The 2004 Paralympic Games:
September 17th – 28th in Athens!

4,000 athletes, representing 143 countries in 19 sports, will participate in the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games are going to take place from 17th to 28th September 2004. It is a top-level sports event of equal value to that of the Olympic Games and which for the first time in its history the athletes will not be asked to give any financial sum for their participation.

During the Paralympic Games, Athens will offer hospitality to 3,000 press officials, 1,000 technical officials and judges, 2,000 team escorts and 2,500 official guests. In order to cover the needs for the organisation of the Paralympic Games 35,000 people are employed, with the 15,000 of them being volunteers.

The Canadian team numbers 144 athletes from all 10 provinces who will compete in 13 of the 19 sports on the Games program. Learn about the athletes and follow their performances on www.paralympic.ca

You will find all you need to know on the Paralympics on: http://www.paralympic.ca/

and can read the Paralympic Insider at: http://www.paralympic.ca/english/products/insider.asp

Ou en francais au: http://www.paralympic.ca/french/produits/actualympique.asp


This year, CBC has increased the broadcasting coverage of the Paralympic Games for all Canadians. Below is the TV schedule:

Lecavalier lifts Canada into World Cup final.
(CBC SPORTS ONLINE)

Vincent Lecavalier scored in overtime to lead Canada past the Czech Republic and into the 2004 World Cup of Hockey final. Lecavalier's goal at 3:45 of the extra period gave Canada a 4-3 triumph over the Czechs in Saturday's semifinal at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Canada advances to face Finland in the World Cup final Tuesday in Toronto (CBC, 7 p.m. ET). The Finns upset the defending-champion Americans 2-1 in the other semifinal.

Lecavalier, Saturday's hero, wasn't originally named to the Canadian World Cup squad. He stepped in as an injury replacement for his boyhood idol Steve Yzerman. "Playing on this team with all these guys, it's just the greatest feeling," Lecavalier told CBC Sports moments after his game-winner.

Eric Brewer, Mario Lemieux and Kris Draper also scored for Canada. Petr Cajanek, Martin Havlat and Patrik Elias replied for the Czechs.

Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo triumphed in his first start of the tournament. The Florida Panthers netminder was forced into action after regular starter Martin Brodeur hurt his left wrist in Canada's quarter-final triumph over Slovakia on Wednesday.

Luongo finished with 37 saves Saturday and made a handful of key stops in the closing moments of the third period and overtime. "I wanted to try and stay focused," said Luongo. "I knew I was playing well in practice. "I just tried to keep my team in the game as much as I [could]."

It's unclear if Brodeur will be available for Tuesday's final. The New Jersey Devils goalie told CBC's Scott Oake he hopes to be play but isn't sure if he'll be ready.

Athlete Profile: Veteran Kevin Kaminski leads Canada’s goalball team at Paralympics.
(Canadian Sport News)

The Canadian Paralympic Committee is pleased to profile Canadian Paralympic team members leading up to the September 17-28 Games. Today we profile Kevin Kaminski, goalball, originally from Regina and now based in Calgary.

Kevin Kaminski, a Calgary massage therapist and father of two, is considered one of the leaders on the Canadian goalball team which looks to get itself back in the international picture at the 2004 Paralympic Games later this month in Athens.

Kaminski has been totally blind since age 17, while most of his teammates have severe visual impairments. All, however, as per rules of the game, wear dark goggles to prevent vision from becoming any advantage.

Kaminski, who began losing his sight at age 14 due to optic nerve atrophy, ended up marrying his high school sweetheart. Now Patty, as well as their two daughters, will be on the sidelines at the 2004 Paralympics.

"I didn't find it as difficult as people might think it was," he says of adjusting to life without sight. "I come from a very stable, loving family. I had a great group of core friends and I met my wife as I was going through that process."

Family and education commitments forced him to leave the national goal ball team for several years. But there was no doubting his love for the sport once introduced to it in the 1980s. "I immediately realized it had the elements I liked about hockey," he says, referring to the team concept, camaraderie and skill development he enjoyed while playing hockey as a teenager.

After 1992, he continued to play goalball within Canada, but was eager to come back to pursue ever-elusive international success. He credits a strong coaching staff, and a hard-working, dedicated group of teammates as part of the appeal.

In Athens, teams from each of two six-team divisions will reach the playoff round, and to do so Kaminski says wins over the U.S. and Greece are essential. World-ranked Denmark and Sweden, and Germany, may be tougher foes in their division. Kaminski is a back-up centre, who also plays left and right wing.

Whatever the team's Paralympic result, he concludes: "I realize what a privilege it is (to go). I can't believe I've got one more chance, and I'm really savouring the opportunity."

Goalball was invented in Europe in 1946 and was used for sport and rehabilitation for post WW II blind veterans. The game was introduced to the world in 1976 at the Para-Olympiad in Toronto, Canada, and the first World Championships were held in Austria in 1978. Women first competed in goalball during the 1984 Paralympic Games in New York, USA. Goalball is open to athletes who are visually impaired and is a team sport for men and women. A team is comprised of six players with no more than three players per team on the court at any one time. The object of the game is to score goals by rolling a ball (called a goalball) using a bowling action toward the opposing team’s goal, which spans the entire width of the court. Players (one centre and two wingers) attempt to prevent the goalball from crossing the goal line. Goalballs weigh 1.25kg and contain noise bells, which along with raised lines on the court, help to orientate the players.

Call to Action - it's your future: Alberta Government wants your feedback.

We need to continue to get the message out! [There appears to be no restriction on the number of opportunities to respond.]

Over the next few weeks the province is consulting with Albertans on public spending priorities, providing a shared opportunity for us to reinforce the message that investing in sport is key to Alberta’s prosperity. The province has asked Albertans to complete a survey and return it by September 24. In conjunction with the reinvestment survey, we need to show a loud, professional and unified voice on behalf of sport.

Canada wins gold at world mountain bike championships.
(Canadian Sport News)

For the third time in four years, Canada won the gold medal in the cross country relay Wednesday in an impressive comeback performance to open the world mountain bike championships which are taking place this week in Les Gets, France.

The Canadian riders were Geoff Kabush and Max Plaxton, both of Victoria, Kiara Bisaro of Courtenay, B.C., and Raphael Gagné of Beauport, Que., who clocked a combined time of one hour and 09:00 minutes. Switzerland took the silver finishing 0.24 seconds back while Poland, the defending champion, was third, a further 0.57 seconds behind.

Plaxton was the only retuning member from last year’s bronze medal winning squad while Bisaro was the only Olympic team member. Each team has four riders- a men’s senior (Kabush for Canada), a men’s under-23 (Plaxton), a women’s senior (Bisaro), and a men’s junior (Gagné) which was the order for Canada . Each team can select its own riding order.

‘’I had a good feeling about this line-up but to be world champion you have to be strong and lucky,’’ Canadian national team coach Yuri Kashirin told Canadian Sport News by phone from the competition venue.

The Canadian team modified its strategy from year’s past by finishing with the senior woman and junior rider instead of the under-23 male and senior woman. The battle for the gold came down between Gagné and Switzerland’s Barb Blatter on the final lap of the 6.3 kilometre course.

‘’I didn’t think it was a risk putting Raphael last because he is quick and a technically sound rider,’’ said Kashirin. ‘’Kiara said she would feel more comfortable going third and I think it’s always important to listen to the riders and make sure they go in confident.’’

‘’We know we have good depth,’’ Kabush told Velo News. ‘’If there’s a chance to win the stripes you’ve got to give your best effort."

Canada re-announces investment in high-performance sport: funding part of previously dedicated funds.

CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Canada's athletes are getting a financial boost from Ottawa. The Canadian government announced a $10.1-million cash infusion into elite athletic programs on Friday.

The money is part of the $30 million additional investment in high-performance sport announced last May.

Stephen Owen, minister of state for sport, announced $4.6 million will go to the Athlete Assistance Program, while $5.5 million is being allocated for equipment purchases.

According to Owen, more than 1,400 Canadian athletes will receive an additional $4,800 next year. It works out to about $400 more per month. "It's great news," said three-time Canadian Olympic canoeist Attila Buday when asked by CBC about the funding boost. "It's going to allow me to move out of my parents' basement at 30 years of age." "It's a big help."

The Athlete Assistance Program supports carded athletes with their living and training expenses. In addition, carded athletes who study and train at Canadian universities and colleges will continue to receive up to $10,000 per year in tuition assistance.

"This announcement is an important step toward developing a sport system that better meets the needs of today's elite athletes, and the talent developing for tomorrow," stated Owen. "This investment builds towards success in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2006, 2008, 2010 and beyond."

While Buday is happy about the funding increase, he doesn't think it will translate into more Olympic medals at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy or the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

"It won't make a huge difference on how Canadians perform at the next Olympics," he said in an interview with CBC.

Buday said that if Canada wants to be successful at the Olympics, it must make amateur athletics a priority. He also advocated the idea of paying successful athletes performance bonuses like they do in some other countries.

The one-time cash infusion comes just weeks after Canada's disappointing performance at the Athens Summer Olympics. Canada finished the Games with 12 medals, the country's worst Olympic performance since the 1988 Games in Seoul where it won 10 medals.

On the final day of the Games, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said more government money is needed if Canada's sport performance is to improve. Rogge also revealed he intends to visit Canada later this year to push for increased funding of amateur sport from the federal and provincial governments.