Strong people - Paralympic Games 2012 in London

Paralympic Games - is an international sports event for the disabled, traditionally held after the main Olympic Games, and since 1988 - on the same stradionah and sports facilities.

This time strong men competitions - Summer Paralympic Games in 2012 held in London from 29 August to 9 September.

Before you go to Stratford for the opening of the Paralympic Games, most of all I was afraid that the Olympic Stadium will not be filled - in fact just finished the "big" games and people seemed pretty tired of the "big" sports. My fears were unfounded - for a few hours before the opening of the organizers informed that all 80,000 seats sold at the stadium.

At the entrance to the stadium handing out apples - they then become part of a theatrical performance called "Enlightenment". This theme was chosen for the opening of the Paralympic Games, to tell ", changing conventional notions of human capabilities of the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games."

There were a lot of people in wheelchairs. For them, there were some places with convenient access and wheelchair storage, for those who could get to his seat with the help of relatives. Here are this boy's father put on his shoulders and went to the podium.

In general, it should be noted the perfect organization of the discovery - dozens of friendly, smiling volunteers, comfortable passage into the stands, a very modest presence of the police, the general atmosphere of friendliness and joyful expectation of a beautiful spectacle.

An hour before the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games 2012 in Londonetribuny were filled.

The main character representation called Miranda went on a trip with the most, perhaps, a world famous physicist Stephen Hawking. Confined to a wheelchair Hawking attended the opening of the Games and was one of his central characters.

The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in 2012.

After completing the first part of the presentation on the stadium began to leave the athletes. At the Paralympic Games in 2012 in London will be attended by teams from 166 countries of the world. More than four thousand athletes will compete in 20 sports and will compete for 503 sets of medals.

Team Canada:

The national team of Denmark.

Mexican surprised by its shape - they all had different poncho.

The Portuguese carried on the shoulders of the big kids.

The Norwegian team.

The Japanese team:

Standard Bearer in the Russian team was a two-time Paralympic champion Athletics Alexei Ashapatov.

Some athletes with vision problems were guide dogs. Blind football players lined up the chain, putting a hand on his shoulder ahead going.

Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain bravely sat through the two-hour pass through the stadium all 166 commands and one phrase opened the Paralympic Games 2012 in London. Paralympians brought the traditional oath of allegiance to the ideals of the Paralympic movement, fair play and impartiality.

The flag of the Paralympic Movement raised.

After that, the second part of the pageant on the theme of education and the limitless possibilities of man. Books, flying whale floating in the air people, the giant astronomical instruments, music and Stephen Hawking on the podium in his chair. A fantastic sight!

Flying whale.

There were useful apples, which were distributed before the start. At the command of the whole stadium with a savory crunch bit into his apple knowledge of the truth.

All over the solemn lighting of the Olympic flame. The stadium it airlifted 24-year-old soldier of the Royal Marine Joe Townsend, who lost both legs in Afghanistan.

Bowl flower with a fire 166 "petals":

A few pictures of athletes Paralympic Games in 2012 in London.

Greta Neymanas cyclist from the US.

27-year-old Venezuelan national team athlete Willie Martinez.

The New Zealand cyclist Phillipa Gray and Laura Thompson.

The shooter Josh Olson.

cyclist from Israel Pascal Berkovich.

German runner Heinrich Popow.

The American archer Matt Statsman.

Swimmer Christoph Burkard from Germany.

It is difficult to understand without seeing firsthand how to play table tennis, sitting in a wheelchair, to run the 100m with no legs, swimming or archery without hands.

For competitions in table tennis, sedentary volleyball, weightlifting and judo London ExCeL Exhibition Center razgorodili on several sites. People very much, to log on to each of the sites had to defend the long queue.

Sector where Paralympic played table tennis.

In this day grandstand vehemently rooting for the red-haired Swiss Silvio Keller, who fought with the Koreans. In Keller's work, only the right hand to throw, he would pick up the ball rolling on the table and gave out from under the table. For every point they won the audience reacted as if the Swiss became the champion.

At the next table was playing the one-armed Chinese, its breathtaking topspin I just envied his left hand.

Meanwhile, the Swiss booster thrust Korean. And I won yet! In the stands cheered, happy as a child, and he Silvio.

On the filing of Natalia Partyka - Polish tennistka, who was born without a right hand and forearm, September 3, 2012. She became won the gold medal, as well as being the only woman who takes part in both the Paralympics and Olympics in 2012.

Meeting on sedentary volleyball. Played teams of Brazil and Rwanda. I liked the organization of the game - the best of snobbish, with music broadcast on large screens, with an explanation of rules of the game.

Before the start of the game the team out on the field on his own two feet. Almost all the players on the prostheses.

Then the athletes unfasten prostheses and, resting his hands, jump to the platform. The game is not less than spectacular and intense than the "big" volleyball. The same ball draws, the same blocks. Net height 1.15m in the men's volleyball. Generally, in this sport are the strongest team in Russia and Germany.

In the queue for weightlifting competitions, I was more than an hour. The hall was packed and I barely made his way closer to the dais. There only hands work. Weightlifter travels in a wheelchair, rests on a shell post capture three people, carefully placed it on his chest and let the athlete on the team.

Judo wrestlers are visually impaired or completely blind. They bring to the mat assistants, they also help them in the intervals between contractions.

The judge takes the mat wrestlers in the center and puts them in a rack.

Judoka Anatoly Shevchenko from Anapa. His opponent was another Iranian wrestler.

Long Jump in the class F11 (walking athletes). The classification system was developed classifiers Committee Athletics International Paralympic Committee in order to determine what the maximum function of the athlete can be in a separate class.

In the photo blind American athlete Tanner Gears, September 4, 2012.

Ukrainian Yaroslav Semenenko athlete preparing for the start of the swim in the 100 m backstroke. He amputated both hands, and without an assistant at the start not to do.

The award ceremony bronze medalist in rowing competitions (Double Sculls), London, September 2, 2012.

"Running on the blades" or athlete without both legs, Briton Richard Whitehead - Paralympic champion in the women's 200 meters T42 class.

He set a world record - 24.38 seconds. For comparison, the absolute world record holder Usain Bolt - 19.19 seconds.

Paralympic swim 50 meters. At the start kitaysiky athlete Zheng Tao, September 4, 2012.

Competitions discus in the class F11 / 12 (blurred vision) at the Olympic Stadium in London, September 1, 2012.

Rustam Nurmukhametov, blind swimmer from Magnitogorsk, preparing to swim in the 100-meter freestyle in the S11 category (for swimmers with a complete or almost complete loss of vision).

Paralympic sailing competitions. Portland, England, September 2, 2012.

Racing in wheelchair T54 class, London, September 4, 2012.

The final run the 400 meters in London, September 4, 2012.

The football match between Great Britain and Iran in the class B1 (blurred vision), September 4, 2012.

Racing in wheelchairs at 1,500 meters in the T54 class, London, September 4, 2012.

Paralympic competitions in archery, September 3, 2012.

The leader of the Russian national Paralympic wheelchair fencing Lyudmila Vasilyeva (left) against the German athlete, September 5, 2012.

Chinese woman celebrating a victory in fencing on wheelchairs, September 4, 2012.

The final run in the 200 meters in the T11 class (walking athletes), London, on September 4, 2012. Blind Brazilian Felipe Gomez runs with his guide.

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa (right) won the gold medal in the women's 200 meters in the T44 class.

Paralympic competitions in equestrian sport, September 2, 2012.

The German athlete Vanessa Lowe prepares for the final competition jump, September 2, 2012.

Tennis, September 1, 2012.

Christiane Reppe of Germany is preparing for the final swim in the 100 m backstroke in the S9 class, August 31, 2012.

Javelin Throw, London, September 1, 2012.

Archery among wheelchair users, September 3, 2012.

Racing in wheelchairs at a distance of 1500 meters in the T54 class, September 3, 2012.

javelin thrower in the class F52 / F53 (athletes in wheelchairs), September 4, 2012.

Throwing klaba in category F31 / 32/51 Class F31: athlete needs a wheelchair with electric or assistance for mobility, ie the athlete is not able to functionally control the wheelchair...

The German athlete Vanessa Lowe in the competition in long jump, September 2, 2012.

The winner of the race in wheelchairs on the 1500 meters gold medalist David Weir of Britain.

Javelin Throw. The photograph Jeff Skiba from the United States, London, September 2, 2012.

It was a report from the Paralympic Games in London 2012 - strong men competitions.