National News

Channel 4 unveils 2012 Paralympic coverage

The channel, which is the UK's official Paralympics broadcaster, will show at least 150 hours of live coverage.

 

It has promised to spend £500,000 finding and training people with disabilities to host their coverage.

 

And, starting later this month, Channel 4 will show a series of programmes designed to raise the Games' profile.

 

There will also be a 10-week magazine programme called That Paralympic Show, presented by Rick Edwards and wheelchair basketball medallist Ade Adepitan.

 

Adepitan said the channel's "edgy and fearless" approach "will turn our Paralympians into household names".

 

Channel 4's acting chief creative officer, Julian Bellamy, said: "This is a big job to do. Research we have done... shows that 84% of the British public couldn't name a single British Paralympian - despite the fact Great Britain came second in the medals table at the Beijing Olympics."

 

2012 will be the first time Channel 4 has shown the Games. The BBC has covered every other Paralympic Games since 1980.

 

That Paralympic Show starts Sat 28th August at 1.25pm.

 

Inside Incredible Athletes starts Sunday 29th August at 9pm.

 

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National Table Tennis Championships

2-3 October 2010

 

Sir William Stanier Leisure Centre

Coronation Street

Crewe

Cheshire CW1 4DJ

 

To take part in the junior competition, you must be at least 11 years old on 1 September 2010. But you must not be more than 18 years old.

 

To take part in the adult competition you must be at least 18 years old on 1 September 2010.

 

About the competition

In the national table tennis championships there are 3 different competitions.

? Doubles – 2 people play together in a team against

another team of 2 people.

? Open singles – 2 players from different classes play against each other.

? Class singles – 2 players from the same class play

against each other.

 

Your coach or supporter can help you pick the right

class and competition. There is more information

about this in the form.

 

How to take part

1. Fill in the entry form. You may need your supporter to help you with this.

 

2. Write a cheque to Mencap for £25 to enter. Send this with your entry form.

 

3. Send the form and the cheque to:

Mencap Sport

6a Caldervale Road

Wakefield

West Yorkshire

WF1 5PE

 

You must send us your entry form and cheque by

Friday 17 September 2010 to take part.

 

If you have any questions

Call Mencap Sport on 01924 234 912

Email sport@mencap.org.uk

Or you can go to our website www.mencap.org.uk/

sport for more information.

 

The national table tennis championship is part of the

Grand Prix series, which is made up of:

? Mencap Sport

? Disability Sports Events

? English Table Tennis Association

? British Table Tennis Association for the Disabled

 

There are up to four events every year in the Grand Prix series. Players can enter as many of these events as they like and will be awarded ranking points for each one.

 

The national table tennis competition is made up of

the following events:

 

Doubles

? Doubles pairings may be mixed (male and female)

 

?A doubles pairing must be two players from either

classes 1-5 or classes 6-10. This means the pair must be either both sitting or both standing (see the classification guide in the form)

 

? Players in class 11 (for players with a learning

disability) may only pair with other class 11 players.

 

? Players from class 12 (with a hearing impairment)

may only pair with other class 12 players.

 

Open singles (numbers permitting)

? There will be three bands. Players may only play in

one band:

Band A – players ranked 1 to 12

Band B – players ranked 13 to 25

Band C – players ranked outside the top 25

 

? Each band will be split into 4 groups:

Women’s wheelchair

Women’s standing

Men’s wheelchair

Men’s standing

 

Class singles

? Players will play against other players in their group.

? Groups will be split into male and female.

 

The rules

The national table tennis championships will follow

the rules set by the International Table Tennis

Federation (ITTF).

 

Classification

Entry is open to all players with a disability. Players will be grouped into the classes depending on their disability.

 

Click here for more information and application form

 

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New Olympic/Paralympic Style School Sport Competition - Consultation on how National Lottery Funding can support competitive school sport

Sport England is seeking views on how best Lottery funding might support the new Olympic/Paralympic style school sports competition announced by the Government on 28 June 2010.

In particular we would like your views on: 

• How relevant are the proposals to you, your local school and your community?
• What are the features of the proposals that you most like or dislike?
• Are there any additional areas we should be seeking to develop?
• Are there any areas we should omit or reshape?
• Are the proposals likely to encourage your local school or children to take part?
• Have we struck the right balance between solicited and open funding?

 

The consultation will run for just over 10 weeks starting on Thursday 5 August and closing at 5pm on Friday 15 October.

 

Click here for Consultation Document

 

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New 'Disability Badminton Coaching Course’
Badminton England will shortly be releasing dates for the new 'Disability Badminton Coaching Course', which has been developed by the Four Nations Badminton Committee. The course aims to equip coaches with knowledge about the functional ability of disabled players, when constructing and implementing practices and skills development sessions. It is ideal for coaches currently working with disabled athletes or coaches wanting further information on how to make their sessions more inclusive.

The course is two days in duration and is open to all coaches that hold a Level 2 (or above) badminton qualification. Coaches should be actively coaching in either a disability or non-disability setting. The cost of the course is currently being finalised and will be released shortly.

 

If you are interested in attending the course, please complete the expression of interest form and send to coaching@badmintonengland.co.uk and you will be informed as soon as the courses are organised.

 

Click here to download Expression of Interest

 

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RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta

Access Liberty sailor David Durston was crowned 2010 Multiclass Champion of Champions as the curtain came down on the fourth annual RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta at Rutland Sailing Club on Sunday 15 August.  

 

After 10 individual class prizes were determined on the opening day yesterday, day two was all about the race for the prestigious Ken Ellis Trophy as almost 80 sailors in some 60 boats contested the two-race Trophy general handicap series.  

 

Each sailor’s score was determined using the Average Lap method and corrected for the Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) number for the class.   And it was David, a member of host club Rutland Sailability who also sails with Swindon-based Whitefriars Sailing for the Disabled, who was revealed as the overall multiclass champion and the winner of the Ken Ellis Trophy at the official prize giving.  

 

David, who also finished at the front of the Access Liberty fleet on Sunday having settled for second spot behind Rutland rival Clare Andrew on Saturday, admitted he was flattered to land the biggest prize of the weekend.  

 

He said: “It is a real honour to have won the Ken Ellis Trophy, there is a lot of history behind the trophy and so I am delighted to receive it, it will go right in the middle of the mantelpiece!  

 

Click here for full story

 

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Deaflympians encourage new players at deaf tennis festival
Deaflympians Catherine Graham and Lewis Fletcher will be among the coaches aiming to encourage a new generation of young deaf tennis players at the Deaf Tennis Festival.

The festival, run by the Tennis Foundation in partnership with the National Deaf Children’s Society, was be held at St George’s College, Addlestone, Surrey on Thursday, 19th August 2010.
Young players aged from the age of seven upwards were invited to attend the Festival to have a go at tennis, receive free coaching and to find out more about the burgeoning world of deaf tennis.

Further information and support was available on the day from members of the British Deaf Tennis Association, the Tennis Foundation and National Deaf Children’s Society.

 

Click here for full story.

 

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Brazil Crowned Champions

Brazil lifted the IBSA World Blind Championship for the 3rd time with a stunning win over a resilient Spain team.

Brazil lead one nil at half time through Alves with a further second half strike from Goncalves ensuring that the trophy once again went back to South America.

In the third place play off England failed to convert chances against China losing by 1 goal to nil.

 

Click here for full story.

 

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