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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Team Lessard WINS Quebec Playdowns are under way!







This weekend see the Quebec play downs getting under way. The 2 Team play downs see Team Poulin taking on defending provincial and national champions Team Lessard.




The First draw was won by Lessard  8-4


Team                1  2   3   4   5   6   7   8 

Poulin               0  2   0   1   0   0   1   0

Lessard             2   0  1  0   3   1    0   1       





DRAW 2



Team                1  2   3   4   5   6   7   8 

Poulin               0  0   1  0   0   0   0   1

Lessard             2  2   0  1   3   1    1   0    




DRAW 3


Team                1  2   3   4   5   6   7   8 

Poulin               0  1   0   0   0   0   2   1

Lessard             1  0   2   2   1   2   0   0







Friday, February 21, 2014

TCS partners with Finnish Wheelchair Curling Team towards Sochi Paralympic Games

TCS partners with Finnish Wheelchair Curling Team towards Sochi Paralympic Games
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) has partnered with the Finnish Wheelchair Curling Team, supporting the team in their quest for Olympic glory at the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi (March 7-16, 2014). TCS will serve as partner to the team for a period of one year and provide support for the team toward their equipment, logistics and digital devices such as smartphones at Sochi.

The Finnish national team qualified for the 2014 Paralympics based on its performance at the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championships. This is the first time that Finland has qualified in this category at the Paralympics, making it one amongst the top 10 teams in the world vying for a medal at Sochi.

Team Captain Markku Karjalainen comments, "We were so pleased when we qualified back in 2013 and since then the team has worked even harder to ensure that we will deliver when it counts in Sochi. We are really excited about going and plan on making Finland proud! I am grateful to TCS (Incidentally also my employer) for their support at a crucial time in our preparations."

TCS supports several worldwide community programs that promote skill development, sustainability, wellness and health. In Europe, it serves as the main partner to the Berlin Marathon and the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, helping raise crucial funds for cancer research. The company has recently launched another initiative in Finland to globalize Finnish innovation, by promoting five Finnish companies to showcase disruptive technologies in the Silicon Valley.

Ruchikar Dalela, Country Manager, TCS Finland, said, "It is an important part of our company's values to support crucial community programs, hand in hand with the growth of our business presence in Finland. The Finnish wheelchair curling team is a great example of how it is possible to channelize your energies in the right direction, excelling in spite of great odds. It represents the very Finnish spirit called Sisu and it is TCS' privilege to support this team as they head to Sochi. On behalf of the entire TCS community in Finland - our employees, clients and partners - we wish the team great success at Sochi and beyond."

Tiina Kivisaari, Secretary General, Finnish Paralympic Committee, said, "The Sochi Paralympics involves over 700 athletes across 45 nations and this year, Finland has managed to qualify in a total of 5 out of 6 sports, sending more athletes to a Paralympics that we have ever before. With new sports and athletes joining, competition is growing and we see the interest in Paralympics rising. On behalf of the FPC, we are pleased with the support that this partnership offers, giving to the Wheelchair Curling Team additional means to bring home a gold medal from Sochi."

Follow and support the team in Sochi on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WheelchairCurlingTeamFinland

Hashtag: #ReleaseYourRock

Shares of TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LTD. was last trading in BSE at Rs.2192.85 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 2198.45. The total number of shares traded during the day was 67690 in over 5365 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 2221.5 and intraday low of 2186.45. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 149388082.
Source: Equity Bulls
Posted On: 2014-02-20 11:08:10

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Sochi Isn't Fully Equipped To Accommodate Athletes With Disabilities For Paralympics

Sochi Isn't Fully Equipped To Accommodate Athletes With Disabilities For Paralympics



Posted: Updated:
           

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ASSOCIATED PRESS




SOCHI, Russia (AP) -- After $51 billion, it should be easy to get around at the Olympics - for everyone.


Organizers have repeatedly touted accessibility for people with disabilities as one of the chief lasting benefits of hosting the Winter Games in Sochi. But with less than three weeks until the Paralympics, infrastructure around Olympic Park and its venues are not entirely barrier-free.


Wheelchair access ramps at Laura Cross-country Ski & Biathlon Center aren't easily visible, while stairs for walking access are steep and icy. Door frames raised from the floor are all over the venues, including doorways leading into lower seating areas and wheelchair seating at Bolshoy Ice Dome.
Wheelchair lifts at some of the hotels being used for the games only work on one side of the stairs - and instructions are provided only in English. One trailer with two restrooms for people with disabilities outside the Iceberg Skating Palace doubles as a storage closet, filled with janitorial supplies and a large trash can.


As the world saw when the Olympics opened Feb. 7, not everything is finished or polished - there are certainly hurdles for people with disabilities.


Nearly 1,500 athletes are coming to the Paralympics right after the Olympics. It's a much smaller scale than the games happening now, but in a country that's never hosted the Paralympics before. Despite preparations for years, issues remain for an infrastructure that won't be fully tested until athletes from the 43 countries and their supporters arrive. The Paralympics, starting March 7, include 72 events in fives sports over 10 days.


Ahead of that, people strolling around Olympic Park with wheelchairs, walking sticks, crutches or other aids have been difficult to find during the Sochi Games. Walkways are often blocked by cable protectors that create awkward bumps 5 or 6 inches off the ground. In many places, ramps are simple sheets of thin plywood, not always flush with the ground and almost always added on to the structures they connect rather than being built in during initial construction.


Arly Velasquez, an Alpine ski Paralympian for Mexico and analyst for Claro Sports, said buses are accessible to those in wheelchairs but drivers frequently don't know how to use the lifts, forcing him to either demonstrate himself or wait for another bus. And when he arrived at his hotel one night, the wheelchair lift leading to his room wasn't working, so he had to improvise by strapping himself to his chair with a belt, he said.


"I just put my computer on the top of the stairs," he said, "and I just climbed with the hands."
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`A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION'


Craig Spence, spokesman for the International Paralympics Committee, said the problems "are totally relevant but hopefully they'll be ironed out before the Paralympics start."


All venues for the games and infrastructure have been built in accordance with an IPC accessibility guide, he said. The issues themselves, Spence said, are a sign of how far Russia has come since winning the games seven years ago.


"That the lift is there in the first place ... is a step in the right direction," Spence said.


A smooth run is key to long-term plans for the games to encourage more access for people with disabilities throughout Russia. The last time the nation hosted the Olympics in 1980, it refused to stage the Paralympics, saying the country did not have people with disabilities.


Evgeniy Bukharov, head of the Paralympic Integration Department for the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, said he is confident the venues and the athletes' villages are fully accessible for athletes, spectators and families. Organizers plan to transition from the current games to the Paralympics by adding more seating capacity, transportation and pathways for people with disabilities, he says.
Organizers produced a 104-page handbook detailing the accessibility features throughout Olympic and Paralympic venues -including the biathlon center - plus hotels and key transit hubs. And staff is planned at each venue to handle complaints on access issues and find problems that need fixing. In some areas, like ski venues, more personnel are planned in places where accessible infrastructure wasn't practical, Bukharov said.


Organizers have been trying to work with developers, construction companies and fire officials, among others, to prioritize accessibility issues while meeting their needs. Raised door frames, for example, are required in some areas by fire officials so air can't get under the door, he said.
Bukharov said bus drivers for the games were hired relatively last-minute but will train more for the Paralympics on using lifts on buses.


"I hope that these games will be very convenient for people with disabilities, particularly for athletes, because everything was built to create a good atmosphere to support them to achieve that (high) level in competition," Bukharov said.


Russian officials have made an effort in recent years to make transport and public buildings accessible to people with disabilities. Some metro stations have lifts or ramps for people in wheelchairs but the application is scattered. Public buses are built low to the ground, but often have no lifts and are therefore not accessible to people with disabilities traveling without assistance.
As recently as September, a Human Rights Watch report said the more than 13 million people with disabilities in Russia have significant barriers in trying to go about daily life. As a result, they rarely leave home.


Disability rights researcher Andrea Mazzarino, who wrote the report, said people in Russia generally want to help those with disabilities but often suggest personal help rather than infrastructure changes that would allow people with impediments to get around on their own. "It sort of reflects this idea that it's not important and it's not expedient to allow people to use public services independently."
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THE BIGGEST TEST


The IPC did an audit of the Sochi venues in January, Spence says, and it plans to assess the situation on the ground at the venues when staff begin to arrive Friday, suggesting changes as needed. "We're not expecting too many surprises," he said.


But he acknowledged that the biggest test of any infrastructure comes when people using it arrive. And, he said, guests shouldn't have the same expectations outside of Olympic Park, despite the strides Russia has made.


"Outside the venues, there will be some issues," he said. "You can't change an entire city in the seven years that you go from winning the games to hosting the games."


Hundreds of buses with disability access used around Olympic venues, for example, are expected to be put to use around the country after the games end, Spence said.


But Mazzarino said Russians haven't seen improvements so far. "Residents outside the tourist zone have not benefited significantly," she said.


Officials for several national Paralympic organizations declined comment, saying they would get impressions of Sochi on site when they arrived. Tiina Kivisaari, secretary general of Finland's Paralympic Committee, said the country's staff and athletes didn't notice any serious problems during visits over the last year, but almost everything was under construction.


"From our Olympic team, we have heard that there's been some problems, e.g., with elevators, but we still trust and hope that villages, venues, etc., will be accessible when (the) Paralympic Games start," she said in an email.


Things visually look accessible in Sochi, but aren't as practical as they seem, Velasquez said. He said he's been able to make things work, navigating ramps that lead to dead ends or stairs and doing wheelies to get over cable protectors.


"I can do that, but not all of the wheelchair users can do it," Velasquez said. "I can do it because I am an athlete and also because this chair is very good, but not all of the people will have this kind of wheelchair."


Athletes, he said, want to be independent.


"More than anything, you're just looking to do things by yourself," Velasquez said. "You don't strive to be depending on someone else because it just takes time and just takes someone to be there."

Sochi 2014 will be ‘shop window’ for wheelchair curling

 


    
British Curling are hoping the exposure from the Sochi 2014 Paralympics help further develop their programme.


Aileen Neilson 
    Aileen Neilson will skip Great Britain's wheelchair curling team at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. © • Getty Images 
    
By Nate Williams | For the IPC

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"The attitudes to disability sport and the media coverage has increased dramatically."     
Targets in most sports are not just about medals. Sport governing bodies also have to think about developing for the future.



That is exactly why British Curling Performance Director Dave Crosbee believes the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, which run from 7-16 March, can create a “shop window” for future wheelchair curlers.



Great Britain’s wheelchair curling team won a silver medal at the inaugural Paralympic wheelchair curling tournament at the Torino 2006 Games, but after missing out on a podium finish at the Vancouver 2010 Games, British Curling restructured their development programme.

“We’re like all Paralympic sports where statistically, participation rates are lower than Olympic sports but we are looking for new people all the time,” said Crosbee.



“After Sochi, we will probably start looking at a specific talent identification programme ready for the next cycle.



“We really want to try and use the exposure we get from the Paralympics as a shop window for wheelchair curling so people can see it’s a good activity, it’s a very sociable game on the ice and it has many other benefits. We hope people will recognise that so we can draw more people into the sport.”



Great Britain’s Sochi 2014 team will be led by the experience of skip Aileen Neilson and lead Tom Killin, who played in the first two Paralympic tournaments for his country.



They will be joined by two newcomers in Robert McPherson and Gregor Ewan.

“If you look at the team, it’s a significantly different entry from the team we had in Vancouver,” said Crosbee. “We have some stalwarts like Aileen and Tom who were in Vancouver, but we have some fresh faces as well like Gregor.



“Gregor’s stepped up massively from first being in the team in 2011 and he’s become a strong regular in the team.”



Neilson, who will be competing in her second Paralympics, believes the media interest in para-sport has improved tremendously and that will be crucial to the development of wheelchair curling.

“The attitudes to disability sport and the media coverage has increased dramatically,” Neilson said. “It’s huge news that Channel 4 are going to cover the Winter Paralympics and that will get the sport a higher profile and possibly bring more people to the sport.”



Great Britain will be one of 10 wheelchair curling teams competing at Sochi 2014.

All 10 squads are the same teams that competed in Sochi at the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championships, at which Canada won their third world title.



Great Britain finished in sixth place after completing that tournament.



“All the teams are going out there to do their best and come home with a medal so it’s not going to be easier than the Worlds,” Neilson said.



“Any of these teams who are on their A-game could win a medal, so it’s very hard to pick the teams that will go through to the playoffs.”

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Wheelchair curling and sledge hockey lead medal hopes as South Korea names Sochi 2014 squad

  
By Gary Anderson

February 15 - Jung Seung-hwan will be one of the South Korean stars at the Sochi 2014 Paralympics ©Bongarts/Getty Images South Korea has revealed its Paralympic team for Sochi 2014 and all eyes will be on the wheelchair curling and ice sledge hockey squads as the best hopes of securing a podium place next month.

South Korea's wheelchair curlers secured the country's only medal at Vancouver 2010, claiming a silver medal after losing out to hosts Canada in the final.

Two of that team return to action in Sochi in the form of Kang Mi-suk and Kim Myung-jin, who will be joined by Kim Jong-pan, Seo Soon-seok and Yun Hee-keong.

Kang was also part of the South Korean teams that took World Championship silver medals in Switzerland in 2008 and on home soil in Chuncheon City in 2012.

If Kang is the mainstay of the wheelchair curling squad, then Jung Seung-hwan is the main man on the ice sledge hockey team.

Jung was the star of the show at the Sochi 2014 Qualification Tournament in Turin last October were he fired the South Koreans to victory with eight goals and four assists during the tournament.

Jung also impressed at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships in 2012, leading his side to a runners-up spot behind the United States.

Wheelchair curling provided South Korea with its only medal at Vancouver 2010 ©Bongarts/Getty Images Wheelchair curling provided South Korea with its only medal at Vancouver 2010 ©Bongarts/Getty Images


The rest of the squad is made up of a mixture of youth and experience and includes Kim Dea-jung, Cho Byeong-seok, Lee Jong-kyung, Jang Jong-ho, Han Min-su, Chung Young-hoon, Park Sang-hyeon, Lee Young-min, Sa Sung-keun, Cho Young-jae, Park Woo-chul and Jang Dong-shin, who were all part of the Vancouver 2010 squad.

Meanwhile, Park Jeong-seork, Lee Chi-won and Yang Jae-rim will compete in Alpine skiing events while Seo Vo-Ra-mi and Choi Bo-gue will take part in Nordic skiing.

After finishing 18th last time out, South Korea will be hoping to increase their medal haul in Sochi as they prepare to host the next Winter Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Contact the writer of this story at gary.anderson@insidethegames.biz This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.