Irish Paralympic Team Departure

23 August 2008; Padraic Moran, Boccia, Bray, Co. Wicklow, right, with Jason Smyth, Eglington, Co. Derry, 100 and 200m, at the farewell reception in the Clarion Hotel, Dublin Airport for the Irish Paralympic team before the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. The 45 strong Irish team across nine sports departs for Beijing this morning bound for their pre-Games holding camp in the capital. They will move from the camp to the village on September 1st before the 13th Paralympic Games get underway with the opening ceremony in the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium on September 6th. The Paralympic Games are Olympic style sports events for elite athletes with physical disabilities, or visual impairment. Approximately 4000 athletes, from over 153 countries across twenty sports will compete at the Beijing Games. Clarion Hotel, Dublin Airport. Picture credit: Pat Murphy / SPORTSFILE