Starting on 24th Aug., these days the Paralympics are nearly as big a deal as the Olympics and rightly so, with so many of the competitors overcoming unbelievable adversity to represent themselves and their countries with courage and stoicism that really is an example to moaning minnies like me!
I have the utmost respect for all the athletes at the paralympics. They're an inspiration for all whether they are handicapped or not. Same here. Tbh I didn't even watch a whole event of the Olympics, only short summaries in the news. But I try to follow some events of the paralympics on tv.
I watched the last 10 minutes of the mens triathlon becasue it happened to be on as something I'd been watching finished and about 10 minutes of the opening ceremony and that's it
well said. They are an inspiration, and proof that you can do most things with determination and the will to succeed. I love the para Olympics almost as much as the Olympics
I watched a bit of the volleyball but couldn't get into the olypics this time around. Even if you're watching it on telly, sport without fans is a bit rubbish.
It's weird , no fans were allowed at the Olympics but football in Japan 30% - 50% at every game . I'll try & watch some albeit with Football now in full swing maybe limited . Will there be bmx & golf at the Paralympics 2 Sports I didn't realise they played at the able bodied Olympics until last week .
A Gold & 2 Silvers already on Day 1 though our Girls are getting a whooping by the Canadian's in the Basketball . We're hoping for between 100-140 medals after Rio's 147 . Good on Channel 4's platforms for showing the games .
Those are the real heroes. Why they don't get more recognition ahead of the basic Olympics astonishes me.
My old man has spinal muscular atrophy and he always laughs at/is annoyed by sentiment in threads like this. I know he really hated the #superhuman tags for Rio. Much prefers this ad with the Super. Human. and the 'super' getting smashed at the end this year. They must have got some backlash for the Rio one. I'm not saying this is you guys but so many people say things like this then never go and watch disability sport. Worse than that people will happily go to a pub or shop without good accessability because well, it isn't their problem. A pub my dad used to frequent removed a good ramp because it was interfering slightly with a pool table. In 2021 the able bodied people using the pool table were classed as more important. It's pretty much the same with women's football. Social media 'fans' METAPHORICALLY wank over it for a few weeks every 4 years. Oh hey, look at how much it's coming along. They don't dive anywhere near as much. Blah blah blah blah blah. Then the season comes around and they put their money into supporting the men's game. You can pick up WSL season tickets for less than your average Prem/Champ game despite the huge media push over the last decade. And yes I've seen first hand the extra hurdles disabled atheletes have to jump over. My dad was a key person (the key person I'm sure he'd say) when it came to setting up the Norwich City Powerchair Football Club. Plenty of broken promises, most notably from Mr nicey nice Norwich City fan Jake Humphrey. He promised them help with things like exposure and then just started blanking them as soon as he left the event. Off being high powered I guess.
I watched hardly any of the Olympics, and probably won't watch too much of the Paralympics either, simply because I'm not a fan of martial arts, table tennis, diving, rowing, swimming, running, jumping etc. etc. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate the sheer graft and single mindedness of these athletes.
Not meaning to have a go if it sounded like that. I've just had it ingrained in me to push back as soon as I even get a hint of people going mushy over the cute disableds giving it their best. Yes there are (literal) roadbumps that able bodied athletes won't face but it's certainly getting better for disabled athletes around the world. Well, you know which parts of the world. It actually annoyed me bit when the BBC didn't pick it up this year. Ramble almost over, I've just remembered another funny little story based around wheelchair sport. When I was a kid I had a season ticket with my dad and to our side there was another young lad and his parents. He didn't say much but he was just a nice little kid enjoying the football. It's not relevant now but it will be later, the views here vary quite a bit, some being quite obstructed by the River End's pylon. Fastforward 15 or so years (blimey) and my dad asks me if I remember that kid. It turns ot that he became a multiple slam winning wheelchair tennis pro and he makes it back to CR every now and then. You'd think that would be cool but apparently his ego has gone supernova and he and his rather larger entourage try to leverage others for spots with better views. This entourage apparently sulk for him when people tell him to **** off. Something about this scene just makes me laugh, if I was him I'd be on at the club to give me a catered box seat or something.
Just because you don't watch ' live ' sport be it the Paralympics or Women's Football it doesn't mean you can't admire anyone's skill & mindset to represent their country . I was brought up by a blind Nan who when she died was around 90% deaf as well , she was a Gold medal winner every day in my eyes . We have 1 Gold 5 Silver & 1 Bronze so far . Can't believe Jason Cundy is still riding for Team GB & good luck to P'boro based Lee Manning in the Men's Wheelchair Basketball
Fair, There's a lot to admire. If you don't think people go overboard though I think you just haven't seen it yet.Self indulgence more than cheering on their country. The women's football guilt brigade are pretty awful when the world cup comes around. I honestly don't think half of them care about football. They're obviously not in the WSL stadiums. I actually hate that I'm so lazy with getting to Norwich Ladies games. That being said I'm not sure I could take getting pumped both Saturday and Sunday right now.
It appears you have a chip on your shoulder mate. I look in awe at what some of these paralympians are achieving. I don't look at them in an overly sympathetic, patronising way that thinks they're doing jolly well 'considering', they amaze me with their dedication and sporting prowess, in exactly the same the able bodied olympians do.
The Paralympics have been on Channel 4 since 2012 so don't think they had any option to buy it. Channel 4 do a good job with the coverage from what I have seen.
Possibly, a small one though. Although if you don't think people are going out of their way to show themselves praising para athletes for the sake of being seein praising them then I think you're blind or don't use twitter. Lacking sincerity is worse than being completely igonorant.
Not everyone uses twitter. I don't think you're wrong that there's an unempathetic view towards Paralympians within some spheres of society, but all I've seen within this thread is appreciation towards the elite levels of performance, and the dedication that has been required to reach those levels of performance within sport.
I try not to be on twitter but I always end up spending time on there during the transfer window. Saddo I know. Society is just like that honestly, at least praise is praise i guess. Real world stuff is funnier, I've had a bartender double check with me that my old man can drink whilst out for lunch. He ordered it.
