Paralympics

[Jaded]

If you have a medal classification for amputees, do you put arm and leg amputees in the same group? Or above the knee and below the knee?

[Kim]

It's more complicated than that.  AIUI althletes are assessed and classified according to functional impairment for the sport in question.  So an amputee and someone with CP might compete in the same classification, for example.

It still results in a proliferation of categories, but it's less medical model and more about the sport.

[Jasmine]

Yes, it's specifically about the sport-specific impairment - to the point where (in swimming for example) an individual may be in a different category based on which stroke they are doing at the time. Impairment of backstroke ability does not give the same category of impairment at freestyle. 

[Jaded]

Hmm, if Ellie Simmonds for example is in classification 6, will that mean she has the classification of 6 in all strokes?

[Jasmine]

No, swimming has 3 sports class prefixes: S = freestyle, fly and backstroke; SM = Medley and SB = breaststoke. It then has 14 classifications, 1 being most severe, 10 least severe impairment to the sport.  11-13 are for degrees of visual impairment; 14 is for mental impairment.

Ellie Simmonds is of short stature so would be S6, SB5, SM6.  See here:  http://www.paralympic.org/Swimming/RulesandRegulations/Classification

[geraldc]

Ya boo sucks to Royal Mail who don't intend to give each gold medallist a stamp of their own.   Shame on you for such overt discrimination.   

Apparently they've backed down, and paralympians will get their own stamp.

Just found out my other half spent 139 quid on Olympic gold medal first day covers. As the team GB paralympians are expected to top their 42 golds from Beijing, I dread to think what they will cost. It's £4.80 a pop, so could come in at around £250...

This will bankrupt first day cover collectors

[rafletcher]

On my drive into work this morning I sawa sign warning of long delays due to the paralympic torch relay on 28th August. So I checked the route and timings, and found that this relay is a "24 hour" one.

Tuesday 28th August
21.46 – Aylesbury
23.40 – Weston Turville
23.55 – Aston Clinton
Wednesday 29th August
00.32 – Tring
01.03 – Berkhamsted
01.39 – Bourne End
03.49 – Bushey
04.05 – Harrow
05.46 – Brent
06.06 – Barnet
07.21 – Brent
09.21 – Westminster
09.59 – Camden
11.13 – Westminster
12.48 – Lambeth
13.13 – Westminster
13.23 – City of London
13.57 – Tower Hamlets
14.03 – Southwark
16.07 – Lewisham
16.30 – Greenwich
17.04 – Tower Hamlets
18.46 – Hackney
19.28 – Waltham Forest
21.29 – Barking & Dagenham
21.58 – Newham
Olympic Park

So these long delays are expected between 23:30 and 00:00 are they?

Equal coverage as well? Hmmm.

[mattc]

So these long delays are expected between 23:30 and 00:00 are they?

Equal coverage as well? Hmmm.

In all honesty, I have no idea what you're on about here 

However, I applaud the "24hr" thing - no doubt inspired by the Real Torch Relay! 
And if the weather's kind, I might ride over to Aston Clinton.

[rafletcher]

I didn't think that a  transit beteen midnight and 6am from Tring to brent would garner as much attendance from the general public as the Olympic relay got, was the point.

[mattc]

Mixed week:

1st controversy of the games was mentioned on R4 News. Something about this :
Boosting - also known as autonomic dysreflexia - involves athletes with a spinal issue deliberately causing trauma to limbs below their injury.

Inflicting such an injury is painless but is designed to increase blood pressure, raise the heart rate and, consequently, enhance performance.


On the plus side, this prog about early spinal injury work at Stoke Mandeville was just brilliant:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01m1jqd/The_Best_of_Men/

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Boosting has been going on for quite a while. Surprising it has taken this long to hit the mainstream.

[mattc]

The "torch relay" has really confused me (I now realise).
http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/torch-relay/about/

Evidently "24hr" means an actual 24 hours - not "round the clock for several days"!

The relay starts at Stoke Mandeville (nr Aylsebury and Tring), then goes for a 24hour jolly into London for the actual opening ceremony. It's not travelling round the rest of the country.

Nevertheless, if the weather's balmy I may pop over for the Stoke Mandeville end of things.

[Ewan Houzami]

I was asked last night where the road race was held, and we sort of assumed but without thinking it through, that it would be a smaller version of the olympic RR, going through richmond etc. I've just had a shufty on the www and discovered the road cycling is centred around Brands Hatch in Kent with the TTs going around the circuit. I'm ashamed to admit that I wasn't aware of this (In fact one of the handbike competitors is Alex Zanardi who some might remember as an F1 driver who suffered an almighty smash which effectively took off his legs), but try as I might I can't find the exact route. I've seen Sevenoaks mentioned, so am guessing the A225 through Eynsford or possibly even the sublime Knatts Valley will get a look in. Handy, as these are roads that feature on one of my loops - meaning I aim to ride down to spectate.

[rafletcher]

I was asked last night where the road race was held, and we sort of assumed but without thinking it through, that it would be a smaller version of the olympic RR, going through richmond etc. I've just had a shufty on the www and discovered the road cycling is centred around Brands Hatch in Kent with the TTs going around the circuit. I'm ashamed to admit that I wasn't aware of this (In fact one of the handbike competitors is Alex Zanardi who some might remember as an F1 driver who suffered an almighty smash which effectively took off his legs), but try as I might I can't find the exact route. I've seen Sevenoaks mentioned, so am guessing the A225 through Eynsford or possibly even the sublime Knatts Valley will get a look in. Handy, as these are roads that feature on one of my loops - meaning I aim to ride down to spectate.

I think you'll find all the racing is ON the circuit, not on publice roads.

[Ewan Houzami]

On further shuftying, it appears that the road races start on the circuit, but they go out onto the A20 for a stretch heading down towards Farningham and then turn onto Scratchers Lane before re-joining the circuit through the rear entrance. This seems to be the loop, the number of which will vary between races. The TTs will be totally within the confines of Brands Hatch. It's a bit boring really, and access itself won't be easy as the A20 will be shut south from the Roundabout with the A225. Spectators will be 'bussed in' from a meeting point somewhere around West Kingsdown or nearer the Wrotham end of the A20.

Which kind of puts the kibosh on my plans.

http://www.kentsport.org/london2012/pdfs/Paralympic%20Road%20Cycling%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20update%20020712.pdf

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Mixed week:

1st controversy of the games was mentioned on R4 News. Something about this :
Boosting - also known as autonomic dysreflexia - involves athletes with a spinal issue deliberately causing trauma to limbs below their injury.

Inflicting such an injury is painless but is designed to increase blood pressure, raise the heart rate and, consequently, enhance performance.


On the plus side, this prog about early spinal injury work at Stoke Mandeville was just brilliant:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01m1jqd/The_Best_of_Men/

People die of autonomic dysreflexia. I wouldn't be inducing that if I was them.

[David Martin]

That is why it is banned.

[spesh]

I was asked last night where the road race was held, and we sort of assumed but without thinking it through, that it would be a smaller version of the olympic RR, going through richmond etc. I've just had a shufty on the www and discovered the road cycling is centred around Brands Hatch in Kent with the TTs going around the circuit. I'm ashamed to admit that I wasn't aware of this (In fact one of the handbike competitors is Alex Zanardi who some might remember as an F1 driver who suffered an almighty smash which effectively took off his legs), but try as I might I can't find the exact route. I've seen Sevenoaks mentioned, so am guessing the A225 through Eynsford or possibly even the sublime Knatts Valley will get a look in. Handy, as these are roads that feature on one of my loops - meaning I aim to ride down to spectate.

Small point of order concerning Alex Zanardi - he lost his legs in a CART* race at the Lausitzring circuit in September 2001. His F1 career had finished for the second, and final time at the end of the 1999 season. He completed the final 13 laps of the race in a specially adapted race car in May 2003, clocking an average lap time that would have been good enough for 5th on the grid that weekend.

Given the horrifying nature of his injuries, it's no exaggeration to say that surviving the crash was a miracle, never mind the fact that he still continued to have a motor sports, and more recently, a hand-cycling career.

* Which became Champ Cars, then Indycars.

[mattc]

I don't think Zanardi would mind being called "an F1 driver". It's an amazing story though, those "unfinished" laps he drove in the adapted car made for very emotional viewing.

I didn't know he'd started racing hand cycles.

[Ewan Houzami]

I didn't know he'd started racing hand cycles.

I find these crossovers among sportspeople fascinating (though not necessarily F1 to Champ/CART/Indy as they're pretty much the same thing as far as I can see ) moreso when they end up on bikes; Alain Prost as a 50 year old finishing high up in sportives, Graeme Le saux having a bash at cyclocross. That sort of thing.

[rafletcher]

I don't think Zanardi would mind being called "an F1 driver". It's an amazing story though, those "unfinished" laps he drove in the adapted car made for very emotional viewing.

I didn't know he'd started racing hand cycles.

Something competitive to do after retiring from driving - though checking Wikipedai it seems he started handcycling in 2007 - coming 4th in the New York marathon after only 4 weeks serious training - and he retired from the WTCC in 2009.

[Redlight]

On further shuftying, it appears that the road races start on the circuit, but they go out onto the A20 for a stretch heading down towards Farningham and then turn onto Scratchers Lane before re-joining the circuit through the rear entrance. This seems to be the loop, the number of which will vary between races.

http://www.kentsport.org/london2012/pdfs/Paralympic%20Road%20Cycling%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20update%20020712.pdf

What is it with the Olympic/Paralympic organisers and repeated circuits of the same bit of tarmac? Given that it's only once every 60-odd years, you'd think they could have come up with a decent scenic route for the road races.

[rafletcher]

My opinion?  Same as the reason for the torch relay being overnight into London - they don't want to have as many daytime road closures as they did for the Olympics "proper".

[Jaded]

My Opinion? With 32 road races to contend a month of road closures probably wouldn't be seen in the same light by the businesses and homes on the routes of the rides.

[rafletcher]

My Opinion? With 32 road races to contend a month of road closures probably wouldn't be seen in the same light by the businesses and homes on the routes of the rides.

Yep, that too - I'm amazed Kingston stood it for the 3 days of the Olympics.