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China calls on US to 'completely cancel' reciprocal tariffs
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Russian strike on city centre of Ukraine's Sumy kills 32
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Atalanta beat Bologna to relaunch Champions League bid
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Alcaraz sees off Musetti to win Monte Carlo Masters
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Barca's Balde to miss key games with hamstring injury
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Russian strike on Ukraine's Sumy kills 31, including two children
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Erased identity: Post-war adoptee seeks German roots
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Struggling Sevilla sack Garcia Pimienta
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Japan qualify for BJK Cup finals with win over Canada
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Iran says talks with US to focus solely on nuclear issue, lifting sanctions
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Members of Hong Kong's Democratic Party approve plan to disband
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Russian strike on city centre in Ukraine's Sumy kills 21
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Green Day, Charli XCX and... Bernie Sanders helm Coachella day two
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Hirpa and Biwott triumph at Paris Marathon
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China's Xi courts Southeast Asia as Trump tariffs bite
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Gaza hospital hit as Israel intensifies assault
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Myanmar quake victims mark new year camped in ruins
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Australian schoolboy Gout Gout scorches to 19.84sec over 200m
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Bernie Sanders fights apathy on American left
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Scottish rowing brothers aim for record-breaking Pacific crossing
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Ennis downs Stanionis to unify IBF, WBA welterweight belts
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Bernie Sanders thrills Coachella crowd with surprise appearance
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Bulgarian border city hails Schengen tourism boom
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Algeria protests after consular official indicted in France
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Indonesia palm oil firms eye new markets as US trade war casts shadow
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Indonesia's horror movie industry rises from the grave
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Myanmar marks new year festival mourning quake losses
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Blues go back to forwards to turn around Super Rugby form
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Harvey Weinstein sex crimes retrial to begin Tuesday in NY
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Hip hop trio Kneecap has Coachella rapping in Irish
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Day: McIlroy worthy of Tiger and Jack if he wins Masters
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DeChambeau surges late to line up Masters showdown with McIlroy
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McIlroy eyes Masters win and Slam - 'I'll be able to handle it'
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World Expo opens in Japan in rocky times
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No.1 Scheffler grinds out level par on tough day at Masters
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Over 100 feared dead in Sudan paramilitary attacks in Darfur: UN
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Ex-ministers charged as probe into deadly club fire broadens
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Magisterial McIlroy leads midway through Masters third round
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Own goal helps Liga leaders Barca beat Leganes
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Svitolina seals Ukraine berth in BJK Cup Finals with Britain, Spain advancing
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Marc Marquez fires warning with MotoGP Qatar sprint victory
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McLaren's Piastri claims Bahrain pole as Norris, Verstappen struggle
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Serbian president holds nationalist rally to counter student demos
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Bayern fail to make most of Leverkusen slip with Dortmund draw
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Ailing Bolsonaro says he will 'probably' need surgery
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Arnautovic pushes Inter six points clear ahead of Bayern showdown
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Zach Johnson, 49, turns back time with 66 in Masters charge

Paris Paralympics the greatest ever, say former Olympics executives
The Paris Paralympics were the "greatest ever" according to one former IOC marketing executive while another told AFP it "delivered in spades" the thing that people relate most to in sport -- emotion.
Mainly packed stadia, iconic venues and the feelgood factor derived from the Olympics that came before them turned the Paralympics into a festival of sport, according to Michael Payne, a former head of marketing at the International Olympic Committee.
Its counterpart the International Paralympic Committee can breathe a sigh of relief after Rio was widely criticised for its hosting in 2016 and the Tokyo edition was deprived of spectators due to Covid restrictions.
"Paris built on the magic of the Olympic Games and delivered a spectacular Paralympic Games -– to my mind the greatest ever," Payne told AFP.
"All the ingredients that made the Olympics so special have been carried forward to the Paras, delivering an incredible atmosphere."
His fellow former IOC marketing executive Terrence Burns said in his 30-plus years of experience of Paralympics there was no comparison "in both fan and commercial interest."
"In so many ways I believe the Paralympics are truly coming into their own as a separate yet complementary 'product' from the Olympics," Burns told AFP.
"I give the IOC full marks for working hard to make the Paralympics a product that brands want not only to support, but to market.
"(It is) a difference with a profound distinction."
For Payne, who in nearly two decades at the IOC was credited with modernising the organisation's brand and improving its finances through sponsorship, the high profile of the Paralympics had hugely positive ramifications.
"The Paralympics provides a massive boost worldwide to the disabled movement -– bringing the issue of disability front and centre," said the 66-year-old Irishman.
"(There is) a real legacy from general accessibility to a broader debate and awareness about disability throughout society."
He said that before Paralympic Games became mainstream, "disability was often hidden and rarely talked about".
- 'Emotion' -
Payne said the athletes were the main actors in making the Paralympics the spectacle they are, with a knock-on positive impact for disabled people back in their own countries.
"The stories of what some refer to as 'the super humans' provides an inspirational platform that is impossible to ignore," he said.
"Everyone recognises the incredible challenges that each Paralympic athlete has had to overcome -– and watching their performances in Paris, you look on totally awestruck."
Burns also said the athletes drove the narrative.
"I think people react and relate to sport through a single prism: emotion," he said.
"The Paras deliver on that in spades.
"Increased coverage and exposure means more fans can experience it."
British amputee sprinter Jonnie Peacock is one who would like that exposure to be even greater.
The two-time 100m champion made an impassioned plea to World Athletics that Paralympic athletes be included in the main televised section of the elite Diamond League meetings.
Payne thinks his argument holds water, but says though the Commonwealth Games combines both para and able-bodied events it would be a no go for the Olympics to follow suit.
"Including Para sports events in individual world championships could well work for certain sports," he said.
"But a total integration into the Olympics would not work to my mind.
"Both events are now so big, they each need their own stage... and frankly I think Paralympics are better served on the stage by themselves."
Burns, who since leaving the IOC has assisted five successful Olympic bid city campaigns, says Peacock does have a point.
"I would also argue that mixing might dilute the focus on Paralympic sport, though (it is) worth experimenting with."
Burns said the only real downside is the "confusing classifications system".
Payne praised the organisation of the Paralympics.
"Some joke that the Olympics are just a 'test event' for the real thing, giving the local organisers the time to iron out all the small operational problems!"
F.Carias--PC