28th August 2012
The Paralympics are coming home
Older readers, i e those of you who were around at the end of last year, may remember my blog in The Local where I wrote about how the Paralympics are returning to the country where the concept of organised, competitive disability sport really started.
On 29 August, sixty-four years after the first disability sport competition, the world’s second largest sporting event after the Olympics opens. What began in 1948 as an archery competition for wounded veterans of the Second World War, held at Stoke Mandeville hospital, has grown into an event with almost 4,200 athletes from 150 nations competing in 20 sports in 15 venues, in 471 events over 11 days. The sale of tickets is hitting record levels with over 2.2m sold so far.
Although the UK is recognised as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, this is the first time the UK will have hosted the Games themselves.
London 2012 are the first Games where the planning and organisation of the Olympics and Paralympics have been fully integrated: from design and infrastructure, to open spaces and public transport. This is also the first time that we’ve seen events sold out months in advance.
At the centre of it all is of course the sport. But there is more to the Paralympics. Britain and the Sweden are among the most diverse and tolerant societies in the world. But we are under no illusions that there is still much more to do if we want to secure the best possible legacy and we understand the importance of showing a great example to other nations with even more to do to ensure full respect and tolerance to disabled citizens and sportspeople.
I hope that the extensive media coverage of the Paralympics around the world will contribute to a deeper understanding of disability sport, that the athletes competing will be seen as part of a genuine elite and that in future years, host nations will be inspired to follow London’s example and will integrate fully the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The British Paralympics team is one of the best, second in the medal table in Beijing in 2008. Sweden has a strong team too, with many medal hopes, including among those participating for the first time. We have high hopes that the Games will the most watched, most accessible and most integrated of all time.
A year after that initial competition in 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttman, the neurologist who organised the event at Stoke Mandeville, hoped that ‘one day there would be Olympics for the disabled’. His dream has come true. Let’s hope that many dreams will come true for inspiring and inspired athletes from across the world in the UK over the next two weeks.
Dear Mr. Paul Johnston,congratulations for this “Paralympics “-report.Well, they have started at August, 29th and will end on September, 9th.So it ´s – in my opinion-the best time for an incidential remark.You are right by writing about the development of these outstanding “Paralympics”.E.g. the start in 1948- only meant for “Wounded Veterans” of WW 2.Another outstanding fact is for me, according to your proper report,that 4.200 athletes of 150 (!) nations are participating.This is fantastic for it means also that about 80% of all worldwide countries do participate.Cause since July 2011 the UN consits of 193 nations there is now only a small part of UN-Memberstates who are not “interested” to join.Pls. let me add to yr. most important sentence for me, that it ´s really true that Great Britain and Sweden have much in common. In fact , they are and will be an example “par excellence” for others in re. of e.g. human rights.Not only “…amongst..” the best in re. of diverse or tolerance as you have wrote.And these ” Paralympics ” in London are to me somehow also a kind of a proof. I also want not forget, to wish this “strong” team of Sweden the best and much luck. Esp. for their well described “Medal Hopes”! And if Sir Ludwig Guttman ´s dreams have become reality- why not Sweden ´s hopes and dreams too ?For´there are still 7 days to fight fair for them. BW, Ingo-Steven Wais, Stuttgart.