Summer Paralympic Games Paris 2024

[Grassmarket 4,249]

2 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

I'd find it weirder if they would not be allowed to be pilots. As long as the blind athlete is, you know, blind (or visually impaired to whatever degree is needed), that should be it. Anyone else should be eligible to be a pilot.

But it completely changed the event. If you've got your Olympic medalist as pilot, you want to have a small thin guy as your blind stoker.  And that's what we & Australia do & we always win.

[Grassmarket 4,249]

5 minutes ago, Federer91 said:

I always have 2 thoughts, when it comes time for the Paralympics:

 

- when you have few people competing, does this mean you have a rather healthy nation and it's a good thing, that you don't have many people with disabilities, or

 

- when you have few people competing, it shows the country neglecting these people and not having a support system to encourage people with disabilities to become para-athletes. 

are very generously funded so young, fit active people who have recently had, say, a car accident, or wounded ex-army people are actively sought out & trained for the Paralympics as part of their rehab.

[Olympian1010 8,284]

3 hours ago, Federer91 said:

I always have 2 thoughts, when it comes time for the Paralympics:

 

- when you have few people competing, does this mean you have a rather healthy nation and it's a good thing, that you don't have many people with disabilities, or

 

- when you have few people competing, it shows the country neglecting these people and not having a support system to encourage people with disabilities to become para-athletes. 

I think those are both extremes. I wouldn't really think of disability is an indicator of "health" either, since it can be genetic, illness-related, the result of an accident, etc. Around 15% of the global population is likely disabled, so nations with smaller populations may have a more limited pool of potential athletes. Of course, not every disabled person will want to be athlete either, some will prefer science, arts, politics, etc, so I'd imagine that impacts delegation sizes as well. I think there's also a funding and accessibility element to representation as well, so it's a complex topic.

Edited August 29, 2024 by Olympian1010

[heywoodu 16,434]

11 minutes ago, Grassmarket said:

But it completely changed the event. If you've got your Olympic medalist as pilot, you want to have a small thin guy as your blind stoker.  And that's what we & Australia do & we always win.

 

You sure about the 'always' part?  

[Olympian1010 8,284]

Khudadadi  becomes the first refugee to win a medal at the Paralympic Games 

[TeamGB 216]

11 minutes ago, Federer91 said:

I always have 2 thoughts, when it comes time for the Paralympics:

 

- when you have few people competing, does this mean you have a rather healthy nation and it's a good thing, that you don't have many people with disabilities, or

 

- when you have few people competing, it shows the country neglecting these people and not having a support system to encourage people with disabilities to become para-athletes. 

If you look at the team of Great Britain, except for Boccia, there are very few athletes who are extremely impaired. The best example is probably swimming, where the vast majority of the team competes in higher classification events. Britain is very strong in intellectual impairment classes, which is mainly due to strong programmes and systems to identify disability. 

 

I would say that the majority of the team's disabilities are either born, or developed unfortunately (car accident, military, horse paralysis), rather than being the consequence of improper access to healthcare, such as an amputation for a treatable disease. 

 

GB are arguably a stronger Paralympic nation than an olympic one, and that has always really been the case, but you can very validly make the case that people with disability have worse qualities of life compared to non Paralympic powerhouses, and that the country hasn't improved on disability rights since London 2012.

[Grassmarket 4,249]

Congrats to  swimmer Raleigh-Crossley who came out wearing a blazer, not a track suit, like a character in The Great Gatsby.  

[Gianlu33 5,920]

Finally a gold for the italian swimming team

Hoping for the last two winning shots..

[MHSN 3,813]

1 hour ago, Olympian1010 said:

Rahimi  heading for the final later tonight @MHSN

yeah I was watching, good for her, she is just 15. 

[Gianlu33 5,920]

3rd Paralympic Gold at 3 different Games for Bocciardo! 

Rio - Tokyo - Paris