Paralympics 2012: London Games 'the biggest ever staged' - BBC News
Organisers have confirmed that the 2012 Paralympics will be the biggest ever.
With 100 days to go, the International Paralympic Committee says athletes from 165 countries will compete - 19 more than in Beijing four years ago.
The number of competitors will also increase, to around 4,200.
"It is pleasing that Great Britain, the spiritual birthplace of the Paralympic Movement, will get to host the biggest ever Paralympics," said IPC president Sir Philip Craven.
The opening ceremony for the Games will take place on Wednesday, 29 August with Coldplay confirmed as the star act for the closing ceremony on Sunday, 9 September.
More than one million tickets for the Games go back on sale at 11:00 BST on Monday. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) sold the same number during last year's opening phase of sales.
"It is a massive move for the Paralympic Movement that so many tickets have been sold so far out," 11-time Paralympic gold medallist Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson told BBC Sport.
"I think it has fed off the excitement of the Olympics where a massive number of people applied for tickets, but there is also a genuine passion for Paralympic sport.
"We want the stadiums full with lots of British people supporting the home athletes. I don't mind why people come and watch the Paralympics. Sometimes it might be because they didn't get Olympic tickets but they got Paralympic ones, or they might be genuine sports fans, or they want to come and have a nose around the Stadium and the Park at Games time.
"The most important thing is that people are sitting in their seats cheering on performances and they will see some amazing performances.
"In Barcelona in 1992 the stadiums were full but most of those tickets were sold on the day. People had enjoyed the Olympics and then because the tickets were quite cheap they came and watched the Paralympics.
"Once the Olympics start I think people again will start thinking about getting Paralympics tickets but those who have bought early have been really sensible because I think it will get more difficult to get tickets the nearer you get to the Games."
Among the events going back on sale on Monday will be both the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics at the Olympic Stadium and track cycling in the Velodrome, which sold out in last year's opening phase of sales.
Locog chairman Lord Coe said: "The athletes involved in the Paralympic Games are incredible sportsmen and women and I urge everyone to take this chance and to form memories that will last a lifetime."
A total of 16 countries will be making their Paralympic debut in London - Antigua & Barbuda, Brunei, Cameroon, Comoros, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, North Korea, San Marino, Solomon Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and US Virgin Islands.
Craven added: "The Games won't just be the biggest ever in terms of athletes and countries either. I also believe the levels of athletic performance will reach new levels and a record number of TV viewers around the world [will] tune in.
"The recent Paralympic test events gave us all a flavour of what we can expect later this summer, and between now and 29 August the excitement levels will continue to rise to astronomical levels."
The 100-day mark comes as some of the world's leading Paralympic athletes prepare to take part in the Paralympic World Cup, which begins in Manchester on Tuesday.
The multi-sport event, which features athletics, men's and women's wheelchair basketball and seven-a-side cerebral palsy football will be a key part of preparations ahead of London.
Hartlepool boxer targets London 2012 after being crowned world champion - The Northern Echo
Hartlepool boxer targets London 2012 after being crowned world champion
8:00am Monday 21st May 2012 in Sport 
SAVANNAH Marshall has created history by becoming Britain's first female boxing world champion, but the Hartlepool middleweight is hoping to achieve an even greater success this summer.
Marshall celebrated her 21st birthday in style on Saturday by claiming a 17-15 victory over Azerbaijan's Elena Vystropova in the World Championship final in China.
Friday's semi-final victory guaranteed her a place at this summer's Olympic Games, and Saturday's success in the final means she will start the Olympic tournament as the favourite for a gold medal.
Having claimed a silver medal at the 2010 World Championships in Barbados, Marshall has been close to the top of the world rankings for a while now.
But this weekend's heroics have taken her to another level and proved she is peaking at exactly the right time with the Olympics now little more than two months away.
“It's been an amazing week, and to come away as world champion and with a place at the Olympics is pretty incredible,” said Marshall, who is a former winner at The Northern Echo's Local Heroes Awards.
“It's great to go one better than the last time and now I am just looking forward to the Olympics and making sure I am in the best possible shape to be successful again in London.”
Marshall began boxing at Hartlepool Headland ABC almost a decade ago, and is now part of the British high-performance squad that is based in Sheffield.
She dominated her semi-final against Nadezda Torlopova, but was made to work much harder by Vystropova, who is likely to be one of her leading rivals for Olympic gold.
She claimed a 7-5 lead in the opening two rounds, but suffered a bloody nose in the third as Vystropova landed a powerful uppercut.
However, she still had a two-point advantage going into the final round, and while Vystropova briefly closed the gap, Marshall made sure of her gold medal with a neat combination in the closing seconds of the fight.
The win capped a fine competition for the British squad, as lightweight Natasha Jonas and flyweight Nicola Adams also secured their places in the Olympics.
Jonas claimed a bronze medal after losing in the semi-finals, while Leeds-born Adams won silver after suffering a narrow 14-10 defeat to Ren Cancan in her final.
Adams started slowly against Cancan, who had beaten her in the 2010 world final, and trailed by two points after the opening round.
She enjoyed considerable success with her right hand in the remaining rounds, but Cancan scored consistently to remain ahead on the judges' cards.
Nevertheless, Marshall, Jonas and Adams will form a strong squad as women's boxing makes its Olympic debut in the Excel Arena this summer.
“This is a great end to a superb week for amateur boxing in Great Britain that has seen the whole team box extremely well,” said GB team performance director Rob McCracken.
“Savannah has performed superbly throughout the competition and to come away as world champion from such a tough draw in a high-class field is an indication of her immense talent.
“She is still very young, yet this is her second appearance in a World Championship final and, as long as she continues to work hard, Savannah can achieve anything she wants in this sport.
“Since we started the women's programme in 2010, all of the squad have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are today.
“Their achievements are a well-deserved reward for their dedication and commitment and a fitting tribute to the superb efforts of all the coaches and back-up team that have supported them every step of the way.”
History-makers Chelsea the stuff of Roman's dreams - fulhamchronicle.co.uk
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