One Year to 2016 Paralympics -- Monday Memo

(ATR) City leaders and Games organizers in Rio are celebrating the one-year countdown to the 2016 Paralympics.

Festivities this week will include a "Paralympic festival" next to the Lagoa de Freitas to showcase para-sport, invite elite athletes, and encourage public participation.

Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, spoke with Around the Rings in the lead up to the one-year-to-go celebrations.He also toldATRthat the IPC expects ticket sales for the 2016 Paralympicsto exceed sales for the Beijing and London Games.

Craven said thathe expects Rio to bring its own flavor to next year's Paralympic Games.

In the final year to the Games, there will be five more dedicated Paralympic test events, the most ever ahead of an Olympic games, with other events featuring both Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

World WrestlingChampionships

The 2015 World Wrestling Championships opened on Sept. 7 in the U.S. city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

USA Wrestling, the U.S. Olympic Committee and Las Vegas Events are co-hosting the event, which ends on Sept. 12. United World Wrestling is also planning to stream the event live on their website.

The championships feature three wrestling disciplines: men's Greco-Roman, women's freestyle and men's freestyle.

European Games Debrief

European Olympic Committee leaders will lead a debrief of the inaugural edition of the European Games in Rome, Sept. 9-11.

Baku, Azerbaijan hosted the 2015 European Games, June 12-28.

The EOC may select a preferred candidate to host the 2019 European Games at an executive committee meeting at the end of the month.

EOC president Pat Hickey tellsATR that the European Olympic Committees is now in "heavy negotiations" with two cities in one country to stage the 2019 edition.

Hickey said he had a meeting with officials representing the Eastern European nation, its NOC and the cities in Beijing during the world athletics championships. Belarus is understood to have expressed interest in hosting the multisport event.

All-Africa Games

The 2015 All-Africa Games have opened in Brazzaville, Congo.

The event marks the 50th anniversary of the games. Brazzaville hosted the first-ever All-Africa Games in 1965.

Political and civil turmoil in the country of Burundi loomed over preparations for the All-Africa Games. The decision last spring of the incumbent president, Pierre Nkurunziza, to run for a third term tipped the country into civil turmoil.

Francs Jeux spoke withTharcisse Harerimana, the director of the National Olympic Committee of Burundi programs, abouthow this crisis may affect the All-Africa Games.

"It is obviously very difficult. Athletes still in Burundi face daily difficulties to train,"Harerimana said.

The sports leader also said that a solidarity program, established by the IOC, provided financial assistance to athletes preparing for the All-Africa Games in cities like Kigali and Kampala.

U.S. Open

The 2015 U.S. Open is underway in New York at theUSTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Marin Cilic is the defending champion in the men's singles event, while Serena Williams is the three-time defending champion in the women's singles event.

The 135th edition of the grand slam tennis tournament ends on Sept. 13.

Around the Rings Atlanta Office Closed

The Atlanta headquarters for ATR is closed on Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of the U.S. Labor Day holiday. ATR will resume normal business hours on Sept. 8.

Written byNicole Bennett

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