Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Photographers Blog:
Paralympic spirit
By Nir Elias
When the idea to photograph Israeli athletes for the London 2012 Paralympic games came to mind, the second athlete I met was Pascale Berkovitch.
Pascale, 44, lost her legs in a train accident in the suburbs of Paris when she was 17 years old. She now lives with her partner and two daughters in Tel Aviv and is part of the Israeli Paralympic staff for the 2012 games in the field of Hand Biking.
During my first meeting with Pascale, I was struck by the expression 'sport spirit'. The more time I spent with her while training in the park, at home with her partner or while wandering around her neighborhood with her little girl, the more I felt this was an understatement.
Pascale, like many other Paralympians, has a very optimistic character. I could feel that in her case, this character expands to become something outstanding. Pascale gives the impression that she has no self pity over her physical condition and the way she lives with her disability is totally ordinary.
from Photographers Blog:
The Olympic Games: Much more than the stars
By Denis Balibouse
"The important thing in life is not victory, but the fight; the main thing is not to have won, but to have fought well." Baron Pierre de Coubertin
I have always been addicted to sports, any kind of sports. My father was a sports reporter in Switzerland. As a child I would follow him onto soccer pitches, motocross grounds and ice hockey rinks. Whenever I travel somewhere I try to follow the local sports. I even attempted to understand cricket (I'm married to an Australian), although I have to confess, I have so far failed with this one.
Now that the Euro Championship is over, my attention will turn to the “road slaves” of the Tour de France, which, in my eyes, is the toughest sporting event in the world. And then there's the Olympic Games in London, regarded by many athletes as the pinnacle of physical prowess.
As part of our pre-Games coverage, editors have asked us to photograph some athletes during their preparation for the event. Despite plenty of assignments in Geneva, where I am based, I suggested going to the Swiss Rowing Center in Sarnen, central Switzerland. The backdrop of the Swiss Rowing Center is postcard-perfect. Snow-covered mountain peaks ring Sarnen Lake, so I knew the story would not lack for visual appeal.
