of 16 he was already over 1.9m tall.</p> <p>Mehrzad rarely stands up though because he seriously injured his pelvis in a bike accident as a teenager, meaning he now spends significant amounts of time either on crutches or in a wheelchair.</p> <p>His right leg has stopped growing and it’s about 15cm shorter than his left. The sad reality is that while he’s helping his teammates to win and bringing recognition to his country in Tokyo at the moment, his condition does not bode well for his long term future.</p> <p>A spokesperson for his team said: “His health is not going well. His health is currently declining because he’s getting taller. I think he’s still growing. The first time we saw him he could walk better but now he has to walk with crutches.”</p> <p>But now is a time for Mehrzad and his team to focus on the positives. Iran has won six gold medals and two silvers across the past eight Paralympics, and with Mehrzad’s help, it looks likely they’ll be heading home from these Games with some more medals as well.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Gold! Gold! Gold! Australia wins gold to lead the Paralympics

<p>The Paralympics have started in Tokyo and on the first day, Australia has won six gold medals, one silver and three bronze which puts us at the top of the medal tally.</p> <p>It was Australian cyclists who won the first two medals of the Games. Paige Greco and Emily Petricola both won their cycling events at the velodrome – the first two medals of the Games.</p> <p>The swimmers took things a step further with four golds to William Martin, Lakeisha Patterson and best mates Ben Popham and Rowan Crothers.</p> <p>Popham – who won both the men’s S8 100m freestyle - said to the media at the time: "I always tell my friends and family at home to not stress at the 50 if I'm not leading, and I quietly backed myself to reel 'em in but it still feels incredible."</p> <p>"I'm not sure the emotion's going to set in for a while," he added.</p> <p><strong>Winners talked about the positive effect of the Games</strong></p> <p>When talking to the media, our winners were full of inspiring messages for young people with disabilities, talking about how competing for the Games has transformed their lives.</p> <p>Rowan Crowthers, who won the S10 50m freestyle and suffers from cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease said: "When I was really young, my disability was so severe and I started with swimming to help my cerebral palsy as that kind of therapy.”</p> <p>"Back then, I hated it. I couldn't stand it”, he said.</p> <p>"If it wasn't for discovering the Paralympics, I never would have even come close to this. It's amazing to come up here and do this now and I've proved that I'm not just a person with a disability, I'm also an elite athlete," he added.</p> <p>Petricola said, after recording a world record at the Games, said she found her sport at a critical turning point in her life, kicking off a journey which has come to the point where she won her cycling event at the Games.</p> <p>She said "words can't describe" how grateful she was to Olympic rowing silver medallist Matt Ryan for suggesting she take up cycling and push for Tokyo and five-time Olympic cyclist Shane Kelly for his help along the way.</p> <p>"They've changed my life and they've saved my life," she said, before going on to thank her family and a long list of other supporters.</p> <p><strong>Excellence in the middle-distance swimming</strong></p> <p>The next events at the Paralympics were the middle-distance swimming and William Martin and Lakeisha Patterson took out the men's and women's S9 400m freestyle.</p> <p>Patterson powered home to win over Hungary's Zsofia Konkoly while Martin said he was just following his coach's instructions.</p> <p>"He told me to jump into this race as a bit of an introduction to the meet," said Martin, standing alongside bronze medal winning teammate Alexander Tuckfield.</p> <p>"I went alright, I guess I'll just do what I'm told, see how things go, and yeah, here we are."</p> <p>Patterson said: “All I could do was attack it from the start and hold on. It was such a good race by everyone. I knew I had it in me. I knew what I was capable of but to be able to finally put all the pieces together was really exciting.</p> <p>"It's been such a long, hard couple of years. So, it's just really really nice — oh my god, I told my couch I wasn't going to cry," she added.</p> <p>Still in the pool, Paige Leonhardt claimed silver in the S14 women's butterfly, just a second ahead of teammate Ruby Storm who won third.</p> <p>Benjamin James Hance finished third in the men's equivalent of the same race.</p> <p><em>Photos: Getty Images </em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

"This is why we do what we do": Paralympian responds to fan

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The announcement of Woolworth’s newest collectible promotion has resulted in a heartwarming moment for one little girl.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her mother took to Instagram to share her daughter’s “thrilled” reaction to the new Aussie Heroes collectables launched by the retailer last week.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharing a photo of the seven-year-old girl, Mia Stewart, wearing a prosthetic leg brace and smiling in front of a banner featuring a photograph of Paralympic swimmer Ellie Cole, Mia’s mother wrote: “Representation matters!”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRBJjEksog1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRBJjEksog1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mia Stewart (@miasbigadventure)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You have no idea how excited Mia was when she saw Ellie Cole at Woolworths today! She was beyond thrilled!” she continued.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“MUMMMM she has a leg like me!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mia’s Instagram biography states that the little girl suffers from Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD) and has had rotationplasty surgery.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The newest range of collectable items celebrates Australian Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the form of collectable stickers that customers can earn with select purchases.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Woolworths spokesperson has said they are “moved” by Mia’s story.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our goal with this collectable is to celebrate some of Australia’s greatest athletes and future champions, as well as inspire younger generations to live active and healthy lifestyles,” the spokesperson told </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/woolworths-new-collectables-spark-special-reaction-from-girl-7-080139721.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yahoo News Australia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We were moved by Mia’s story and her excitement to see Ellie in the collection.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Ellie exemplifies what the Aussie Heroes collection is all about and we’ll be cheering her on as she competes in the Tokyo Paralympics!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ellie has also shared Mia’s story on her own Instagram page, attracting supportive comments from dozens of athletes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sharing the same photo of Mia, Ellie wrote: “This is why we do what we do. My heart.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRAwT_jh0r-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CRAwT_jh0r-/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ellie Cole (@elliecoleswim)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mia’s mother responded to the post, saying that Mia has been avidly collecting the stickers in the hopes of getting one of her favourite Paralympian.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m not allowed to shop anywhere else until she gets an Ellie,” her mother wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ellie told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">News.com.au</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that Mia’s photo “really hit in the heart strings”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I was her age, I didn’t have any Paralympic role models, I didn’t even know that people with disabilities could play sport,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mia has also been given the chance to meet her idol on the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today Show</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Appearing on the breakfast show, Ellie spoke to Mia about the post and gave her some advice for the future.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Understand that you are unstoppable and just go for anything you want to,” she told Mia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked by host Richard Wilkins whether she’d like to be an Olympic swimmer like Ellie, Mia enthusiastically replied “yes”.</span></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Prince Harry refers to "darkest of places" in new Netflix documentary

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Prince Harry refers to the "darkest of places" in the latest Netflix documentary <em>Rising Phoenix</em>, which focuses on the creation of the Paralympics and the challenges competitors have faced.</p> <p>To promote the new documentary, Harry appeared via Zoom alongside other athletes.</p> <p>"There isn't anything else in the world that can bring you back from the darkest of places than sport," the Prince explained.</p> <p>Other athletes in the group included Tatyana McFadden and Matt Stutzman from the US, Bebe Vio from Italy, Jean-Baptiste Alaize from France and Ntando Mahlangu from South Africa.</p> <p>"With COVID and everything else that is happening at the moment, your stories and the strength that you guys show, is incredible and that needs to be seen more," the Duke of Sussex says.</p> <p>"It needs to be spoken about more, to try and get rid of the stereotyping to get rid of those preconceptions.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">The Duke of Sussex spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RisingPhoenix?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RisingPhoenix</a> stars <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmlessArcher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArmlessArcher</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jbalaize?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbalaize</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TatyanaMcFadden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TatyanaMcFadden</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VioBebe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VioBebe</a> and Ntando Mahlangu about the power of sport to change the world and the way we think.<br /><br />Rising Phoenix – the extraordinary story of the <a href="https://twitter.com/Paralympics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paralympics</a> - is out now on Netflix. <a href="https://t.co/Kzq0COg6RF">pic.twitter.com/Kzq0COg6RF</a></p> — HTYT Stories (@HTYTstories) <a href="https://twitter.com/HTYTstories/status/1301523211667099649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>"My biggest hope is that people will watch this film and go, 'No matter how hard my life is, no matter how hard a day or a week can be, this what I aspire to, not just for me but for my family and all the loved ones around me'.</p> <p>"It is that element that I think will end up changing the world, so well done and thank you very much."</p> <p>The Duke of Sussex is a long-time advocate for overcoming adversity as he created the Invictus Games, which gives wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women the chance to compete in sports to assist their recovery and rehabilitation.</p> <p><em>Rising Phoenix</em><span> </span>is now available to watch on Netflix.</p> </div> </div> </div>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Paralympic gold medallist dies by euthanasia at age 40

<p>Paralympian gold medallist Marieke Vervoort has passed away by euthanasia at the age of 40, 11 years after making a promise to herself.</p> <p>The Belgian Paralympian suffered from an incurable degenerative spinal condition which was diagnosed at the age of 21.</p> <p>The diagnosis followed years of pain, and Vervoort continued to suffer after receiving her diagnosis.</p> <p>"I know how I feel now, but I don't know how I'll feel after half an hour," she says. "It can be that I feel very, very bad, I get an epileptic attack, I cry, I scream because of pain. I need a lot of painkillers, valium, morphine,” she told<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/50150513" target="_blank">the BBC.</a></em></p> <p>"A lot of people ask me how is it possible that you can have such good results and still be smiling with all the pain and medication that eats your muscles. For me, sports, and racing with a wheelchair - it's a kind of medication."</p> <p>Vervoort was a strong advocate for euthanasia, as she first signed the documents necessary back in 2008, just six years after euthanasia was made legal in Belgium.</p> <p>"I was a very depressed person. I was thinking about how I was going to kill myself,” she said.</p> <p>"All those people who get those papers here in Belgium – they have a good feeling. They don't have to die in pain.</p> <p>"They can choose a moment, and be with the people they want to be with. With euthanasia you're sure that you will have a soft, beautiful death."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3x0kvcH4ud/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3x0kvcH4ud/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Can’t forget the good memories!</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/wielemie.marieke.vervoort/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Marieke Vervoort</a> (@wielemie.marieke.vervoort) on Oct 18, 2019 at 4:45pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>A statement from the Belgian Paralympic Committee and IPC called her a “source of inspiration in our society”.</p> <p>"We will not forget Marieke Vervoort's great sporting achievements, as well as her courage in the face of illness," said President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee, Anne d'Ieteren.</p> <p>Marc Vergauwen, Secretary General of the Belgian Paralympic Committee, shared the same sentiment.</p> <p>“Marieke Vervoort brought the disabled into the light with her two medals at the London Paralympic Games.</p> <p>"Her performances as well as her spontaneous interviews after her races generated great media attention for Paralympic sport in Belgium and were a source of inspiration for our society."</p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Sophie Delezio is all grown up

<p>Sophie Delezio, 15, has been through more hardship in her short life than most of us deal with in a lifetime.</p> <p>In 2003, the world was rocked by the news that the then two-year-old had been trapped under a burning car, which ploughed into the daycare she attended. Delezio suffered burns to 85 per cent of her body and lost both her feet, one hand and her right ear. However, sadly, the tragedy didn’t end there.</p> <p>Less than three years later, Delezio was involved in another accident, when she was struck by a car while crossing the road in a wheelchair. She was thrown almost 20m, breaking her jaw, collarbone, ribs, two vertebrae, puncturing her lungs and suffering a brain injury.</p> <p>In the face of so much misfortune, Delezio defied the odds and continued fighting. And just look at her now!</p> <p><img width="500" height="285" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/20691/1_500x285.jpg" alt="1 (127)"/></p> <p>The now-15-year-old is looking happier and healthier than ever before, and is working towards achieving her goal of participating in the 2020 Paralympics for rowing. “I now only have one operation a year and go to hospital 15-20 times a year, sometimes even less. It is weird to look back when I used to go every second day,” she told <a href="https://au.tv.yahoo.com/the-morning-show/video/watch/31618818/sophie-delezio-carolyn-martin-day-of-difference-foundation/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Morning Show</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/20690/2_497x280.jpg" alt="2 (130)"/></p> <p>“On one level it’s very normal in terms of living life,” Delezio’s mother Carolyn Martin said. “Sophie just gets on with it just like any other child, she just has more time and planning involved.”</p> <p>To help the 1,000 children who are hospitalised every week in Australia, the Delezio family set up the Day of Difference foundation in 2004. To find out more information about the organisation and their great work, <a href="http://dayofdifference.org.au/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">click here</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><em>Images: The Morning Show</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/89-year-old-abseils-21-storey-building/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">89-year-old abseils 21-storey building</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/99-year-old-couple-still-volunteering-at-salvation-army/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>99-year Brisbane couple still volunteering at the Salvation Army</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/the-new-fred-hollows-foundation-ad-will-make-you-cry/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The new Fred Hollows Foundation ad will make you cry</strong></em></span></a></p>

News

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.