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'Near-perfect' Organizers praise Sydney, 2000 Games
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Despite controversy surrounding the expulsion of nine powerlifters for using performance enhancing drugs, Sydney provided a "near-perfect" Paralympics, committee head Robert Steadward said Saturday. Steadward, president of the International Paralympic Committee, said powerlifting would be targeted for more drug tests, but those caught in Sydney were all newer athletes who were lowly ranked. "For the very best athletes we're still in good shape and for the past two world championships and last Paralympic Games we had no positive tests in powerlifting," he said. "We've got to make sure our rules and regulations and sanctions are so strict that it will deter athletes from wanting to take drugs in the future." The Sydney Paralympics set records with the number of countries competing -- 122 -- and number of athletes -- almost 4,000. A cooperative agreement between the International Olympic Committee and the IPC was also signed in Sydney to forge closer ties between the two organizations. "I was really pleased to see the cooperative spirit between SOCOG and SPOC [the local organizing committees] and I think one of the reasons these Games have been near perfect is simply because ... the Sydney Paralympic organizers had an opportunity to work alongside Olympic organizers." Steadward said he was confident Athens would meet the challenges of staging the 2004 Paralympics despite problems with signing the host nation agreement. Sydney Paralympic Games ticket sales have almost doubled organizers' early targets, with over 1.1 million sold. Organizing committee communications manager Jane West said as at the end of Friday, 1.1 million tickets had been sold, including 873,000 day passes. Steadward said ticket sales far exceeded the IPC's expectations "and certainly doubled the goals set in the early stages." Friday was the busiest day of the Paralympic Games, with 127,000 people going to the site. Saturday's estimated crowd of 100,000-plus would take the overall spectator numbers past the one million mark, West said. The closing ceremony will be held Sunday.
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