Special Event: Rio 2016 Paralympics -- catchall thread
September 7, 2016 11:44 AM - Subscribe

Want to chatter about the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio? Here's your spot on FanFare for it.

Also, over on the blue:
- rad trailer for the games
- some more general recent discussion
posted by cortex (95 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Goalball!
posted by lmfsilva at 11:59 AM on September 7, 2016 [1 favorite]


Goalball!

*silence*

jingle jingle jingle

*crowd roars*
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:18 PM on September 7, 2016 [2 favorites]


Looking forward to Football 5-a-side on Brazil's home turf. Was lucky enough to catch the gold medal final match at the 2015 Toronto Parapan Am games in person - it was Brazil vs. Argentina, and Brazil won.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:27 PM on September 7, 2016


It's the Murderball, Boccia, Goalball, and GO ELLIE GO ELLIE GO! which are the main draws in our family (on account of, respectively: RUGBY; wee brother plays it regionally; wee brother plays that regionally too; and local association with Ellie Simmonds, who grew up not far from where I did).
posted by Morfil Ffyrnig at 12:51 PM on September 7, 2016


Didn't think much of the few Breaking Bad episodes I watched (soz) but RJ Mitte seems to be a real treasure.
posted by threetwentytwo at 2:02 PM on September 7, 2016


You can (possibly) watch the opening here
posted by kriox at 2:24 PM on September 7, 2016


Okay, CHannel 4's stream just freezes my computer and the others are region locked, so if anyone has a link to a working stram that can be seen in the UK, please post a link!!
posted by marienbad at 2:58 PM on September 7, 2016


Try the youtube livestream from paralympicsport.tv

Viewing from Canada here.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:19 PM on September 7, 2016


Apparently Thomas Bach isn't bothering to show up for the Paralympics at all. He was set to attending the opening ceremony, but cancelled to attend a funeral, but Irish media is reporting that Brazilian officials want to question Bach as a witness in the ticket scalping scandal.
posted by zachlipton at 3:27 PM on September 7, 2016


Each country's name plaque is a jigsaw puzzle piece. As they arrive, each piece is being arranged in the middle of the stadium:

While their country name is on the front, on the back is the picture is every single athlete competing at these Paralympic Games.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:32 PM on September 7, 2016 [2 favorites]


Italy! Hosts of the first Paralympic Games in 1960.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:51 PM on September 7, 2016


Team USA appears to be livestreaming the opening ceremony, for people wanting to watch online in the US.
posted by BungaDunga at 4:02 PM on September 7, 2016


youtube livestream from paralympicsport.tv

Not available in your country.
posted by marienbad at 4:02 PM on September 7, 2016


NBC is about to air the opening ceremony in the US! *blows into leftover New Years noisemaker*
posted by duffell at 4:02 PM on September 7, 2016


...that is, "NBCSN," which is some kind of sportsball channel.
posted by duffell at 4:03 PM on September 7, 2016


I get the feeling even less of the Paralympics opening ceremony is being aired than was the case for the main Summer Olympics, which is a damned shame... but holy shit, that massive wheelchair-ramp-flip-through-a-humongous-hoop was awesome.
posted by duffell at 4:18 PM on September 7, 2016


The Kyrgyz jackets are swell.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:19 PM on September 7, 2016


As are the jackets from East Timor.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:31 PM on September 7, 2016


Here comes Brazil!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:41 PM on September 7, 2016 [1 favorite]


paralympicsport.tv seems to have lost its audio feed...
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:52 PM on September 7, 2016


Heh, the new president didn't dare to make any sort of speech. Just declared the games open amid boos and they quickly cut to more dancing acts.
posted by kriox at 5:21 PM on September 7, 2016


Marcia Malsar.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:08 PM on September 7, 2016


Also, whoever was doing the Guardian live updates did an absolute rubbish job:

The flame still needs to be lit, though – after this section of visual art displaing the Paralympic logo and another video.

Uh, thanks. That was informative.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:11 PM on September 7, 2016


Farce.
millions of Brazilians cannot watch the show because it is not being broadcast on the basic cable channels most Brazilians watch.
In lieu of the opening ceremony, Brazil’s biggest channel, Globo, is airing a soap opera chapter.
posted by adamvasco at 6:15 PM on September 7, 2016 [4 favorites]


Wow. That's fucking brutal.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:41 PM on September 7, 2016


I am so excited. Growing up a swimmer in a hockey town meant waiting 4 years for my story to be popular. Working as an adult largely towards paraswimming means waiting 4 years for my support to exist.... And then it's blows part and is actually popular!

Man i wish I was there to cheer you all on; know that we are doing so as hard as we can here at home
posted by mce at 11:07 AM on September 8, 2016 [2 favorites]


Watched a bunch of sports tonight. Came here to discuss.

*crickets*

Ok. Let's do this.

Swimming.

Track Cycling.

Oh, wait...

This page works like hot garbage in Chrome.

Also, live streaming coverage is highly geo-blocked.

Tonight, here in Canada, the CBC did a half-hour daily wrap-up of TV coverage at midnight. That's all they felt compelled to do. Despite the games happening in GMT -3. I guess we can thank the steaming overpaid piece of shit Hubert Lacroix for that one, but what about everywhere else?

So, I guess nobody cares.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:10 PM on September 8, 2016


That said, if you're not geo-blocked, or if you can proxy to a region that isn't (Canada isn't) the paralympicsport.tv youtube channel is quite good.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:23 PM on September 8, 2016


NZ seems to be punching above its weight (as usual). We get a limited FTA feed, mainly focussed on local entrants, but it is a lot better than it was last time. There is a lot more interest in the Paralympics this time, it seems.

Our first Gold was won by a teenager who seemed genuinely surprised at long-jumping further than she expected.
posted by arzakh at 5:24 AM on September 9, 2016


National TV won't have live events, and unfortunately a few of the sports on their YouTube channel are already sports have minimal interest - basketball, table tennis and swimming. Finding streams of dubious legality isn't easy.

So, I guess I won't have much to comment on, although I'll probably have the athletics on background while I'm doing some stuff.
posted by lmfsilva at 6:39 AM on September 9, 2016


Plenty of WRs falling - Le Fur (long jump T43/44) won by 20cm, and beat the WR at least two times, and in the Men's 100m - T35 , Ihor Tsvietov just obliterated the record, and finished with over half a second over the second best qualifying time.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:15 AM on September 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Uzbekistan has taken 9 medals.

Also, 5-a-side has started. Iran currently playing Turkey.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:12 PM on September 9, 2016




Channel 4 just said Libby Clegg's disqualification's been reversed on appeal and she's running again tonight. Does that mean the record she set earlier stands?
posted by the latin mouse at 1:06 PM on September 9, 2016


I tried watching on my tablet at work, downloaded the C4 app and that didn't work, it just took me to the website and then that said "please disable adblock" - which I don't have installed on the tablet firefox. FFS!!
posted by marienbad at 2:31 PM on September 9, 2016


Not sure. But holy shit - Great Britain won three golds in nine minutes today.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:32 PM on September 9, 2016




I'm watching on TVNZ on-demand. It may well be geoblocked, but all I needed was name and email to register. They're running what sounds like an English commentator - pretty good, not at all nationalistic.

Just watched a friend of a friend break the world record in the women's backstroke S11 (for blind swimmers).
posted by Pink Frost at 3:29 PM on September 9, 2016


USA's Tatyana McFadden just won gold in the women's T54 400m
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:41 PM on September 11, 2016


Ticket sales and attendance have improved dramatically in the last few days:

It was impossible to buy a ticket in the Olympic Park on Saturday, while a combined crowd of 48,325 attended the morning and evening sessions at the Olympic Stadium.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:49 PM on September 11, 2016


Into the men's T34 100m heats now.

Canada's Austin Smeenk qualified for tomorrow's final.

Rheed McCracken (AUS) set a new Paralympic record of 15.50 in heat 1; Walid Ktila (TUN) bettered that in heat 2 with 15.44.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:58 PM on September 11, 2016


Check out this return shot from a women's Class 7 table tennis match between Kelly Van Zon of the Netherlands and Kubra Korkut of Turkey (final result 3-1 for Van Zon).

Korkut backs off thinking she had the point - Van Zon dives and returns it.

I can see this highlight video of the return here from Canada.

Guardian version of the video here that will probably work for folks in the UK.

Van Zon beat Canada's Stephanie Chan in a semi final match to advance to the gold medal match - it's on Tuesday and will be a rematch with Korkut!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:14 PM on September 11, 2016


USA's David Brown just ran 10.99 in the men's T-11 100m final.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:18 PM on September 11, 2016


Abdellatif Baka wins visually impaired 1500m in which top four would have won Olympic gold:

Algeria’s Abdellatif Baka won an incredible men’s 1500m final in the T13 class at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on Sunday (11 September) evening.

The first four runners to cross the finish line in the race for visually impaired athletes recorded times that would have been fast enough to win gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Baka, who set a world record of three minutes and 48.29 seconds, held off a terrific late charge by Ethiopia’s Tamiru Demisse, who took silver in 3:48.49.

Kenyan Henry Kirwa (3:49.59) won bronze ahead of Algeria's Fouad Baka (Abdellatif's brother) who crossed in 3.49.84.

Inside the same stadium during August's Olympic Games, the USA's Matthew Centrowitz won the men's 1500m title in 3.50:00.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:04 PM on September 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


OK fencing fans, here's the link for the gold medal men's wheelchair sabre event.
posted by chapps at 6:35 PM on September 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


Farzin Majid took gold in men's -80kg powerlifting.

240 kg on third attempt.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:49 PM on September 12, 2016


Bose Omolayo took gold in women's -79kg powerlifting.

141 kg on third attempt.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:57 PM on September 12, 2016


It gets even better...

On September 15, Brazil and Argentina go into the men's 5-a-side semi finals.

Wheelchair rugby starts up tomorrow as well. Here's all about it.

Canada's Trevor Hirschfield:

‘There's no calendar shoot, just quad bellies and toothpicks for legs’

I train at the Richmond Olympic Oval alongside other elite athletes, most of them able-bodied. Day after day, week after week, month after month, I see how training changes their bodies.

Their shoulders broaden out, their calves bulge, their waists taper. You can see the results of their hard work written all over them.

The changes in our bodies, however, are invisible. When our shirts come off as we get ready for a game, our locker room looks quite a bit different from an able-bodied, high-performance team.
There's no calendar shoot in our future, just those "quad bellies," and those toothpicks for legs.

We joke about being a motley crew, that our bodies aren’t right, but when I look around at my teammates I know we wouldn’t change a thing because we’ve worked our asses off for what we have.

I often lift the same weight six days a week for six months before I’m able to move up half a pound. An able-bodied athlete can put on a pound of muscle in a few weeks, but it takes me over a year. Every gram of muscle I build is the result of thousands of hours in the gym, of swinging the battle ropes or pulling a sled or sprinting with elastic bands strapped to my chair, of eating exactly enough protein and refueling with just enough electrolytes, of taping weights to my hands with electrical tape because my fingers can’t grip, of plateauing and fighting through the plateau again and again.

The difference between an able-bodied athlete and me is the difference between watering your lawn with a sprinkler system and watering it with an eye dropper.

[...]

So, no, I don’t see the changes when I look in the mirror, but I do see them when I wheel out on to the court. Over the course of a season, those tiny gains pay huge dividends. People cheer for wheelchair rugby’s big hits, but really the sport is a matter of millimetres.

I can steal a ball if my opponent leans back just an inch too far. If every athlete on Team Canada beats his or her opponent down the court by just a fraction of a second, we’ll win the game.

And now it’s finally time for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Since our silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympics, I’ve put in four years of blood, sweat and tears, (okay, maybe just blood and tears, since like many quadriplegics, I don’t sweat), for the privilege of playing for gold once again.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:31 PM on September 13, 2016 [4 favorites]


Shout out to Alex Zanardi (yes, racing fans, that one) who'll be trying to get his fourth gold medal today in cycling, after winning the time trial a few days ago. Legend.

Also, for some reason, I can't even watch goalball highlights. Considering it is (I think) the only sport in the program developed for people with disabilities (in addition to being incredibly fun to watch) I'd expect it to be featured more prominently.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:42 PM on September 14, 2016


Ah, rats. Canada was just eliminated in goalball!

2012 video explainer for goalball from the BBC here - doesn't seem region restricted for me in Canada, so might work elsewhere?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:27 AM on September 15, 2016


Wow! Goal ball looks really fun!
posted by chapps at 12:41 AM on September 16, 2016


OK fencing fans, here's the link for the gold medal men's wheelchair sabre event.

I just discovered the story of the women's wheelchair fencing gold medallist, Italian 19 year-old Bebe Vio.

Her passion and talent for fencing (she started when she was 6) was cruelly interrupted at age 11, when she was already ranked in the national top 5, by a devastating bout of meningitis - to survive which she suffered the amputation of all four limbs (at elbows and knees).

The story, as she tells it, of her personal rebirth and her re-invention of wheelchair fencing (no-one had ever competed without arms), is a sight to behold. After several years of re-learning her sport, and then winning numerous European and international events, the emotions she burst into at winning the paralympic gold must have been... intense!
posted by progosk at 6:54 AM on September 16, 2016 [2 favorites]




Prosthetic triage: Inside the Paralympic repair shop:

When you're an elite Paralympic competitor and your artificial limb isn't feeling quite right, there's a repair shop at Rio's athletes' village that can help.

Run by the German prosthetic manufacturer Ottobock, it's part e​​mergency room and part industrial workshop where prosthetics get made, fitted and tested.

The 100 technicians and staff, who speak a total of 29 languages, expect to perform more than 2,000 procedures or fixes before the Rio Paralympic Games wrap up.

NYT piece on it as well:

One of the most challenging requests of the entire Paralympics arrived Monday night, when the champion British cyclist Sarah Storey arrived holding a thin, circular hunk of metal, a few centimeters in diameter, that had recently snapped off her spare bike. Whatever the part was — not even Storey knew, though she believed it related to the braking mechanism — it had warped when it detached.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:57 AM on September 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


Canada beat Great Britain in wheelchair Rugby - up against AUS tonight at 6:15 ET.

*grabs popcorn*

*slaps forehead*

*grabs ketchup chips instead*
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:42 PM on September 16, 2016


oooh yeh the murderball's been great fun to watch. I do truly love the swimming but I have projects that involve watching it all, and recording and observing in as much detail as is possible. It's been awesome to have easy access to other things to watch more recreationally.
posted by mce at 2:18 PM on September 16, 2016


While we're waiting for the Canada and GB match to start, enjoy the New Zealand Wheelblacks performing the Haka.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:13 PM on September 16, 2016


6-6 with 5:00 to go in in the first between CAN and AUS. They're going one for one. This will be a war of attrition.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:21 PM on September 16, 2016


Even score at 6:06 in the 2nd. Pause for blown tire.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:39 PM on September 16, 2016


12,000 in there watching the CAN-AUS game.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:48 PM on September 16, 2016


Yeah! Two upends from Canada's Zak Madell in 30 seconds. 29-28 for AUS at the half.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:55 PM on September 16, 2016


Canadian Canada flag body suit guy wins the half time samba dance-off between AUS and CAN fans.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:00 PM on September 16, 2016


Backwards goal from Hirschfield to tie it up again in the 3rd.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:08 PM on September 16, 2016


54-54 with 1:24 left in the 4th
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:37 PM on September 16, 2016


Video hangs on the livestream. Audio still works. I grumble. My blind husband says "Welcome to my world."
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:40 PM on September 16, 2016 [2 favorites]


Overtime now.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:48 PM on September 16, 2016


Australia takes it. Canada will go on to play the US in the semis - Australia will play Japan.

What a game! Congrats, Aussies. Well done.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:57 PM on September 16, 2016


First timeout in CAN-USA wheelchair rugby game. Unable to watch live right now, but @thebentaxle has a pretty good live tweeting situation going on.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:58 AM on September 17, 2016


USA wins it 60-55. Current standings: USA on to gold medal game tomorrow. Canada advances to the bronze medal game tomorrow.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:13 AM on September 17, 2016


Statement on Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad
The cyclist passed away earlier today following a crash during the C4 cycling road race at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
posted by carabiner at 3:10 PM on September 17, 2016


Paralympic Athletes’ Least Favorite Word: Inspiration

When the subject of the word “inspiration” was broached during interviews with more than 20 athletes over the past two weeks, many — even if they did not agree that the term had taken on a fraught meaning — acknowledged that it was divisive. The word has been a point of contention during Team U.S.A. swimming meetings, either in news media training sessions or in casual conversations.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:02 AM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]


Watching the CAN-JPN wheelchair rugby bronze medal match. 40-38 in Japan's favour about three quarters of the way through.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:03 AM on September 18, 2016


Also watching the men's sitting volleyball match that's going on right now - Egypt vs. Brazil for bronze. Last few minutes were electric. Just now - narrow victory for Egypt.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:20 AM on September 18, 2016


Good to see I'm not the only one who is a bit tired of seeing "inspiration" or variations thereof on every article about a Paralympic Athlete. Just call them what they are - Champions, world class athletes, restless competitors. Don't turn them into bullshit quotes over beach sunrises or flower beds.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:24 AM on September 18, 2016


Oh. Wow.

Japan wins bronze over Canada in wheelchair rugby.

Canada's medalled three out of the four years since it was introduced to the Paralympics in Sydney in 2000.

Great game by Japan.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:25 AM on September 18, 2016


Don't turn them into bullshit quotes over beach sunrises or flower beds.

The irony being that those images with "inspirational" quotes are inaccessible (unless they're properly alt-tagged - and the chances of that tend to approach zero based on the knowledge level of the people likely to generate them).

Anyone who sends me shit like that typically gets some Stella Young sent back in response.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:36 AM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]


Catching up on the men's 5-a-side today (there are only men's teams in 5-a-side. Grumble).

Brazil beat Iran in the gold medal match.

Here are the highlights (might be geo-restricted for some).

Meanwhile, in 7-a-side, Iran beat Brazil to advance to the gold medal match against Ukraine. Ukraine won in extra time.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:51 AM on September 18, 2016


Oops. Here's the 5-a-side highlight link I meant to include above.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:35 AM on September 18, 2016


Whoa-hoah.

Two overtime periods in the gold medal wheelchair rugby match between USA and Australia.

Australia wins by one point: 59-58.

If you're able to watch a replay of the game, do yourself a favour and do so.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:24 AM on September 18, 2016


Speaking of heart-stoppers, the women's Team Foil fencing bronze medal match:

Italy over Hong Kong by one point, starts here at 1:15 if you can access it.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:33 AM on September 18, 2016




Closing ceremonies about to kick off.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:57 PM on September 18, 2016




I haven't had much success in finding streams to watch during the times when I had the spare time to watch, but it's been great following along with you in here - thanks for semi-liveblogging it.
posted by LobsterMitten at 4:02 PM on September 18, 2016


Sepultura's guitarist is playing the kickoff!!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:05 PM on September 18, 2016


Death metal and wheelchair dancers (some of them trained ballet dancers)!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:07 PM on September 18, 2016


Try here or here for a stream?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:10 PM on September 18, 2016


So the opening tribute to Brazilian metal included Andreas Kisser of Sepultura and guitarist Jonathan Bastos - he plays with his feet.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:15 PM on September 18, 2016 [1 favorite]


The national flag bearers are coming in now. Ireland's is 14 years old.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:19 PM on September 18, 2016


Iran's flag is draped with a black ribbon for Bahman Golbarnezhad.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:22 PM on September 18, 2016


Handing over the next games to Tokyo now for 2020. Presentation featuring changes in attitude toward athletes with disabilities in Japan.

Cross-disability Japanse sexy dance performance follows - blind people, wheelchair users, amputees...all being sexy!
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:26 PM on September 18, 2016


Obrigado sequence for the 15,000 volunteers.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:29 PM on September 18, 2016


Moment of silence for Bahman Golbarnezhad.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:38 PM on September 18, 2016


It's raining there now during Craven's closing remarks.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:42 PM on September 18, 2016


Wouldn't be complete without the marathon results, would it?

After 1,192 days, Brazil mega-event run ends at Paralympics
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:11 AM on September 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


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