Paralympic Games

So the ticketing process for the Paralympics Games 2012 is now underway – I have submitted my choices and wait with bated breath to see if (a) I have been successful in securing some and (b) if so, for which events!

It is hoped that by using the same ticketing process as London Olympics 2012, the events will be a sell-out – the first time in their history. Increased television coverage (which in the past has been fairly lacklustre and made the event seem like an also-ran) will also bring the Paralympics Games 2012 to a much wider audience. But what do we truly know about the Paralympics Games? What events are included and more importantly what are the rules?

Over the coming weeks, I will be looking at the history of the Games, the individual events in detail and maybe one or two more unusual facts. After all, did you know that the last time the Paralympics were held in Britain was in 1984? Yes, that’s right the VII Summer Paralympics were held in both Europe and North America. After much wrangling about the event, it was decided that the American National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA), an affiliated organization to the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), would hold its own Games for wheelchair athletes at a separate venue. As a result, the other three disability groups combined their efforts and chose New York as their Games venue. Amputee and les autres athletes, cerebral palsy athletes and visually impaired athletes competed in New York, USA, while athletes with spinal cord disabilities competed in Stoke Mandeville, right here in England.

The Games in Stoke Mandeville were held from 22 July to 1 August. The British Paraplegic Sports Society (BPSS) organized the Games at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium and more than 1,100 athletes from 41 countries competed in 14 events.

I do hope that as we look forward to next Summer you will join me in my journey to understand the Paralympics Games 2012 more.

Come back soon when I will be looking into the history of the Paralympics Games in more detail.............