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Rebollo to light Paralympic flame
BARCELONA. Aug 31: Antonio Rebolto. the disabled Spanish archer who held mil lions in thrall as he fired a biasing arrow to light the Olympic flame at the Barcelona Games, will state a repeal performance when the Paralympic Games open on Thursday, reports Reuter
The 36-year-old polio victim from Madrid, who fired what a Spanish magazine called The most crucial shot since William Tell took aim at the apple." will also be a competitor In the biggest-ever Games for the dteabW
More than 3.000 competitors from a record 85 countries — 24 more than tn Seoul in 1088 — will battle for medals in 550 events in 15 sports over 10 days of intense rivalry.
The Barcelona Paralympics, for sportsmen and women with disabilities ranging from blindness or deafness to toot oi deformed limbs, parafcgla and cerebral palsy, are the ninth since the movement began as part of the 1060 Olympics in Rome.
Barcelona for the Paralympics, and the Barcelona Municipal Authorities have gone out of their way to keep the Olympic spirit alive In the city.
The Games has a budget of 10 billion pesetas (about 100 million dollar). 60 per cent coming from COOB and 40 per cent from the Spanish National Organisation for the blind, the country's biggest charity and a major business operation
Barcelona mayor Pasqual Maragall. president of COOB 92 last week described the Paralympics as 'a first step to wards integration In the Olympic movement"
Al a ceremony re Inaugural Ing the seafront Olympic Village, specially adapted to accommodate the disabled. Maragall said We are con setous that the Olympics were not complete because not everyone was there A fity is not complete if ft does not offer all Ils people as chance to develop their potential "
Barcelona Is Just discover Ing the tolerance required to stage such an event. The 2.000-year old capital of Catalonia includes few of the provisions vital to a disabled person’s day-to-day existence such as "kneeling" buses, "audible" crosswalks or wheelchair ramps.
In fact, architects drawing up the renovation plans for Montjutc Stadium several years ago initially forgot to Include
wheelchair ramps, meaning that the athletes who intended to compete might not even be able to enter the stadium.
Games organisers have scoured Spain and even gone abroad In search of specialised transport to move athletes, particularly those In wheelchairs, around sports venues. The city's new international airport has undergone major structural work to receive disabled competitors
The handicapped problems is something every new to us." said Joan Coll, director of the 1992 Paralympic Games. "Every day we are working to make people aware — this Is not therapy sports, this la not rehabilitation. It's a top-quality competition with world class athletes '
Indeed, conctousness-rals-tng Is practically a separate event. 'I am convinced many sporting records will be bro ken at the Paralympics." said Miguel Duran, president of the ONCE Foundation for the blind, which Is helping organ Ise the event. "But the fundamental target hes In setting a social — not a sporting — record. That's our alm. and we
are asking for a tot of help and sensitivity. *
The Paralympics are not to be confused with the Special Olympics, which place simple participation by mentally handicapped athletes as the only goal
Many Paralympic sports are the same as their full Olympic counterparts — athletics, cycling. shooting, weightlifting, archery — but others are de sl^ned specially for the dls-
Boccla. a form of the French game of boules, is played by people with cerebral palsy. Coaiball is an event for the blind, with players scoring goals aided by bells inside the ball
The Paralympics are divided into four categories — sports for the blind, for amputees and polio victims, for paraplegics and telrapleglca.
and for cerebral palsy sufferers - and feature elite athletes
who train up to six hours a day
For instance. US swimmer Beth Scott Is among the na tion s top 10 Junior swimmers despite being blind, while Marla Runyans blindness hasn t kept her from being one of the top US heptathaletes and a certified 1996 Olympic hopeful
It's also worth noting that many of the Paralympic records — such as Jose Javier Conde of Spain s 3:54.61 in the men's 1.500 meters, or Canadian Arnold Bolt's 2.04 meters in the high Jump — once would have been good enough to challenge for an Olympic gold medal
As a result, mandatory- drug testing has been implemented at the 1992 Paralympics. Conducted on an experimental basis tn three sports in Seoul in 1988. random drug testing will be carried out in all sports here tn accordance with June 1991 agreement between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Coordinating Committee of World Sports Organisations for the Disabled (ICC)
The decision is expected to draw fire especially since It prohibits all those substances deemed illegal by the IOC for able-bodied athletes Many disabled athletes need such drugs for therapy and rehabilitation.
Pre-qualifying procedures, during which competitors are sorted into categories according to their disability, include strict controls to ensure no one overstates limitations tn orde. to compete against less able athletes.
Thursday's opening ceremony in Montjutc Olympic Stadium is aimed to be an echo of the spectacle of colour, music and dance which launched the main Games.
In a bid to draw crowds and rekindle the Olympic and civic spirit of a month ago all sports events of the Paralympics are open to the public free of charge.
Tickets have been sent to thousands of Barcelona households.