Organizers: Ticket sales up, Rio is ready for Paralympics

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — 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.

"It's 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, Ireland's Jason…