Paralympic stars cheat by hurting themselves

PARALYMPIC organisers are keeping a close eye on athletes who could cheat by HURTING themselves.

The International Paralympics Committee (IPC) wants to stop athletes with spinal injuries self-harming to boost their performance.

Competitors are rumoured to be strangling their testicles, breaking their toes and even electrocuting themselves in the bizarre practice known as boosting.

The pain increases blood pressure and heart rate and can be a way to boost performance.

Able-bodied athletes produce the effects naturally, but those with spinal injuries could use boosting as a shortcut.

Boosting has been banned by the IPC since 1994 but it is hard to test for.

The move was thought to be widespread at the Beijing Games in 2008, but in 20 blood pressure checks the IPC found no clear evidence of athletes cheating.