Whirling, spinning, reaching and flexing - Japanese wheelchair dancer Kenta Kambara's emotive performances are wordless testimony to artistic passion and possibility.

Paralympic wheelchair dancer aims to perform at Tokyo Olympic games

Iranian Paralympic cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad died Saturday after crashing in the C4-5 race.&nbsp; 
 
The 48-year-old athlete fell in the first section of a mountainous descent. 
 
The International Paralympic Committee said the athlete received immediate treatment at the site but died of his injuries while being transported to hospital.&nbsp; 
 
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) spokesman Craig Spence told reporters, &quot;The athlete received treatment at the scene and was in the process of being taken to the athlete hospital when he suffered a cardiac arrest. The ambulance then diverted to the nearby Unimed Rio Hospital in Barra where he passed away soon after arrival.&quot; 
 
Paralympic officials broke the news to Golbarnezhad&#39;s family in Iran. His teammates too were shocked to hear the news during a meeting at the Athletes&#39; Village. 
 
&quot;The Paralympic Family is united in grief at this horrendous tragedy, which casts a shadow over what have been great Paralympic Games here in Rio,&quot; said IPC President Philip Craven, calling it a sad news for the sport.&nbsp; 
 
The Iranian flag was lowered to half-mast in the Paralympic Village to honour Golbarnezhad. A minute of silence will be held during Sunday&#39;s closing ceremony. 
 
The cyclist, who wore a prosthesis on his left leg, took up the sport in 2002 and competed at the London 2012 Paralympics. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The Iranian flag was lowered to half-mast in the paralympic village, a minute's silence will be held during Sunday's closing ceremony

Iranian Paralympic cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad died Saturday after crashing in the C4-5 race. The 48-year-old athlete fell in the first section of a mountainous descent. The International Paralympic Committee said the athlete received immediate treatment at the site but died of his injuries while being transported to hospital. International Paralympic Committee (IPC) spokesman Craig Spence told reporters, "The athlete received treatment at the scene and was in the process of being taken to the athlete hospital when he suffered a cardiac arrest. The ambulance then diverted to the nearby Unimed Rio Hospital in Barra where he passed away soon after arrival." Paralympic officials broke the news to Golbarnezhad's family in Iran. His teammates too were shocked to hear the news during a meeting at the Athletes' Village. "The Paralympic Family is united in grief at this horrendous tragedy, which casts a shadow over what have been great Paralympic Games here in Rio," said IPC President Philip Craven, calling it a sad news for the sport. The Iranian flag was lowered to half-mast in the Paralympic Village to honour Golbarnezhad. A minute of silence will be held during Sunday's closing ceremony. The cyclist, who wore a prosthesis on his left leg, took up the sport in 2002 and competed at the London 2012 Paralympics. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Rio Paralympics: Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad dies in crash

Belgian Paralympian Marieke Vervoort has said she will not be choosing euthanasia yet. 
 
Belgian local media reported last week that Vervoort was considering euthanasia after Rio Games, but the Paralympian has denied the reports. 
 
The 37-year-old, who suffers from a degenerative spinal condition, signed euthanasia papers in 2008 in Belgium. 
 
Belgium legalised euthanasia in 2002. Signing the papers does not mean that a patient has to end their life immediately. 
 
&quot;I have my (euthanasia) papers in my hand, but I&#39;m still enjoying every little moment,&quot; Vervoort told reporters.&nbsp;She won a silver medal in the 400 metres wheelchair race on Saturday in Rio. She &nbsp;said the time for euthanasia will come when she has &quot;more bad days than good days but the time is not there yet&quot;. 
 
Vervoort was diagnosed with the degenerative condition when she was a teenager. 
 
She won a Paralympic gold in 100m and silver in 200m sprints in 2012 London Games. 
 
The athlete has said that Rio Games is her last competition. 
 
She hopes other countries will consider euthanasia. &quot;It makes people live longer. It doesn&#39;t mean that when people sign the papers, they have to die two weeks later. I signed my papers in 2008. Look now, 2016 and I won the silver medal. Now my fear of death is gone. Assisted death is something like they operate on you, you go to sleep and never wake. It feels like it will be peaceful. I don&#39;t want to suffer when I die.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The 37-year-old signed euthanasia papers in 2008 but said she is 'still enjoying every little moment'

Belgian Paralympian Marieke Vervoort has said she will not be choosing euthanasia yet. Belgian local media reported last week that Vervoort was considering euthanasia after Rio Games, but the Paralympian has denied the reports. The 37-year-old, who suffers from a degenerative spinal condition, signed euthanasia papers in 2008 in Belgium. Belgium legalised euthanasia in 2002. Signing the papers does not mean that a patient has to end their life immediately. "I have my (euthanasia) papers in my hand, but I'm still enjoying every little moment," Vervoort told reporters. She won a silver medal in the 400 metres wheelchair race on Saturday in Rio. She said the time for euthanasia will come when she has "more bad days than good days but the time is not there yet". Vervoort was diagnosed with the degenerative condition when she was a teenager. She won a Paralympic gold in 100m and silver in 200m sprints in 2012 London Games. The athlete has said that Rio Games is her last competition. She hopes other countries will consider euthanasia. "It makes people live longer. It doesn't mean that when people sign the papers, they have to die two weeks later. I signed my papers in 2008. Look now, 2016 and I won the silver medal. Now my fear of death is gone. Assisted death is something like they operate on you, you go to sleep and never wake. It feels like it will be peaceful. I don't want to suffer when I die." (WION with inputs from agencies)

Belgian Paralympian Vervoort says not ready for euthanasia yet

Rio de Janeiro set aside worries over finances, ticket sales and politics for a spectacular opening show Wednesday welcoming thousands of athletes to the start of the&nbsp;Paralympics.

Blind, missing limbs or partially paralyzed, the world&#39;s toughest and most competitive disabled were to parade in the famed Maracana football stadium ahead of 11 days of contests.

For Rio, the&nbsp;Paralympics, coming right after a vibrant, but sometimes tricky Olympics, are one more challenge in a period of deep recession and political instability.

But all those worries were to be set aside for the sporting extravaganza where top stars include Iranian powerlifter Siamand Rahman, Britain&#39;s wheelchair racer David Weir and China&#39;s blind sprinter Liu Cuiqing.

&quot;These are going to be the people&#39;s Games. You can&#39;t come to a more passionate people for sport,&quot; International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven said at a press conference Wednesday in Rio.

He said that 4,342 athletes from 159 countries, plus members of the international refugee team, were taking part and quipped: &quot;All I saw were happy athletes in the Village.&quot;

Noting that the Games would be broadcast in 154 countries, Craven said the&nbsp;Paralympics&nbsp;had the power to change the way people around the world think about the disabled.

&quot;That&#39;s where transformation happens,&quot; he said. 
 
Olympics chief controversy

However, controversy hung over the opening ceremony after confirmation that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will not be attending. This would be the first absence of an IOC chief since the 1984 Summer Games.

Bach is reportedly due at a mourning ceremony in Berlin for the late West German president, Walter Scheel. South African IOC member Sam Ramsamy was taking Bach&#39;s place.

However, there have been suggestions that the no-show has to do with divisions over the Paralympic committee&#39;s outright ban on Russian athletes after allegations of a state-sanctioned doping program and the IOC&#39;s relatively softer line.

&quot;Whether there&#39;s anything else -- I don&#39;t know if there&#39;s anything else,&quot; Craven said of Bach&#39;s decision.

Russian para-athletes, who finished second behind China in the London 2012 medals table, were barred last month following a World Anti-Doping Agency report which alleged a vast state-sponsored doping program.

Separately UK Athletics will review classifications after the Games, according to BBC News, following concerns that athletes were being mismatched to create an unfair advantage.

&quot;We are here to win medals, but within both the letter and the spirit of the&nbsp;Paralympics,&quot; insisted British Paralympic Association chief Tim Hollingsworth.

Tickets surge

Two new events -- canoe-kayak and triathlon -- will make their appearance on the 22-sport menu.

Six countries are sending athletes for the very first time, and Syrian swimmer Ibrahim Al-Hussein, who lost a leg in an explosion in his nation&#39;s civil war, and Iranian discus thrower Shahrad Nasajpour make up a two-strong refugee team.

Caught in political and economic crises, Rio 2016 organizers have skimped as far as they can on food, transport and accommodation.

The runup to the Games was also overshadowed by slow ticket sales. This follows concerns about half-empty stadiums at many of the Olympic events.

But organizers have reported a dramatic turnaround in the last few days.

&quot;Two weeks ago we were at 200,000&quot; tickets sold, Craven said. Now sales have reached 1.6 million and are &quot;growing every day.&quot;

&quot;We&#39;ll soon be over the 1.7 million mark. Our aim is to sell around 2.4 million,&quot; he said.

Stars 
 
The record of 41 career gold medals won by blind American swimmer Trischa Zorn between 1980 and 2004 looks unbeatable, but the&nbsp;Paralympics&nbsp;will inevitably produce new stars.

Iran&#39;s 28-year-old Rahman, disabled since birth, is aiming to become the first Paralympian to bench press 300kg.

China will have its biggest ever team of 308 athletes in Rio looking to beat their 95 gold medals from London when they topped the table for the third straight&nbsp;Paralympics.

They have swimmer Xu Qing competing in his fourth and possibly last Games, seeking to add to his seven gold medals.

Meanwhile Britain&#39;s Weir is in Rio to add to his six gold medals. The 37-year-old, born with a spinal deformity that has kept him confined to a wheelchair since birth, is entered in five events.

&quot;It will be my last&nbsp;Paralympics&nbsp;and I just want to medal,&quot; he said. &quot;If I come away with a medal, I&#39;ll be happy. My coach is telling me that I&#39;m quicker and faster than I&#39;ve ever been, so that gives me a lot of confidence.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

More than 4,000 athletes from 159 countries, plus members of the international refugee team, will take part in the Games

Rio de Janeiro set aside worries over finances, ticket sales and politics for a spectacular opening show Wednesday welcoming thousands of athletes to the start of the Paralympics. Blind, missing limbs or partially paralyzed, the world's toughest and most competitive disabled were to parade in the famed Maracana football stadium ahead of 11 days of contests. For Rio, the Paralympics, coming right after a vibrant, but sometimes tricky Olympics, are one more challenge in a period of deep recession and political instability. But all those worries were to be set aside for the sporting extravaganza where top stars include Iranian powerlifter Siamand Rahman, Britain's wheelchair racer David Weir and China's blind sprinter Liu Cuiqing. "These are going to be the people's Games. You can't come to a more passionate people for sport," International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven said at a press conference Wednesday in Rio. He said that 4,342 athletes from 159 countries, plus members of the international refugee team, were taking part and quipped: "All I saw were happy athletes in the Village." Noting that the Games would be broadcast in 154 countries, Craven said the Paralympics had the power to change the way people around the world think about the disabled. "That's where transformation happens," he said. Olympics chief controversy However, controversy hung over the opening ceremony after confirmation that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will not be attending. This would be the first absence of an IOC chief since the 1984 Summer Games. Bach is reportedly due at a mourning ceremony in Berlin for the late West German president, Walter Scheel. South African IOC member Sam Ramsamy was taking Bach's place. However, there have been suggestions that the no-show has to do with divisions over the Paralympic committee's outright ban on Russian athletes after allegations of a state-sanctioned doping program and the IOC's relatively softer line. "Whether there's anything else -- I don't know if there's anything else," Craven said of Bach's decision. Russian para-athletes, who finished second behind China in the London 2012 medals table, were barred last month following a World Anti-Doping Agency report which alleged a vast state-sponsored doping program. Separately UK Athletics will review classifications after the Games, according to BBC News, following concerns that athletes were being mismatched to create an unfair advantage. "We are here to win medals, but within both the letter and the spirit of the Paralympics," insisted British Paralympic Association chief Tim Hollingsworth. Tickets surge Two new events -- canoe-kayak and triathlon -- will make their appearance on the 22-sport menu. Six countries are sending athletes for the very first time, and Syrian swimmer Ibrahim Al-Hussein, who lost a leg in an explosion in his nation's civil war, and Iranian discus thrower Shahrad Nasajpour make up a two-strong refugee team. Caught in political and economic crises, Rio 2016 organizers have skimped as far as they can on food, transport and accommodation. The runup to the Games was also overshadowed by slow ticket sales. This follows concerns about half-empty stadiums at many of the Olympic events. But organizers have reported a dramatic turnaround in the last few days. "Two weeks ago we were at 200,000" tickets sold, Craven said. Now sales have reached 1.6 million and are "growing every day." "We'll soon be over the 1.7 million mark. Our aim is to sell around 2.4 million," he said. Stars The record of 41 career gold medals won by blind American swimmer Trischa Zorn between 1980 and 2004 looks unbeatable, but the Paralympics will inevitably produce new stars. Iran's 28-year-old Rahman, disabled since birth, is aiming to become the first Paralympian to bench press 300kg. China will have its biggest ever team of 308 athletes in Rio looking to beat their 95 gold medals from London when they topped the table for the third straight Paralympics. They have swimmer Xu Qing competing in his fourth and possibly last Games, seeking to add to his seven gold medals. Meanwhile Britain's Weir is in Rio to add to his six gold medals. The 37-year-old, born with a spinal deformity that has kept him confined to a wheelchair since birth, is entered in five events. "It will be my last Paralympics and I just want to medal," he said. "If I come away with a medal, I'll be happy. My coach is telling me that I'm quicker and faster than I've ever been, so that gives me a lot of confidence." (AFP)

Rio sets aside problems to open Paralympic Games

Organisers of the 2016 Paralympic Games are giving away half a million tickets 100 days before the start of competition in a bid to boost support for September&#39;s events, officials said on Monday. 
 
Sales have lagged and Rio de Janeiro said it was buying 500,000 tickets to give to city employees, students and the handicapped. 
Before the announcement, only 720,000 oout of the total 3.3 million tickets had been sold, said Donovan Ferreti, director of ticketing to Reuters. 
Ferreti said that number was disappointing but hoped Monday`s announcement would boost interest in the 23 Paralympic events that will take place between Sept. 7 and 18. 
&quot;We are delighted that these students are coming to be part of this unique experience,&quot; said Ferreti. 
Some 392,000 of the free tickets will go to children who get good grades in school, he said. 
Another 47,000 tickets will be given away by the city of Rio for the Olympics, which will be held in South America for the first time between Aug. 5 and 21.

Organisers of the 2016 Paralympic Games are giving away half a million tickets 100 days before the start of competition in a bid to boost support for September's events

Organisers of the 2016 Paralympic Games are giving away half a million tickets 100 days before the start of competition in a bid to boost support for September's events, officials said on Monday. Sales have lagged and Rio de Janeiro said it was buying 500,000 tickets to give to city employees, students and the handicapped. Before the announcement, only 720,000 oout of the total 3.3 million tickets had been sold, said Donovan Ferreti, director of ticketing to Reuters. Ferreti said that number was disappointing but hoped Monday`s announcement would boost interest in the 23 Paralympic events that will take place between Sept. 7 and 18. "We are delighted that these students are coming to be part of this unique experience," said Ferreti. Some 392,000 of the free tickets will go to children who get good grades in school, he said. Another 47,000 tickets will be given away by the city of Rio for the Olympics, which will be held in South America for the first time between Aug. 5 and 21.

Rio gives away 500,000 Paralympics tickets to boost support

After being suspended from next month&#39;s Rio Paralympics, Russia has now been banned from the 2018 Paralympics to be held in &nbsp;Pyeongchang, South Korea. 
 
The ban comes in the wake of the allegations of Russia running a state-sponsored doping programme for its atheletes. A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report had found that Russian government had, over years, covered up hundreds of doping cases across Olympic and Paralympic events.&nbsp; 
 
Ban from Winter Paralympics comes a week after Russia lost an appeal against suspension issued over evidence of state-sponsored doping. Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeal.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The decision taken by the IPC, upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Russian Paralympians being excluded from the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, has also been extended to include the Winter Games in 2018 in Pyeongchang,&quot; the Russian Paralympic Committee said on their website. 
 
Russia have appealed to the Swiss Federal Court against the CAS ruling. The result is expected to come on Monday or on Tuesday.&nbsp; 
 
Russian Presdident Vladimir Putin had earlier lashed out at anti-doping organisations, calling the Rio ban immoral and cynical.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The decision to disqualify our Paralympic team is outside the law, outside morality and outside humanity,&quot; he added. 
 
He had also said that the organisations singled out Russia because of &ldquo;political pressure&rdquo;.&nbsp; 
 
Russia finished fourth in the Rio Olympic medal table with 56 medals, including 19 gold.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Russia have appealed to the Swiss Federal Court against the ruling, the result of which will come on Monday or on Tuesday

After being suspended from next month's Rio Paralympics, Russia has now been banned from the 2018 Paralympics to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The ban comes in the wake of the allegations of Russia running a state-sponsored doping programme for its atheletes. A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report had found that Russian government had, over years, covered up hundreds of doping cases across Olympic and Paralympic events. Ban from Winter Paralympics comes a week after Russia lost an appeal against suspension issued over evidence of state-sponsored doping. Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the appeal. "The decision taken by the IPC, upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding Russian Paralympians being excluded from the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, has also been extended to include the Winter Games in 2018 in Pyeongchang," the Russian Paralympic Committee said on their website. Russia have appealed to the Swiss Federal Court against the CAS ruling. The result is expected to come on Monday or on Tuesday. Russian Presdident Vladimir Putin had earlier lashed out at anti-doping organisations, calling the Rio ban immoral and cynical. "The decision to disqualify our Paralympic team is outside the law, outside morality and outside humanity," he added. He had also said that the organisations singled out Russia because of “political pressure”. Russia finished fourth in the Rio Olympic medal table with 56 medals, including 19 gold. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

After Rio Paralympics, Russia banned from 2018 Winter Games

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