Paralympics row erupts as Irish athlete gets 'red card'
Paralympic medalist Derek Malone last night spoke of his 'bitter disappointment' after being told he could not compete at the Beijing Games ? because he was not sufficiently disabled
Friday September 12 2008
IRISH sport was rocked by a new disqualification row yesterday after a paralympic athlete was found to be not disabled enough to compete.
Co Clare man Derek Malone has been excluded from the Paralympics in Beijing after the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) ruled he did not meet their "minimal disability criteria".
The three-times Irish paralympian said he is "devastated" by the ruling.
The Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) has also described the ruling as flawed and said it throws the whole ethos of elite paralympic sport into question.
It suggested that Derek has been punished for optimising his performance through training and dedication.
Derek, who has cerebral palsy, was monitored by the CPISRA after playing soccer against Iran earlier this week.
The ruling on the 28-year-old's classification said he could not participate based upon the "impact on sport" rule.
The CPISRA ruling states that Malone does not meet the organisation's minimal disability criteria as set out in his designated category.
The classification team, comprising a doctor, physiotherapist and sports technician, reached their decision after watching Malone play.
Review
The PCI was informed of the decision after the classification review during Monday's seven-a-side soccer match.
The council said Derek Malone had its "unqualified support" yesterday.
The ruling has sparked a row involving Derek, the PCI, all Irish paralympians in China, and five of the remaining seven competing soccer teams whose managers have all signed a petition requesting Malone be reinstated.
Speaking to the Irish Independent from Beijing last night, Malone said he is "devastated" that his participation in his third, and last, Paralympic Games has ended on a sour note. "I feel this is wrong. The system is there and it needs to be changed," he said.
Cerebral palsy is an impairment resulting from injury to the developing brain. The condition can respond to athletic conditioning and training.
Secretary general of the PCI, Liam Harbison, said the CPISRA are throwing the whole essence of CP football as an elite sport into question. "As a model athlete, Derek has committed himself to the Paralympic ideal of the pursuit of athletic endeavour -- and focused on ability rather than disability by dedicated training," Mr Harbison said.
"We feel he has become a victim of a flawed rule book that hasn't kept sufficient pace with the development of elite CP sport," he added
