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RIO DE JANEIRO -- With the Rio Paralympics set to begin Wednesday, organizers say ticket sales have jumped from around 200,000 to 1.6 million, and a spirit of optimism now pervades the cash-strapped event.Its helped by the fact that the Brazilian team did so well in the final weekend of the Olympics, Craig Spence, a spokesman for the International Paralympic Committee, said. It gave the Cariocas a flavor of what they can expect here in Rio with the Brazilian team chasing a top five finish in the medals table.Spence and Mario Andrada, the spokesman for the local organizing committee, were joined by three track and field stars -- Tatyana McFadden of the United States, Irelands Jason Smyth and Marlou van Rhijn of the Netherlands -- and gave an upbeat assessment of a games that faced severe budget shortfalls and concerns about accessibility for the disabled athletes.The IPC and Rio 2016 committee organizers tried to assure the world that preparations are going smoothly, though neither promised the best Paralympics ever, four years after a games in London that were considered a turning point in sports for people with disabilities.Its impossible in the modern era to have a glitch-free games -- you havent seen any in history, Andrada said. As far as Rio 2016 is concerned, we hope to learn from the IPC as much as we learn from the IOC. We hope we can react to our glitches and, eventually, our mistakes as fast as we did during the Olympic Games.McFadden plans to try and win an unprecedented seven gold medals in wheelchair racing, from the 100 meters to the marathon, in her fourth summer Paralympic Games.She credited the (hash)FillTheSeats campaign, a drive to buy and donate tickets to young people, for some of the momentum in Rio. The effort has received donations from McFadden herself, as well as Coldplay and Prince Harry.Spence said that, overall, organizers are now selling around 40,000 tickets per day and expect to overtake Beijings sale of 1.7 million tickets total, making Rio the second best-attended Paralympics behind London 2012.After over a month delay, travel grants were finally being paid Tuesday for all of the countries, easing a worry that some nations couldnt afford to send athletes to Rio. After the news conference, Spence said there were now athletes from 159 countries on the ground in Brazil, plus two independent refugee athletes.Eighty-four Russian athletes lost their bid to compete as individuals on Tuesday in a German court ruling, a legal bid that followed the IPCs ban on the entire Russian team for systematic doping.We are confident that the decision we have made is the correct decision, Spence said. Its our job as the IPC to ensure fair competition and a level playing field for all athletes. We believe that with the current circumstances we cannot achieve that if there is Russian participation here at the Paralympic Games.The organizers and athletes also hope these games leave behind a legacy of accessibility. In 2015, as a precursor to the games, then-Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff signed into law the Inclusion of People with Disabilities Act, which provides funding nationwide for the elimination of accessibility barriers.What the games need to be is a catalyst for that change to continue afterwards, Spence said.He then offered a list of examples such as the new airport terminal and training facility for disabled athletes in Sao Paulo.There is a lot of accessibility being improved around the city, he said.---Kendra Hansey is a journalism student at the University of Georgia. Penn State and Georgia are partnering with The Associated Press to supplement coverage of the 2016 Paralympics. Boston Bruins Jerseys . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Danton Heinen Jersey . 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SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Darrell Bonner recorded the key interception in overtime, and Cantrell Frazier won it with a 9-yard score to give Savannah State a 16-10 overtime win over Bethune-Cookman Saturday night.Bethune-Cookman (0-3, 0-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic) got the ball first in extra time, but a fumble and penalty backed up the Wildcats to second-and-25 at the 30-yard line. Bonner intercepted Akevious Williams, and Fraziers lone carry of the game on second-and-goal snapped a 16-game losing streak between the schools for Savannah State (1-2, 1-0).Uriel Hernandezs 52-yard field goal attempt for Bethune-Cookman with 1:34 left in regulation came up short.ddddddddddddHernandez connected on a 39-yard attempt to give the Wildcats a 3-0 first quarter lead. John Barron hit a 36-yarder for Savannah State to tie it at 3 midway through the second, and Jeremiah Harris Jr. caught a 26-yard pass from T.J. Bell later in the quarter to put the Tigers in front 10-3.Williams scored on a 2-yard run to tie it at 10 with 7:19 left in regulation. ' ' '