Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad has become the "first Paralympic athlete to die in competition, after a horrific crash in the men’s C4/C5 road race in Rio on Saturday," according to the PA. A joint investigation involving Rio 2016, the Int'l Paralympic Committee, Rio police, medical authorities and the UCI "has been opened to establish the full circumstances of what was described as a tragic accident." Iran's National Paralympic Committee Head Masoud Ashrafi said that Golbarnezhad "lost control and he hit the fence or wall." Witness statements "were being taken in an attempt to ascertain whether any other rider was involved and the exact circumstances of the accident." A Rio 2016 spokesperson said that Golbarnezhad received immediate medical attention and "initially presented good vital signs, despite having sustained a head injury and caused significant damage to his cycling helmet." However, his condition "deteriorated after he was transferred to an ambulance." Golbarnezhad "died following a second cardiac arrest -- the first happened as he was transferred into the ambulance" -- on arrival at Unimed Rio hospital in Barra at 11:50am local time on Saturday (PA, 9/18). The BBC reported the Rio Paralympics will close on Sunday "with a tribute" to Golbarnezhad. A "moment of silence" in his memory will be held during the closing ceremony (BBC, 9/18).
ATHLETES' COUNCIL: The IPC announced the six elected members of the IPC Athletes' Council for the next four years. The six council members include four newly elected athletes in swimmer Chelsey Gotell of Canada, cyclists Sarah Storey of Great Britain and Monica Bascio of the U.S. and wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley of Australia. Sitting volleyball player Elvira Stinissen and archer Gizem Girismen are the two re-elected athletes who complete the six. The IPC Athletes' Council is made up of nine athletes in total, which includes the aforementioned six summer athletes and three winter athletes, as well as Chair Todd Nicholson. The elections took place from Sept. 5-16 with 2,355 athletes placing their votes, representing a 54% overall turnout, 8% more than in London 2012 (IPC).
LOADED: The BBC's Lindsay & Chowdhury reported ParalympicsGB achieved its "best medal haul since Seoul 1988 on the final full day of action in Rio." Britain now has 147 medals -- surpassing the 131 at Sydney 2000 -- with six more Golds won on day 10 (BBC, 9/18).
'OVERDUE DRIVE': THE ADVERTISER's Scott Walsh reported Tokyo's 2020 Paralympic Games "will force an overdue drive" to open up the city’s confined streets, doorways and buildings to "benefit people with disabilities," Governor Yuriko Koike said. She said that hosting the next Paralympics "had fast-tracked essential upgrades to Japan’s capital." The changes were a "direct response to the needs of residents, athletes and visitors" who were vision impaired, wheelchair users or had other mobility challenges including prosthetics. The move to widen roads would mean "major overhauls including dismantling utility poles and replacing them with underground power lines" (THE ADVERTISER, 9/17).
