Paralympic Games 2012- Sitting Volleyball

Where: ExCeL
When: Thursday 30 Aug – Saturday 8 Sept 2012
Medal events: 2
Athletes: 198 (110 men, 88 women; 10 men's teams and 8 women's teams)

Sitting Volleyball emerged in the Netherlands in the 1950s, a combination of Volleyball and a German game called Sitzbal. It really began to increase in popularity during the 1960s, and has since grown into one of the most fast-paced and exciting Paralympic sports. Now played by athletes in more than 50 countries around the world, the sport should draw big crowds at London 2012.

The Basics
Sitting Volleyball is played by two teams of six on a 10m x 6m indoor court divided by a net (1.15m high for men, 1.05m for women). The object of the game is to land the ball in the opposition’s half of the court, with each team allowed three touches of the ball (in addition to a legal block) before it must cross over the net.

Matches are the best of five sets, with the first four sets played as the first to 25points; if a fifth set is necessary, it is won by the first team to reach 15 points. In all sets, a margin of at least two points is required for victory.

At London 2012, both the men’s and women’s events will begin with a round-robin group stage: the 10 men’s teams will be divided into two groups of five teams, with the eight women’s teams divided into groups of four. In the men’s competition, the top four teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals, from which point the competition will be conducted to a knockout format. For the women’s event, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, with the winning semi-finalists then facing off for the gold.

Sitting Volleyball – Past & Present
Sitting Volleyball made its debut as a Paralympic medal sport at the Arnhem 1980 Games. A women’s event was added to the Paralympic programme in 2004.

At London 2012, the Sitting Volleyball competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Paralympic and Olympic sports.

Jargon Buster
Block: Preventing the attacking ball to come over the net by forming a ‘wall’ of hands at the net.
Dig: A defensive passing shot from close to the ground.
Setter: The player who ‘sets’ the ball for the attacker, usually on the second of the team’s three permitted shots.
Wipe: To return the ball off an opposing block so it lands out of bound




Courtesy of http://www.london2012.com

Paralympic Games 2012- Table Tennis

Where ExCeL
When: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal Events: 29
Athletes: 276 (174 men, 102 women)

Table Tennis has come a long way from its origins in the late nineteenth century, when it developed as an after-dinner game played by upper-class English families. A permanent part of the Paralympic programme since the first Games in 1960, the sport blends power, speed, skill and subtlety – no wonder it is the biggest participation sport in the world.

The Basics
Table Tennis is based on the same basic principles as Tennis, but it has a very different scoring system. At the Paralympic Games, matches are played over the best of five games, with the first player to 11 points (by a margin of two clear points) winning each game. The programme includes individual and team events for both standing players and wheelchair athletes.

At London 2012, all individual events will begin with a group qualification stage followed by a knockout competition, with athletes progressing through the draw until the finals. The team events will be conducted according to a direct knockout format.

A total of 11 different classifications are used in Table Tennis at the Paralympic Games. Classes 1-5 cover wheelchair athletes, classes 6-10 cover standing athletes, and class 11 covers athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Paralympic Table Tennis – Past & Present
Table Tennis has been part of the Paralympic programme since the first Games at Rome in 1960 (28 years before the sport made its Olympic debut). Events for standing players were first included at the Toronto 1976 Games, while athletes with cerebral palsy took part for the first time at Moscow in 1980.

At London 2012, the Table Tennis competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Paralympic and Olympic sports.

Jargon Buster
Blade: The flat, rigid part of the racket used for striking the ball.
Loop: An attacking shot, often played with plenty of topspin.
Penhold: A type of grip where the racket is held as if it was a pen.
Let: As well as service lets (similar to Tennis), a let may be called if play is interrupted – for example, by a ball from another table entering the playing area. If this happens, the rally is replayed.
Time-out: Each player may claim a time-out of up to one minute during an individual match.



Courtesy of http://www.london2012.com

Paralympic Games 2012 - Powerlifting

Where: ExCeL
When: Thursday 30th Aug – Wednesday 5th Sept 2012
Medal Events: 20
Athletes: 200 (120 men, 80 women)

With athletes from more than 100 countries now involved in international competition, Paralympic Powerlifting is one of the world’s fastest growing sports. The bench-press contest offers a tense and dramatic sporting spectacle, as athletes battle to lift more weight than their rivals.

The Basics
In Powerlifting, athletes must meet a minimum eligibility criteria based on their impairment. They are then grouped by bodyweight for competition, which means athletes with different impairments compete for the same medals. There are 10 different weight categories for men and women

Powerlifters must lower the bench-press bar to their chest, hold it motionless, and then press it upwards to arm’s length while keeping their elbows locked. Athletes are given three attempts, and the winner is the athlete who lifts the largest weight (measured in kilograms).

Paralympic Powerlifting - Past & Present
After its initial introduction to the Paralympic Games at Tokyo in 1964, when it was billed as Weightlifting, the sport now known as Powerlifting underwent a major transition, expanding to include athletes with cerebral palsy or spinal injuries, lower-limb amputees and ‘les autres’ (‘the other’ disability groups). Women made their Paralympic Powerlifting debut at Sydney 2000, and the sport has continued to grow at a rapid rate ever since.

For London 2012, the Powerlifting competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Paralympic and Olympic sports.

Jargon Buster
- Bench: The bench stands no more than 0.5m high and must be at least 0.61m wide.

- Commencement and completion: The start and end of each lift, indicated respectively by a downward or upward arm motion from the chief referee.

- Platform: The field of play, measuring at least 2.5m x 2.5m and no more than 4m x 4m.




Courtesy of http://www.london2012.com

Paralympic Games 2012 - Judo

Where: ExCeL
When: Thursday 30th Aug – Saturday 1st Sept 2012

Medal Events: 13

Athletes: 132 (84 men, 48 women)

Developed from jujitsu and established as a sport in the late 19th century by Dr Jigoro Kano, Judo requires athletes to employ an intricate mix of attack and defence. Contested at the Paralympic Games by visually impaired athletes, the sport’s one-on-one battles can be tough, tense and explosive, as competitors grapple for command against determined opponents.

The Basics
Judo contests last five minutes, with scores awarded for different throws and holds. However, a contest ends immediately if a competitor is awarded ‘ippon’ – the maximum score. If the scores are tied after five minutes, the contest enters a golden score period, when the first score of any sort wins. At the Paralympic Games, the main difference from other top-level Judo competition is that judoka (athletes), who all have visual impairments, are allowed to have contact with their opponent before each contest begins.

All of the Judo events at the London 2012 Paralympic Games will be played in a knockout format with double repechage, and will end with two finalists going head to head in the gold medal contest. Athletes who have previously been defeated by these two finalists will compete in repechage contests, with the winners of the repechage table finals fighting the losers from the opposite tables for the two bronze medals.

Paralympic Games Judo Past & Present
Judo first featured on the Paralympic programme at Seoul 1988, with women’s events introduced 16 years later in Athens. The programme now features seven medal events for men and six for women, covering a range of weight categories.

At London 2012, the Paralympic Judo competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Jargon Buster
- Hajime: The referee's command to start a contest.

- Judogi: A judo uniform.

- Judoka: A competitor.

- Tatami: The mat.




Courtesy of http://www.london2012.com

Paralympic Games 2012 - Boccia

Where: ExCeL

When: Sunday 2nd Sept – Saturday 8th Sept 2012

Medal Events: 7

Athletes: 104

Believed to have Ancient Greek origins, Boccia is a tough test of nerve, tactics and skill. Played on a rectangular court by individuals, pairs and teams, the sport offers both tension and excitement, as athletes aim to land balls close to a target ball, across a series of demanding ends.

The Basics
The aim of the sport is to propel balls so they finish as close as possible to a special white target ball, known as the ‘jack’. Each player, pair or team gets six balls on each end. At the close of each end, the athlete, pair or team whose ball is closest to the jack scores one point, and receives an additional point for every ball that sits closer to the jack than the opposition’s closest ball. Individual and pairs matches consist of four ends, while team events are held over six ends.

Boccia is played by wheelchair athletes with cerebral palsy and related locomotor conditions, with players required to be in a seated position within a throwing box at one end of the playing court. The classification system ensures an even playing field for athletes to compete against others with similar disabilities.

There are four classes in total. BC1 class athletes may have an assistant to perform actions such as handing them the boccia balls, BC2 class athletes require no assistance on court and BC3 class athletes deliver each ball by using a ramp and have a sports assistant who they instruct to position the ramp for each delivery. BC4 athletes often use an underhand pendulum swing to release the ball.

Paralympics Boccia – Past & Present
Boccia was introduced to the Paralympic programme at the New York and Stoke Mandeville 1984 Games. Today, there are seven medal events on the programme, all of which are open to athletes of either gender. The sport is currently played competitively in more than 50 countries worldwide.

For London 2012, the Boccia competition will be held at ExCeL, a multi-purpose events venue that will also host a number of other Paralympic and Olympic sports.

Jargon Buster
Court: The playing area, measuring 12.5m x 6m.

End: A passage of play that features six balls per athlete, pair or team.

Jack: The white target ball; competitors aim to land their balls as close to the jack as possible.



Courtesy of http://www.london2012.com

My experimence of the No Limits 2008 show

I was travelling from Cheam, Surrey to No Limits show which was held at the Excel Centre in the Docklands. I used the train and tube to get to Canary Wharf on the way there. Then I went to Heron Quays DLR station. The lift to the platform was out of order, so it meant I had to travel the other direction one stop and then return. I did this, but the route between the platforms was terrible. There was no obvious or well signed route between the platform and the dropped curbs were blocked off due to road works. However the route between platforms is covered under DDA part 3, as tested in the Central Trains v Roads case. I then proceeded to Customs House DLR station and walked to the Excel Centre.
Overall the DLR, which is meant to be a state of the art, fully accessible railway, was not accessible at all, in my opinion.- for various reasons e.g. Lack of colour contrast, lift dimensions were too small, poor platform marking etc.
I think the DLR needs to take a good look at its access and make changes accordingly, as accessibility was achieved when it was built, however it should surely evolve with time.
The show itself was a disappointment. Mainly, due to the lack of disabled visitors. In my opinion, the reason for this was because of the poor location of the Excel centre, as it is not easy to get to.