IPC chief Craven eyes totally clean Games

BEIJING: International Paralympic chief Philip Craven said he was hoping for a “totally clean” event ahead of the opening of the 2008 Games here Saturday.

Like the Olympics, past Paralympic Games have been blighted by drugs scandals and there will be a focus in Beijing on stamping out any cheating.

“There’s no point in my saying there hasn’t been a problem, but we have worked very hard over the last four years—both from a testing point of view and also from an education point of view—and we’re very hopeful for good results,” IPC President Craven said.

In the 2004 Athens Paralympics, 680 doping tests were conducted, resulting in ten anti-doping rule violations—two out-of-competition and eight in-competition, according to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Powerlifting has been particularly hard-hit by doping scandals, including in Athens.

But Craven said “generally, our record has been very, very good,” and he noted that the 2006 winter Games in Torino (Turin, Italy) were clean.

“I think that there are sports in the winter games that could lend themselves maybe to potentially certain doping issues and I think you’re all aware that in Torino we didn’t have one positive test for the Paralympic Winter Games, so I’m looking forward to a clean Games.”

The 13th Paralympics, involving more than 4,000 athletes, run through September 17.

MARIAPPAN GIVEN THE HONOUR TO CARRY JALUR GEMILANG: National powerlifting athlete P. Mariappan was yesterday given the honour to carry the Jalur Gemilang at the opening of the 13th Paralympic Games here yesterday.

“I feel proud for the honour given to me,” he told Bernama.

Among those who attended the opening ceremony were the Malaysian Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-so, and Infanta Elena, the daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain.

For Mariappan, 50, who took up powerlifting in 1980, this will be his sixth and last paralympics, the world’s biggest sporting event for the disabled people.

“I’ve won many gold medals in other championships but not in the paralympics. This will be my target here,” said Mariappan who represented the country the paralympics in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).

He won the bronze in Seoul and Barcelona.

A total of 11 Malaysian paralympians are taking part in five of 20 sports at the Paralympic Games here and would begin their challenge in their respective events today.