Games exit for Ireland's Malone

Malone is bitterly disappointed by the decision in Beijing

Irish football Derek Malone is furious after being excluded from the Paralympics following a ruling over the nature of his disability.

The football tournament is for players with cerebral palsy, but officials say Malone's condition did not meet the minimal criteria in Beijing.

Malone says he has been penalised for getting into peak physical shape.

Meanwhile, other teams in Beijing have questioned the classification system for football at the Paralympics.

Before the 2004 Paralympics, Malone was forced to convince the authorities that he suffered from cerebral palsy before being allowed to compete in the 800 metres.

He has since switched to football, but now he has been told his disability is not serious enough for him to play in Beijing.

We have had a recognised classification system in place for some time CPISRA president Alan Dickson

"I find it ridiculous. High-performance sport is about pushing the limits...how can you have a system that penalises athletes for working hard at their skills?" Malone said on Thursday.

"I refuse to let a flawed process cast aspersions on the integrity of the achievements I have made.

"Cerebral palsy has shown to be a very trainable condition but if you stop training for any length of time, the symptoms will return. There's no cure for cerebral palsy."

Doubts over the classification system for football at these Games have already been raised.

Following his side's 12-1 defeat by Russia on Wednesday, Dutch coach Jan-Hein Evers said some members of the opposition were good enough to play professionally.

The Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association has admitted they do have concerns over the issue.

CPISRA president Alan Dickson said: "We have had a recognised classification system in place for some time.

"As the sport moves on, you have to be prepared to move that on too...clearly people are training more and that may have an effect on their functional ability."

BBC sports news reporter Alex Capstick says "classification cheating is in many ways a bigger problem than doping for the credibility of the Paralympic movement."

The Spanish basketball team for the intellectually disabled dominated the tournament at the Sydney Games in 2000.

It later emerged that 10 of the 12 players did not have a low enough IQ. The classification was suspended from the Paralympics.