TURIN, March 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The Turin Paralympics has witnessed record television audience world wide in the history of the Paralympic Winter Games, the Turin Paralympics organizing committee said here on Friday.

    According to the organization committee, in Japan the Opening Ceremony of the Turin Paralympics was watched by 2.4 percent of the TV audience, a little less than the football match broadcast on the same day.

    On March 11th, in Sweden, 240,000 watched the first competitions on television. And every day, in the neighbouring Norway, 350,000 people switch the TV on to watch the Turin games.

    "It is an unprecedented success for the Winter Paralympics in terms of television audience," said the organizing committee in a press release.

    Television stations from all the world have give more coverage than to all the previous editions. For the first time in the history of Paralympic sport the image rights have been bought in all five continents, Africa included, according to the organizing committee.

    And next to television there are also new initiatives for the new media. This is the case of French TV, which offered simultaneous live coverage in ADSL, on Internet and on mobile telephones.

    In all, at the end of competitions, there will have been more than 140 hours broadcast from the Turin 2006 Winter Paralympics, including 130 hours live, said the organizing committee.

    Furthermore, the tickets for the semi-final and final of Ice Sledge Hockey have long been sold out. Enditem