London 2012: Paralympic cyclists test Brands Hatch track - BBC News BBC News London 2012: Paralympic cyclists test Brands Hatch track By Hannah Ratcliffe BBC News, Brands Hatch 20 June 2012 Close share panel Image caption The 8km (5m) Paralympic course encompasses the Brands Hatch circuit and some surrounding roads Athletes from around the world have taken part in a London 2012 Paralympic Games training day at Brands Hatch. More than 150 cyclists from 27 nations tested the motor racing track, which will be used for the only Paralympic event in Kent. The Swanley venue will host 32 Paralympic road cycling races and trials between 5 and 8 September. Tandem pilot Craig MacLean, an Olympic silver medallist, and his visually impaired tandem-partner Anthony Kappes were two of the athletes who put the track through its paces on Tuesday. Mr Maclean said: "When you see motor racing on telly you've no idea how big or small these hills are. It's a bit different when you are doing 25 miles an hour on a bike.

People feel they're part of something special, something unique, and they are part of creating history Chris Hespe "I'm the sighted pilot, we're both pedalling so we're limited by each other. He's relying on me being fit and vice versa." During the Paralympics, cyclists will complete laps of the 8km (5m) course, which encompasses the Brands Hatch circuit and surrounding roads. The Games will also see the internationally renowned venue, which staged 12 Formula One Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986, return to its cycling heritage. The farmland site was developed as a grass circuit in the 1920s, hosting its first cycle race in 1928. 'Challenging course' Chris Hespe, of Kent County Council (KCC), said: "With Brands Hatch being established as a cycling circuit in the 1920s, it's really going back to its roots." He added: "We've spent a long time working and negotiating with Locog for this.

"With 165 riders here you can sense that a big event is coming." Image caption More than 200 athletes will take part in 32 races and trials at Brands Hatch Mr Hespe said: "This is something really special, it's something that will never happen again and the cyclists are saying that this is probably the most challenging road cycling course they've ever ridden on. "This is the largest cycling element of the London 2012 Games. There are going to be 225 athletes competing for 32 medals. "There's a buzz in Kent, people feel they're part of something special, something unique, and they are part of creating history." The local authority, Sevenoaks District Council, has put up new border signs to advertise the fact that it is hosting a London 2012 event. 'Business fears' But the event has not been welcomed by everyone in the villages surrounding Brands Hatch. The road closures that will be put in place during the Games have been criticised by business owners in West Kingsdown, who fear they will see a reduction in trade. Parts of the A20, Scratchers Lane and Fawkham Road will be closed between 3 and 8 September.

London 2012 - One extraordinary year The BBC's home of 2012: Latest Olympic news, sport, culture, torch relay, video and audio Roger House from the Kent branch of the Federation of Small Businesses has previously said that although the event would bring many visitors, local firms would not make any money. Julie Underhay, who runs a dental laboratory in West Kingsdown, also expects to have to close her business during the week, at a cost of thousands of pounds. Sevenoaks District Council and KCC have held meetings with business owners to try to work out how they can operate while the road closures are in place. Mr Hespe said: "Some businesses are concerned that there will be a reduction in trade but every effort is being made to mitigate against that. "Having a global event on the doorstep and promoting the Sevenoaks and West Kingsdown area to a global audience should do those businesses good, long term." Jill Davison, deputy leader of Sevenoaks District Council, added: "It puts us right on the map.

There's going to be some disruption, but most of the residents are aware of it and we're giving them options on how to get around it." Cycling SA 2012 Paralympic Squad Announced Cycling SA 2012 Paralympic Squad Announced Tweet An announcement was delivered today at a media presentation at SASCOC House in Gauteng of the Paralympic squad to participate in the London Paralympic Games in August and September. Cycling South Africa along with its parent body SASCOC (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) are proud to announce the 6-member para-cycling team to take part in the Paralympic Games. The team that was earlier proposed for selection, on the basis of strict selection criteria, was endorsed by the Board of Cycling SA Board and confirmed today by SASCOC.

2012 London Paralympic Team: Ernst van Dyk – H4 Hand cyclist Stuart McCreadie – H2 Hand cyclist Gerhard Viljoen – T2 Tricyclist Jaco Nel – C2 Track Roxy Burns – C4 Track The six slots allocated to South Africa by the UCI (International Cycling Union) are the result of hard-earned nation points that were accumulated by the country’s podium and top-10 finishers in UCI para-cycling World Cup and other championship events over the past 18 months. Different to the Olympic Games slot allocation process, which had South Africa’s able body cyclists earning these slots as recently as two weeks ago, the country’s para-cycling slots were announced two months ago, which has allowed for focused preparation of the proposed team bound for London. Four male and two female slots were awarded to South Africa, with two categories ring fenced by the UCI. One of the male slots had to be filled by an H4 hand cyclist, with the other slot to be filled by a C4 female rider. The ring fenced slots have been filled by World Champion Ernst van Dyk and Roxy Burns.

All six riders that have been selected for the London 2012 Paralympics are currently placed, by class, either in the top 6 UCI world rankings or have achieved top-6 finish (or better) positions in the official team selection qualifying events. The 6-member squad will be the largest South African para-cycling contingent participating in the Paralympic Games in recent times. The squad includes one more (male) rider than the number that qualified for Beijing in 2008. “This is a remarkable achievement given the small pool of riders and limited resources that we have,” said Cycling SA’s Director of Para-cycling Dr Mike Burns. “The fact that we earned enough points to earn six slots is outstanding, and is a credit to the effort invested by all who have been involved in qualifying the team for the Paralympic Games” Technical Course Awaits the Team The London para-cycling road race and time trial will take place at the famous Brands Hatch motor racing circuit. This is an extremely technical route with many sharp turns and short sections of alternating up- and down-hill gradients that will prevent the riders from easily establishing a comfortable rhythm to their riding and/or recovering from energy-sapping uphill pulls.

This was confirmed by Ernst van Dyk who test-rode the Brands Hatch circuit earlier this week. Van Dyk is no stranger to performing in world-class events, and is the current UCI road race World Champion for the H4 hand cycling class. There is every possibility that he will earn the coveted gold medal in London for this event, and he also has more than a reasonable chance of securing a medal in the time trial event (having recently finished on the podium for this event in the UCI World Cup hosted by Spain earlier this month). For van Dyk, the route could be in his favour as he relishes challenging technical aspects of a road race. The course is particularly challenging for H2 hand cyclist Stuart McCreadie, who performs best on relatively flat courses, with climbs and corners of intermediate complexity. Brand Hatch does not, however, phase McCreadie, a late bloomer at 45-years old, who has rapidly climbed the UCI rankings since discovering his hand cycling talent. He began competitive hand cycling in September 2008, racing his first World Cup in Spain in June/July 2010.

Specialist gym training with the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) was introduced to his fitness regime about a year ago to hone and build his strength. This intervention and a taxing training programme on the road have assisted him to reach a highly competitive top-5 ranking in the most recent UCI Spanish World Cup. Well prepared Tough T2 tricyclist Gerhard Viljoen could very likely achieve a Paralympic podium finish, aided by his strength and fearlessness in riding technically challenging races. The London circuit aligns well with his natural strengths. Viljoen’s female counterpart Madre Carinus has developed very well in terms of her competitiveness over the past two years, as evidenced by the two medals (one silver, the other bronze) that she won at the UCI Spanish World Cup last month. With interventions planned for their tricycle set-up, under the advice of Cycling SA’s HP specialist Dr Jeroen Swart, the competitiveness of both tricyclists is expected to be at the highest possible standard in London. London’s new velodrome will see Jaco Nel and Roxy Burns compete in their respective C2 and C4 classes.

Nel’s medal potential stems from his 2011 double silver medal wins in the 2011 UCI track World Championship in Italy, and his steady improvement in his competitiveness in the C2 class in which he has been placed comparatively recently. An assessment by Jeroen Swart of Nel’s physical condition confirms the excellent potential that he has to medal in London. Likewise, Roxy Burns has excellent medal prospects for London, having recently achieved times in her specialist sprint event that could secure her a podium finish. She was unfortunate not to medal at the World Championships in Los Angeles earlier this year, particularly after posting what would have been a medal-earning time a few months earlier at the Oceania Championships in New Zealand. The 24-year old started competing as a 12-year old member of the Western Province (now Western Cape) para-cycling team, and has advanced over the past decade to achieve a UCI no. 1 world-ranking in her class in 2010. Burns feels comfortable with her preparations for London, working with her coach and provided with support from SSISA in the high-performance aspects of her training programme.

She will be honing her track racing skills on the velodrome in Mallorca next month together with teammate Jaco Nel. Cycling SA president William Newman was ecstatic with the squad announcement made by SASCOC. “On behalf of Cycling SA I would like to extend our congratulations to all the para-cyclists who have qualified to compete in the Paralympics,” said Mr Newman. “You have done exceptionally well over the past few years, especially in terms of podium finishes these past 6 months. We wish you all well as you involve yourselves in your final preparations in the coming weeks. I know that you will do us all proud. We support you all the way!” Source: Cycling South Africa London Paralympic Sports | London Paralympics 2012 | LondonTown.com London Paralympic Sports The Paralympic programme consists of twenty sporting disciplines, including mainstream sports such as athletics and cycling as well as little-known events such as boccia and goalball. The competitors are categorised under six different types of mental and physical disability. Check out the LondonTown.com Paralympics Map .

Boccia - at ExCeL Centre Sunday 2nd September to Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Boccia London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock London, E16 1XL London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Dates: 02nd - 08th September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. A sport unique to the Paralympic Games, Boccia (pronounced like the English slang expression 'gotcha') involves throwing leather balls towards a target ball, or jack, across a series of demanding "ends", or sets, on a playing area measuring 12.5m by 6m. The London 2012 Boccia programme features seven medal events and takes place at the ExCeL exhibition centre from Sunday 2nd to Saturday 8th September.

A Paralympic sport since 1984, Boccia is played by wheelchair athletes of either gender with cerebral palsy and related locomotor conditions; there are four different classes of athletes in total to ensure all medal events are competed across an even playing field. Boccia is played competitively in more than 50 countries worldwide and is a touch test of nerves, tactics and skill, believed to have its origins in Ancient Greece. Cycling Road - at Brands Hatch Wednesday 5th September to Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Road Cycling London Paralympics: Brands Hatch, Brands Hatch Circuit, Fawkham London, DA3 8NG London Paralympics Sporting Events London Paralympics: Brands Hatch, Brands Hatch Circuit, Fawkham, London, DA3 8NG Dates: 05th - 08th September 2012 Cycling Road - at Brands Hatch Copy and paste the embed code above. The extensive Paralympic Road Cycling programme takes place at Brands Hatch , the motor racing venue in Kent, from Wednesday 5th to Saturday 8th September.

The third largest sport on the Paralympic programme, Road Cycling features athletes with a visual impairment, cerebral palsy, amputations or other physical disabilities competing on bikes, tricycles, tandems and handcycles. Athletes of 12 disability classes will take place in road races, time trials and team relays for a total of 32 medals events. An athlete's class is determined by the impact of their impairment on their ability to cycle; Tandem has one class, Handcycle (for athletes with lower limb disabilities) has four classes, Tricycle has two classes and Bicycle has five classes. Thursday 30th August to Sunday 2nd September London Paralympics: Track Cycling London Olympics Velodrome, Olympic Park, Stratford London, E20 2ST London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics Velodrome, Olympic Park, Stratford, London, E20 2ST Dates: 30th August - 02nd September 2012 Cycling Track - at the Olympic Velodrome Copy and paste the embed code above.

Held at the new state-of-the-art Velodrome in the Olympic Park , the London 2012 Paralympic Track Cycling programme takes place from Thursday 20th August until Sunday 2nd September and features 18 medal events (10 for men, seven for women, one mixed) for athletes with a visual impairment, cerebral palsy, amputations or other physical disabilities. Like in the Paralympic Road Cycling programme, athletes of 12 disability classes will take part. An athlete's class is determined by the impact of their impairment on their ability to cycle; Tandem has one class, Handcycle (for athletes with lower limb disabilities) has four classes, Tricycle has two classes and Bicycle has five classes.

Football 5-a-side - at Riverbank Arena Friday 31st August to Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Football 5-a-side Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford London, E20 2ST London Paralympics Sporting Events Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford, London, E20 2ST Dates: 31st August - 08th September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympic Football 5-a-side competition takes place at the new Riverbank Arena in the Olympic Park from Friday 31st August to Saturday 8th September and is played by visually impaired athletes. One of two Paralympic Football medal events, the 5-a-side event features eight teams (men only) and is played on a small 42m x 22m pitch surrounded by a rebound wall. The ball contains a noise-making device inside and all outfield players wear eye shades to ensure fairness.

Goalkeepers may be fully or partially sighted, while the pitch is divided into thirds, with each team allowing one guide for each third to call out instructions (the goalkeeper acts as the guide in the defensive third). Games are two halves of 25 minutes broken up with a 10-minute break for half-time. With no throw-ins and no offside rule, it's a free-flowing, fast-paced game that starts with a round-robin format before the top two teams of both groups qualify for the semi-final, the winners then going on to play for gold.ï¿½ Football 5-a-side made its Paralympic debut at Athens 2004, with Brazil taking gold. The Samba Stars doubled up in Beijing 2008 with victory over host nation China in the final.

Football 7-a-side - at Riverbank Arena Saturday 1st September to Sunday 9th September London Paralympics: Football 7-a-side Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford London, E20 2ST London Paralympics Sporting Events Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford, London, E20 2ST Dates: 01st - 09th September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympics Football 7-a-side competition takes place at the new Riverbank Arena in the Olympic Park from Saturday 1st to Sunday 9th September and is played by athletes with cerebral palsy. Eight men's teams will take part in a 20-match tournament that starts with a round robin phase before four teams progress to the semi-finals. Like the 5-a-side format, there are no offsides, but throw-ins may be made with one hand only. All teams must be made up of ambulant cerebral palsy athletes, while each side must maintain a line-up featuring player with varying levels of disability.

Pitches are around 70m by 50m, each half lasts 30 minutes and the goals are smaller than regular football goals: 5m by 2m. The Ukraine are the reigning Paralympic champions after beating Russia 2-1 in time-added-on during Beijing 2008. Football 7-a-side has been part of the Paralympic programme since making its debut in 1984. Thursday 30th August to Friday 7th September London Paralympics: Goalball Copper Box Arena, Olympic Park, Stratford London, E20 2ST London Paralympics Sporting Events Copper Box Arena, Olympic Park, Stratford, London, E20 2ST Dates: 30th August - 07th September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Goalball competitions take part at the Copper Box Handball Arena in the Olympic Park from Thursday 30th August until Friday 7th September. Another sport unique to the Paralympics, Goalball was developed as a rehabilitation activity for visually impaired World War Two veterans.

The game is played on an indoor court between two teams of three athletes using a large rubber ball with bells inside. The goals are 9m wide (the entire width of the pitch) and 1.3m high and the aim is to score by rolling the ball into the opposition's goal, past the prone opposition players who may use any part of their bodies to keep the ball from the back of the net. All players wear eye shades so that players with varying degrees of vision can compete. A match is split into two halves of 12 minutes with each team taking it in turns to throw towards the opposition goal. Both the men's and the women's competition will start with a round-robin group stage before the best teams qualify for the quarter-finals and beyond. The reigning men's Paralympic champions are China (men) and USA (women).

Thursday 30th August to Wednesday 5th September London Paralympics: Archery Royal Artillery Barracks, Artillery Place, Woolwich London, SE18 5DP London Paralympics Sporting Events Royal Artillery Barracks, Artillery Place, Woolwich, London, SE18 5DP Dates: 30th August - 05th September 2012 Archery - at Royal Artillery Barracks Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympic Archery competition will be played at the Royal Artillery Barracks in the River Zone from Thursday 30th August to Wednesday 5th September. Hosting the Olympic Shooting events one month earlier, the south-east London venue is steeped in history - while Archery is considered the original Paralympic sport. Back in 1948 when London last hosted the Olympic Games, a doctor at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital organised an archery competition for 16 Second World War army veterans: this annual event - the precursor to the Paralympic Games - grew and soon became an international competition featuring more and more sports.

At London 2012, the Paralympic Archery competition will include nine medal events with athletes competing in three classes - standing (DT), Wheelchair 1 (W1) and Wheelchair 2 (W2). Medal events are split between the Compound and Recurve bow, and include both Team and Individual competitions. Friday 31st August to Sunday 9th September London Paralympics: Athletics Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, Stratford London, E20 2ST London Paralympics Sporting Events Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, Stratford, London, E20 2ST Dates: 31st August - 09th September 2012 Athletics - at the Olympic Stadium Copy and paste the embed code above. The largest of Paralympic sports, the London 2012 Paralympic Athletics programme will feature more than a thousand athletes battle it out in 170 medal events across a number of track and field disciplines.

The vast majority of the Paralympic programme is held at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford from Friday 31st August until Sunday 9th September, with just the road events (such as the marathon) held in central London and finishing on The Mall . The track events range from 100m to 5,000m, while the field events are roughly split between throwing (discus, javelin, shot put, club throw) and jumping (high jump, long jump, triple jump). The class system is slightly complicated, with each athlete given a two-digit number indicating the nature of his/her impairment and the amount of functional ability he/she has. In short, categories include visual impairment, intellectual impairment, cerebral palsy, loss of limb or limb deficiency, and wheelchair racers or field athletes. Paralympic Athletics has been on the Paralympic programme since the first Games in 1960 in Rome. The most famous Paralympic athlete today is the South African "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius, whose running performances have become so strong he has earned selection for his Olympic national squad.

Thursday 30st August to Tuesday 4th September London Paralympics: Equestrian London Olympics: Greenwich Park, Romney Road London, SE10 9NF London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: Greenwich Park, Romney Road, London, SE10 9NF Dates: 30th August - 04th September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympic Equestrian events take place at beautiful Greenwich Park from Thursday 30st August to Tuesday 4th September. There are 11 medal events based around two Dressage tests, which include a Championship set-movement test and a Freestyle test where athletes choose their own movements and music. As well as individual competitions there is a Team event for three to four athletes per team. There is a classification system which splits athletes across five grades according to their disabilities; the complexity of the movements that each rider performs with their horses is determined by their grade. Para-Equestrian Dressage has grown in popularity all round the world since being developed in the early 70s, with more than 40 countries now competing on a regular basis.

Visually impaired riders can take part with a caller to help them navigate around the arena. Judo - at ExCeL Centre Thursday 30st August to Saturday 1st September London Paralympics: Judo London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock London, E16 1XL London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Dates: 30th August - 01st September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympic Judo programme - which features a knock-out tournament of five-minute contests between visually impaired athletes - will be held at the ExCeL Centre in the River Zone from Thursday 30st August to Saturday 1st September. Developed from Jujitsu and with its origins in nineteenth-century Japan, Judo is a pretty complicated sport for those not in the know. Basically, the aim is to score an "ippon" over your opponent - the one point which automatically wins a match.

This can be obtained with a controlled throw, a mat hold of sufficient duration or an enforced submission. Alternatively, matches can be won with two half-points, or "waza-ari". If the games are tied after five minutes, then the contest enters a golden score period where even the lowest form of scoring, a "yuko", is enough to settle the bout. It's a one-on-one tactical and intricate sport in which opponents, dressed in pyjama-style outfits tied at the waist by a belt, grapple in both attack and defence. There are varied weight divisions, and three categories of visual impairment. Totally blind athletes are identified by a red circle on their "judogi" (judo kit) while deaf competitors have a blue circle. There are seven medal events for men and six for women. Friday 31st August to Sunday 2nd September London Paralympics: Rowing London Olympics: Eton Dorney, Court Lane London, SL4 6QP London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: Eton Dorney, Court Lane, London, SL4 6QP Dates: 31st August - 02nd September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above.

Paralympic Rowing, the newest arrival on the Paralympic programme, returns at London 2012 with four medal events held on the spectacular Eton Dorney lake from Friday 31st August to Sunday 2nd September. Paralympic Rowing, which made its debut at Beijing in 2008, features two mixed-gender events (the Coxed Four and Double Skulls) plus the men's and women's Single Skulls. In Paralympic Rowing, rather than the sport being adapted to the athlete, the equipment is adapted so the athlete can do his or her best to practice the sport as it would be done normally. All races are held over 1,000m; the Single Skulls events are arms only, where the athlete is strapped into a fixed seat which only allows shoulder and arm movements; the Coxed Four allows the use of at least one leg, trunk and arms, and also allows for those with visual and intellectual impairments; the Double Skulls allows use of trunks and arms in a boat with a fixed seat.

Sailing - at Weymouth and Portland Saturday 1st September and Thursday 6th September London Paralympics: Sailing London Olympics: Weymouth and Portland, Osprey Quay, Portland London, DT5 1SA London Olympics Sporting Events London Olympics: Weymouth and Portland, Osprey Quay, Portland, London, DT5 1SA Dates: 01st - 06th September 2012 Sailing - at Weymouth and Portland Copy and paste the embed code above. The London Paralympics Sailing competition, which is held at Weymouth and Portland in Dorset between Saturday 1st and Thursday 6th September, features three mixed events - the Single-Person, Two-Person and Three-Person Keelboat competitions. The yachts used in the Paralympics differ from those used in the regular Olympics in that they have keels in order to provide greater stability; the keelboats also have open cockpits to allow more room for sailors.

The competition is made fairer by a disability classification that should make the event - held in the ever-changing conditions of the beautiful but testing waters of Weymouth Bay on the south coast of England - all the more exciting. After being introduced as a demonstration event at the 1996 Atlanta Games, Paralympic Sailing became part of the official programme at the Sydney 2000 Games. Thursday 30th August to Thursday 6th September London Paralympics: Shooting Royal Artillery Barracks, Artillery Place, Woolwich London, SE18 5DP London Paralympics Sporting Events Royal Artillery Barracks, Artillery Place, Woolwich, London, SE18 5DP Dates: 30th August - 06th September 2012 Shooting - at Royal Artillery Barracks Copy and paste the embed code above. Held at the historic Royal Artillery Barracks in south-east London, the London 2012 Paralympics Shooting programme features 12 pistol and rifle medal events taking place from Thursday 30th August to Thursday 6th September.

Two classifications of athletes separate those who can support the firearm themselves (SH1) and those who require the use of a shooting stand (SH2). There are three men's events, three women's events and six mixed events, with athletes shooting from a variety of positions - standing, sitting or prone - at targets at distances of 10m, 25m and 50m. Each event will have a qualification heat and a final knock-out round. Paralympic Shooting made its debut at the 1976 Toronto Games, and although it once featured as many as 29 medal events, since Sydney 2000 that number has come down to 12.

Table Tennis - at ExCeL Centre Thursday 30th August to Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Table Tennis London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock London, E16 1XL London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Dates: 30th August - 08th September 2012 Table Tennis - at ExCeL Centre Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympics Table Tennis programme takes part at the ExCeL exhibition centre in the River Zone from Thursday 30th August to Saturday 8th September. One of the biggest sports in the Paralympics after Athletics and Swimming, Table Tennis will feature 276 athletes battling it out in 29 medal events across a total of 11 classifications that take into account the athletes' type of impairment. A group qualification stage will be followed by a knockout competition in each event, with separate competitions for standing and wheelchair athletes.

While Paralympic Table Tennis made its debut in the inaugural 1960 Games in Rome, it wasn't until Toronto 1976 that events for standing players were first included, while athletes with cerebral palsy had to wait another four years until the 1980 Games in Moscow. Powerlifting - at ExCeL Centre Thursday 30th August to Wednesday 5th September London Paralympics: Powerlifting London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock London, E16 1XL London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Dates: 30th August - 05th September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympics Powerlifting programme takes place at the ExCeL exhibition centre in the River Zone from Thursday 30th August to Wednesday 5th September.

Essentially a bench-press competition, Paralympic Powerlifting, having made its debut in the Tokyo 1964 Games, is one of the world's fastest-growing sports with athletes from more than 100 countries involved in international competition. The athletes have to meet a minimum eligibility criteria based on their impairment, and are then grouped by bodyweight for competition so that athletes with different impairments can compete for the same medals. There are 10 different weight categories for both men and women, who made their debut in the sport at Sydney 2000. Thursday 30th August until Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Swimming Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford London, E20 2ST London Paralympics Sporting Events Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park, Stratford, London, E20 2ST Dates: 30th August - 08th September 2012 Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympics Swimming programme takes place at the state-of-the-art Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park from Thursday 30th August until Saturday 8th September.

Arguably the most popular of Paralympic sports, Paralympic Swimming features 600 athletes competing in a massive 148 medal events, with swimmers classified according to the varying levels of physical, visual and intellectual impairments. Like in regular Olympics Swimming , all four strokes feature, as well as Individual Medley and Medley Relay events. A standard 50m Olympic swimming pool is used, although races may be started in a number of ways: from a standing start, a dive start from a sitting position on the starting platform, or from within the water. For swimmers with visual impairments a 'tapper' may be used to indicate in advance the end of the pool. One of the big stars of Paralympic Swimming is the 27-year-old South African Natalie du Toit, who won five gold medals in both the 2004 Athens Games and 2008 Sydney Games.

Sitting Volleyball - at ExCeL Centre Thursday 30th August until Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Volleyball - Sitting London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock London, E16 1XL London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Dates: 30th August - 08th September 2012 Sitting Volleyball - at ExCeL Centre Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympics Sitting Volleyball competition takes part at the ExCeL exhibition centre in the River Zone from Thursday 30th August until Saturday 8th September. The rules of Sitting Volleyball are very similar to the regular sport: two teams of six play on a 10m by 6m court divided by a net (1.15m high for men, 1.05m for women) and have three touches (in addition to a legal block) to get the ball back across the net and, hopefully, to land it in the opposition's half of the court.

Matches are the best of five sets (the first to 25 points) with a deciding fifth set played to 15 points, with a margin of at least two points always required for victory. Men's Sitting Volleyball has been on the Paralympic programme since 1980, while the women's event was added in 2004.ï¿½ Wheelchair Basketball - at Basketball Arena and North Greenwich Arena Thursday 30th August to Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Wheelchair Basketball (knock-out phase) London Olympics: North Greenwich Arena, Peninsula Square London, SE10 0BB London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: North Greenwich Arena, Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0BB Dates: 30th August - 08th September 2012 Wheelchair Basketball - at Basketball Arena and North Greenwich Arena Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympics Basketball competition promises to pull in the crowds at the Olympic Park 's Basketball Arena and the North Greenwich Arena in the River Zone from Thursday 30th August to Saturday 8th September.

Wheelchair Basketball is one of the most popular of Paralympic sports and is played in 80 countries throughout the world. The rules are very similar to that of regular Basketball: the court is the same size, the basket the same height, and the scoring system identical. Like in Basketball, players cannot "travel" with the ball, and must bounce or throw the ball after every two pushes of the wheels of their specially-designed titanium chairs (which can costs up to a staggering ï¿½3,500). Five players from a squad of 12 are on court at any one time, and each player has a point value corresponding to their impairment and functional ability (1.0 to 4.5). During play, the total on-court value for each team of five players may not exceed 14. A round-robin group preliminary stage will be split between the Basketball Arena and the North Greenwich Arena , before the larger North Greenwich Arena hosts all knock-out and medal games. Wheelchair Basketball has been a Paralympic sport since the first Games in Rome 1960, with the women's event arriving eight years later in Tel Aviv.

Wheelchair Fencing - at ExCeL Centre Tuesday 4th to Saturday 8th September London Paralympics: Wheelchair Fencing London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock London, E16 1XL London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Dates: 04th - 08th September 2012 Wheelchair Fencing - at ExCeL Centre Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Paralympics Wheelchair Fencing programme takes place at the ExCeL exhibition centre in the River Zone from Tuesday 4th to Saturday 8th September. Wheelchair Fencing was one of the original Paralympic sports developed by Sir Ludwig Guttmann at Stoke Mandeville Hospital during the years after the Second World War, and made its Paralympics debut at the inaugural Games in Rome 1960. During contests, wheelchairs are fastened to the floor to give the fencers real freedom of movement in their upper bodies.

Three different types of weapon are used: the Foil and the heavier Epee (which score points with their tip), and the Sabre (where hits can be scored with the edge of the weapon too). The Foil can only be used on the torso, while the target area for the Epee and Sabre is anywhere above the waist. Fast, fierce, tactical and skillful, Wheelchair Fencing features 100 athletes and should be quite a spectacle. Wheelchair Rugby - at Basketball Arena Wednesday 5th September to Sunday 9th September London Paralympics: Wheelchair Fencing London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock London, E16 1XL London Paralympics Sporting Events London Olympics: ExCeL Centre, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL Dates: 04th - 08th September 2012 Wheelchair Rugby - at Basketball Arena Copy and paste the embed code above.

One of the most aggressive, thrilling and intense of Paralympic Sports, the London 2012 Wheelchair Rugby competition will be played at the Olympic Park 's Basketball Arena from Wednesday 5th to Sunday 9th September. Invented in the late '70s by a group of Canadian quadriplegic athletes, Wheelchair Rugby was actually called "Murderball" at first, such is the physicality and high-level of contact between the athletes. Wheelchair Rugby actually has little in common with Rugby per se except for the name. In reality, it is a hybrid of Wheelchair Basketball , Ice Hockey and Handball, played on a regulation-size Basketball court between mixed-gender teams of four using a white circular ball very much like a volleyball. The basic objective of the game is to carry the ball across the opposition's goal line. But there are numerous rules and regulations which doesn't make this as easy as it seems: players much bounce or pass the ball within ten seconds, teams only have 12 seconds to advance the ball from their back court into the front court and a total of 40 seconds to score a point of concede possession.

While contact between wheelchairs is permitted, physical contact is forbidden - and players cannot take others out from behind. That said, wheelchairs often clatter into one another, with some players even thrown to the ground. Games consist of four eight-minute quarters; two groups of four teams will contest a round-robin phase before the top two teams of each group will qualify for the semi-finals and then the gold medal match. Wheelchair Rugby made its Paralympic debut at the Sydney 2000 Games, with the US edging Australia 32-31 to take the gold. New Zealand took the gold in Athens before USA returned to the summit in Beijing. Wheelchair Tennis - at Eton Manor Copy and paste the embed code above. The London 2012 Wheelchair Tennis events take place at Eton Manor in the north of the Olympic Park from Saturday 1st September to Saturday 8th September. Wheelchair Tennis has snowballed since its invention back in the mid '70s and is now fully integrated into all four Grand Slam Tennis annual competitions. The big rule change from regular Tennis is that the ball is allowed to bounce twice, with only the first bounce having to land within the boundaries of the court.

There are six medal events to be contested: men's and women's Singles, men's and women's Doubles, Quad Singles and Quad Doubles. Quad players have an impairment that affects three or more limbs, and all Quad matches are cross-gender. Wheelchair Tennis has been a part of the Paralympic schedule since the 1992 Games in Barcelona. While the Olympic Tennis competition takes part at the All-England Club in Wimbledon, the Wheelchair Tennis competition is held at Eton Manor , a redeveloped early 20th-century sports centre which has a show-case tennis court with seating for 5,000 spectators. Zanardi looking for motor racing omens ahead of Rio 2016, just like at London 2012 Zanardi looking for motor racing omens ahead of Rio 2016, just like at London 2012 By Duncan Mackay Wednesday, 26 August 2015 Former formula one driver Alex Zanardi is hoping the two Paralympic handcycling gold medals he won at London 2012 will be a good omen for next year's Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The Italian claimed the individual time trial H4 and the individual road race H4 at London 2012 on motor racing circuit Brands Hatch and is planning to defend both titles at Rio 2016, even though he will be nearly 50 by then. "I love Rio, I used to come over in the late 90s for the IndyCar race, which I never won," Zanardi said. "It was the same with Brands Hatch: it was a circuit I always loved, performed really well on, but never enjoyed the pleasure of winning a race there on four wheels. "I had to go back with my handcycle to correct it. "I hope it will be the same case in Rio, as the Olympic Village will be close to the area where they used to have the oval circuit on which I competed with my IndyCar.

"Isn't this a sign?" Alex Zanardi, competing here in the 1997 edition of the Hollywood Rio 400 in Rio de Janeiro, is looking forward to returning to Brazil to compete in the Paralympics next year ©Getty Images Zanardi, who lost both his legs during a motor racing accident in Germany in 2001, is in good form, winning three gold medals at the International Cycling Union (UCI) Para-cycling Road World Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland, earlier this summer. It has given him a big boost for Rio 2016. "I have worked with Brazilian people many times and learned we're very similar," Zanardi, who was also part of Italy's silver medal-winning team in the mixed relay H1-4 at London 2012, said. "We like to act professionally, but with a smile on our face. "I'm expecting these Games to be remembered for the joy, the colours and the positive spirit of the Brazilian people, in spite of all the problems they have to face in their daily lives.

"London left a difficult example to follow, but it would be a mistake to try to be better than the British by copying what they did. "You have to be different, you have to be original, and Brazil is the country which can really accept and overcome this challenge." Related stories

Question: Which motor racing circuit was used for the cycling raod races at the 2012 London Paralympic Games?
Answer: BRANDS HATCH