London 2012 Olympics

[MasterBlaster76]

Might as well post here about the Paralympics?

First Gold for Team GB - surprise, surprise in the cycling, along with a sliver medal. Great start!

Dunno about you guys, but I've got so much respect for all the guys and gals participating in this event. To either have a major disability from birth, or to acquire one during your life, yet to say 'I'm not going to let it stop me competing', that just deserves a massive as far as I'm concerned.

 

[pcfan123]

I applaud the effort and have nothing but respect for the athletes but I'm not going to pretend like I find the paraolympics interesting.

How many nations are taking part?

 

[puddleduck]

Earlier today there was some dressage... it was quite literally the most dull thing I've ever seen. I appreciate that the guy, who had cerebal palsy, has obviously worked hard to get on a horse, but watching him go around in circles incredibly slowly was tedious.

 

[pcfan123]

Dressage is just awful to begin with.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

not really bothered by much of it either, sometimes you feel as well with all the classifications it gets a bit uncompetitive.

one thing that surprised me though, and this is totally by chance, I know I was defending china a bit earlier in this thread in the main summer olympics and now it seems like it's some theme I can't let go of, but yeah, china sending the second biggest team, almost the same size ours, surprised me. they sent only the 5th biggest in summer olympics so it's a pretty impressive focus.

it surprised me because, while I was saying they probably weren't as bad as some people made out, even I kinda had notions that their hardcore winning ethos and human rights problems would result in a country more likely to hide disabled people away in cupboards (at best), let alone fund them in a manner that frankly puts some other nations to shame.

other countries I was surprised to see invest so much in their paralympic programme were ukraine and poland.

 

[CG123]

How many nations are taking part?

There are like 150, so 3/4ish of the Olympic nations.

not really bothered by much of it either, sometimes you feel as well with all the classifications it gets a bit uncompetitive.

In one of the swimming finals, like 50m something S5, they had one S4 person. The S4 person was way behind everyone else, but on the results table down in 8th place they had the "PR" (Paralympics Record) next to their time. I have no idea the story behind it, but I assume that they might have been the only S4 competitor in that 50m event, so they were just chucked into the S5 final so that they weren't racing by themselves like the Eel guy was at the Sydney Olympics.

I'm pretty much in agreement with you guys. Like some of the stuff there is just remarkable, like there's an American archer who does it with out hands, he holds the bow with his foot and the arrow with his chin! But with no live coverage of it down here it's hard to take that much interest in it. I'll probably just follow the medal table, and watch the highlights of our medals when we get them.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

There's great coverage of it here - because it had moved across to Channel 4/More 4, I wasn't expecting this level of coverage. It's pretty comprehensive.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

the archer sounds amazing but at the same time I don't get it. you have no arms? take up running then! if you have no legs then maybe archery is for you.

it's like the blind football, surely you'd be better entering weight lifting or shot put or something. I know this makes me sound like a twat but I do struggle to get round this thinking.

if I'm being honest the only ones I find interesting are the wheelchair team sports, they seem genuinely competitive and tactical.

 

[MattW]

even I kinda had notions that their hardcore winning ethos and human rights problems would result in a country more likely to hide disabled people away in cupboards (at best),

Which parallels well to a certain other extremely populous country and an article in Guardian.

Regardless of any other good the Paralympics can do, if it at the very least can get some more focus on the terrible treatment of disabled people around the world, it's certainly worth it.

I'm just glad Channel 4 are showing other sports - the ABC here seem to think the same as Nine did for the Olympics, that Swimming is the only thing that exists, except for when our Basketball teams play well.

 

[CG123]

the archer sounds amazing but at the same time I don't get it. you have no arms? take up running then! if you have no legs then maybe archery is for you.

Yeah, I think you have to see it to fully get it. He has some clip on his shirt that he releases with his chin to release the arrow, and he extends the string by pushing the bow forward and away from him with his foot.

He was coming in first place after day one btw, beating all of the guys in wheelchairs with arms.