:00:22. > :00:24.Hi there, guys, I'm Ore - miles away from the comforts of the
:00:24. > :00:33.Newsround studio, because we're all getting seriously excited about the
:00:33. > :00:38.Paralympics. If you've had something missing since the
:00:38. > :00:43.Olympics ended, get ready for the Paralympic Games in Stoke
:00:43. > :00:47.Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics. It's just over 24
:00:47. > :00:51.hours before everything gets officially under way in the Opening
:00:51. > :00:55.Ceremony tomorrow night, but it's here that we are getting ready for
:00:55. > :01:03.a Paralympic coming home party. Look at these guys, they are having
:01:03. > :01:07.a fantastic time. We will have music, dancing, a hog roast. At 8pm,
:01:07. > :01:11.those four torches lit on the highest peaks of England, Northern
:01:11. > :01:21.Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will make their way here to create the
:01:21. > :01:21.
:01:21. > :01:24.Paralympic torch. One hospital... Well, this is Stoke Mandeville
:01:24. > :01:31.Hospital. The London 2012 Paralympics will
:01:31. > :01:35.see 4,200 athletes from 166 countries competing for glory. And
:01:35. > :01:38.it's certainly come a long way since it all began. 1948, and 16
:01:38. > :01:43.soldiers who'd injured their spines while fighting in the Second World
:01:43. > :01:47.War compete in a hospital sportsday and the Paralympics are born. And
:01:47. > :01:49.it was all down to this man, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, the doctor who
:01:49. > :01:55.opened the UK's first ever spinal injuries unit at Stoke Mandeville
:01:55. > :01:58.Hospital in Buckinghamshire. Before the unit opened, patients were
:01:58. > :02:01.expected to die in months from spinal injuries But he believed in
:02:01. > :02:10.the power of sport to get you better - not just physically, but
:02:10. > :02:14.also socially and mentally. started skittles and I saw how
:02:14. > :02:16.these men reacted, not only physically, but psychologically.
:02:17. > :02:19.The Games grew and grew with competitors from overseas
:02:20. > :02:22.travelling to compete. And in 1960 they followed the Olympics to Rome
:02:22. > :02:31.and 400 wheelchair athletes from 23 countries competed against each
:02:31. > :02:34.other at the same time the Games were taking place. As they ran
:02:34. > :02:37.parallel with the Olympics, they became knows as the Paralympics.
:02:37. > :02:39.They were ahead of their time, playing a massive part in changing
:02:39. > :02:42.people's attitudes towards the disabled. It wasn't until 1970 when
:02:42. > :02:45.the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act was introduced in the
:02:45. > :02:55.UK - for the first time disabled people had a right to an education,
:02:55. > :03:04.
:03:04. > :03:07.sport at home and access to public buildings. It wasn't just those
:03:07. > :03:10.with spinal injuries. The Games kept on growing and although Sir
:03:10. > :03:12.Ludwig Guttmann died in 1980, his vision of sport for athletes with
:03:13. > :03:16.disabilities continues with spinal units open all over the UK. London
:03:16. > :03:19.2012 will be the first Paralympics to sell out, as the eyes of the
:03:19. > :03:22.world get ready to watch one of the greatest shows on earth.
:03:22. > :03:24.So to get you in the mood, we've spoken to Tanni Grey-Thompson -
:03:25. > :03:27.Britain's most successful Paralympian - about what it's like
:03:28. > :03:34.to compete. She's clocked up 11 golds, four silvers and a bronze
:03:34. > :03:40.and has some very fond memories of the Games. I'm Tanni Grey-Thompson,
:03:40. > :03:45.I competed in wheelchair racing at five Paralympics. This is a gold
:03:45. > :03:50.medal-winning performance from Tanni Grey-Thompson! In my career,
:03:50. > :03:55.I won 16 medals, 11 gold medals, four silver medals and a bronze and
:03:55. > :03:59.I broke 35 world records. Tanni Grey-Thompson does it. In the
:03:59. > :04:03.build-up to the event, it is hard. You spend so much time training
:04:04. > :04:07.two-to-three times a day six days a week. I used to hate the morning
:04:07. > :04:12.when I was competing because I just wanted it over and done with, but
:04:12. > :04:19.by the time I got to the start line, I knew it would be OK. You just
:04:19. > :04:24.have to be the best you can. What I remember the most from competing in
:04:24. > :04:28.the Paralympics is it is important to choose who you spend a room with.
:04:28. > :04:32.You spend a lot of time together and you have to get on well with
:04:32. > :04:36.them because you only have a tiny amount of space. When the
:04:36. > :04:41.competition was over, I used to feel relief that all that time and
:04:41. > :04:46.effort, all that training, all the sacrifices, had been worth it.
:04:46. > :04:50.didn't just win that event, she destroyed a field with her speed,
:04:50. > :04:55.her Grace and her position. High I still spend a lot of time thinking
:04:55. > :05:00.about the Paralympics. I want our British athletes to win lots of
:05:00. > :05:06.medals in London. I'm very fortunate that I can still be
:05:06. > :05:13.involved a few years after I stopped competing myself. Things
:05:13. > :05:16.are starting to build up at Stoke Mandeville. There getting excited
:05:16. > :05:20.about the Paralympic torch coming to town and 3,000 people are
:05:20. > :05:23.getting ready to see it coming to town.
:05:23. > :05:26.Lots of you are getting into the spirit of the Paralympics, too.
:05:26. > :05:36.You've been telling us how exciting you're getting on the Newsround
:05:36. > :05:55.
:05:55. > :06:01.Joanna, if you've got a spare ticket, I would like on! If it is
:06:01. > :06:08.going to be a fantastic competition. It starts tomorrow night at 8:30pm.
:06:08. > :06:10.Here at 8pm, the Paralympic torch will arrive. Back to the studio.
:06:10. > :06:13.Now, let's head to America, where President Barack Obama has urged
:06:13. > :06:16.people preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac to listen to officials and
:06:16. > :06:19.evacuate if they're told to. The powerful storm is approaching the
:06:19. > :06:22.Gulf Coast right now and is predicted to hit land this evening.
:06:22. > :06:25.It's getting stronger and could even become a hurricane. It's
:06:25. > :06:29.already killed at least 24 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
:06:29. > :06:32.and caused a lot of flooding and damage. Many people have boarded up
:06:32. > :06:42.their houses and bought extra food and water to prepare for winds of
:06:42. > :06:45.around 100 mph. Mr Obama had this message for people there. We are
:06:45. > :06:52.dealing with a big storm and there could be significant flooding and
:06:52. > :06:57.other damage across a large area. Now is not the time to tempt fate.
:06:57. > :07:00.Now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. You need to take
:07:00. > :07:03.this seriously. Many people in Louisiana are
:07:03. > :07:05.especially nervous. This is what happened in the state's biggest
:07:05. > :07:08.city, New Orleans, seven years ago. It was devastated by Hurricane
:07:08. > :07:12.Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people. This storm isn't
:07:12. > :07:19.expected to be as bad, but the area is popular with tourists. These
:07:19. > :07:25.people are on holiday there. flights were cancelled so we will
:07:25. > :07:28.be here for the hurricane. We are battening down the hatches. We were
:07:28. > :07:35.aware it was the seven-year anniversary of hurricane Katrina.
:07:35. > :07:40.We are just hoping the City doesn't get hit again. We were advised to
:07:40. > :07:43.get out, but we can't. We can't get a flight. We are stuck!
:07:43. > :07:46.Space and showbiz don't usually go together quite so smoothly, but
:07:46. > :07:49.Will.i.am's music will be blasting out on the planet Mars tonight. The
:07:49. > :07:53.Curiosity rover will be playing his track Reach For The Stars from the
:07:53. > :07:57.surface of the red planet! It comes after the NASA robot beamed back a
:07:57. > :07:59.human voice from Mars for the very first time. A NASA scientist sent a
:07:59. > :08:06.message there, and Curiosity successfully sent it back again.
:08:06. > :08:09.If you think you're pretty decent doing jumps on your bike or
:08:09. > :08:12.skateboard, you'll love this. Some of the world's best skateboarders
:08:13. > :08:18.and BMX riders have got together in Brazil to have a go on the Mega-
:08:18. > :08:21.ramp. It's over 100 metres long and as tall as a nine-storey building.
:08:21. > :08:24.And get used to seeing this because it's going to be one of the main
:08:24. > :08:27.venues for the Rio Olympic Games in four years' time.
:08:27. > :08:30.Finally, when you think of animals from Australia that are well known
:08:30. > :08:33.for their swimming skills, this next one might not be high up on
:08:33. > :08:37.your list. This cheeky koala surprised a group of canoeists down
:08:37. > :08:44.under by swimming across a river to hitch a ride with them. Although
:08:44. > :08:47.koalas can swim, they don't usually like to. This one made it back to
:08:47. > :08:51.dry land safe and sound. That's all for now, but I'm back at
:08:51. > :08:54.6.55pm over on the CBBC Channel with your last update of the day.