2012 Paralympics,your take.

[Leekbrookgull]

Its hard to know where to start,really. Respect all those taking part years of training,effort and hard work yet somehow it just does not 'sit easily with me' maybe i am not alone ? Most here are parents and you take your kid/s to football,swiming etc and when you do sporting excellence is the goal (?) Too watch the blind runners is stunning (and myself and my lad saw them in Manchester for the Commonwealth games) yet for me i just cant see it as doing this,maybe i am wrong ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcTVlLj8Q4&feature=related

 

[bravohotelalpha]

'Does not sit easily with me' - what on earth are you on about ?

 

[Beach Hut]

What a stupid post, the whole idea of Paralympic Sport is that either the competitors are categorised so there is a fair matching or the sport is adjusted to ensure they can compete.

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Its hard to know where to start,really. Respect all those taking part years of training,effort and hard work yet somehow it just does not 'sit easily with me' maybe i am not alone ? Most here are parents and you take your kid/s to football,swiming etc and when you do sporting excellence is the goal (?) Too watch the blind runners is stunning (and myself and my lad saw them in Manchester for the Commonwealth games) yet for me i just cant see it as doing this,maybe i am wrong ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcTVlLj8Q4&feature=related

None of this funny at all.

Everyone in country is enveloped the spirit of the Paralympics.

But you appear to be making some cheap jokes at the athletes expense.

 

[Falkor]

How can it be wrong there an inspiration, I got more into the paralympics than I did the able bodied.

 

[Silk]

Its hard to know where to start,really. Respect all those taking part years of training,effort and hard work yet somehow it just does not 'sit easily with me' maybe i am not alone ? Most here are parents and you take your kid/s to football,swiming etc and when you do sporting excellence is the goal (?) Too watch the blind runners is stunning (and myself and my lad saw them in Manchester for the Commonwealth games) yet for me i just cant see it as doing this,maybe i am wrong ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcTVlLj8Q4&feature=related

I have two sons who have a disability, they love to play football but are never likely to reach a high level. Are you suggesting they shouldn't bother?

 

[MORTY]

I went on the Thursday night to watch the Athletics - I was completely blown away. What an incredible night of sport. Really don't get your point at all "Does not sit easily with me" WTF does that mean??

 

[chimneys]

Maybe you should stop watching the Albion, as we are never going to be as good as Barca!

I went to 4 days of paralympic events. Every bit as good as the Olympics for me, and I learnt more about disability in those 4 days than in the previous 45 years I've been on this planet.

Looks like you would have benefitted from going this time, presuming you have the capacity to not always be as narrow minded as your post suggests?

 

[leigull]

I'm not going to lie, I've not seen much Paralympic action before this summer. But my word it's been epic. Thursday night was just as brilliant as the Olympic Saturday when Farrah, Rutherford and Ennis won their golds. Cockroft, Weir and Peacock were sublime and the drama of each event, the crowd noise and quality of the races is at such a high standard. This isn't even mentioning all the other stars in all the other sports.

So many genuine heroes competing.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Taken from metro.co.uk - is this for real?!?


'The closing ceremony is basically a glorified Coldplay concert. They will hardly be off stage,' the insider explained, adding: 'They may only be getting paid £1 to perform but they will make a fortune in royalties as their music flies up the charts afterwards.'

In another exciting development ahead of the September 9th show, Coldplay have agreed to change the title of their recent hit Paradise to Paralympics in a bid to sign off the Games in style.

Read more: Rihanna and Coldplay signed up for Paralympics closing ceremony | Metro.co.uk

 

[Triggaaar]

somehow it just does not 'sit easily with me' maybe i am not alone ?

It's fair to question what the Paralympics has to offer, but to say it doesn't sit easily with you, what the f*** is that. It reminds me of the idiots complaining about on of the BBC's children's presenters (Cerrie Burnell) because she only had one arm and might (didn't, but might) give their kids nightmares:
One-armed presenter is scaring children, parents tell BBC | Mail Online

Maybe you should stop watching the Albion, as we are never going to be as good as Barca!

Exactly. Most sports are not going to offer moments anything as beautiful as Owen's goal, which is why we all love the beautiful game. But most sports aren't going to offer the spirits and amazing back-stories of the Paralypmpics. Take former F1 star Alessandro Zanardi who lost his legs in a racing crash, and has now one a couple of gold medals (ironically one at Brands Hatch) - amazing.

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

Sport is sport is sport as far as I'm concerned. I went to the Paralympics last Sunday, saw sports I've never seen before (wheelchair basketball and tennis, and goalball for example) and enjoyed them just for sport's sake. But I was also absolutely in awe of the athletes, who'd all overcome experiences or birth circumstances I can't begin to comprehend to play sport at a level way, way, way above anything I'm capable of.

Watching one of the Italian lads, with no legs and only one arm, tearing around the basketball court scoring points, made me wonder what the f*** I've been doing with my time, frankly. I can only applaud all of them, Olympians and Paralympians alike, for making this summer so bloody wonderful.

 

[Stoo82]

I have only watch one bit of the Paralympics, the horse dancing with a young girl who had cerebral palsy.

The control the girl had of the horse was incredible. The best bit I found was the huge smile she had when she finnished.

She got the gold.

 

[Gazwag]

Its hard to know where to start,really. Respect all those taking part years of training,effort and hard work yet somehow it just does not 'sit easily with me' maybe i am not alone ? Most here are parents and you take your kid/s to football,swiming etc and when you do sporting excellence is the goal (?) Too watch the blind runners is stunning (and myself and my lad saw them in Manchester for the Commonwealth games) yet for me i just cant see it as doing this,maybe i am wrong ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcTVlLj8Q4&feature=related

You're American aren't you

 

[halbpro]

Watching one of the Italian lads, with no legs and only one arm, tearing around the basketball court scoring points, made me wonder what the f*** I've been doing with my time, frankly.

Exactly this! I have zero disabilities and there are days I can barely be bothered to get out of bed. To see what athletes with these kind of physical issues can do is just absolutely astonishing. I mean I've watched the paralympics before, but this year blew me away all over again.

 

[Lady Gull]

We have watched a lot of the paralympics - to be honest I have enjoyed it more that the very ordinary olympics! They are truly inspirational young men and women who are enjoying sport and competing against each other - the smile on their faces when they achieve their goals is great to watch and there have been some nights here when we have been literally been on the edge of the sofa shouting for them to win!!

I think its been a brilliant thing - and has shown my kids that every body can achieve their goals and that disabled people are out there - enjoying life and getting on with it - it can only be a good thing!

 

[Wardy]

Not really sure what the OP is trying to get at. I loved the Olympics and some of the moments from those 16 days will stick with me for years to come. Though I have not seen as much of the paraolympics what I have seen as been truly amazing. I only hope that should me or any of my children lose a limb or develop some other condition that they will have 1/2 the determination that these true sportsmen and women show. The way they have overcome what life as given them to complete on the world stage is totally inspirational. Yes if they were to complete with the able bodied they would not be as good, but that does not take away from the skill that they show.

Can only hope the OP is trolling if not they are one very sad person to have such a narrow view of life.

 

[Uncle C]

My overriding thought is that sitting on the sofa watching the Paralympics will be a huge number of people who's disabilities are far less, but they have been signed off from doing any meaningful work and are being kept by the State.

This does not of course apply to most disabled people.

 

[16bha]

Its hard to know where to start,really. Respect all those taking part years of training,effort and hard work yet somehow it just does not 'sit easily with me' maybe i am not alone ? Most here are parents and you take your kid/s to football,swiming etc and when you do sporting excellence is the goal (?) Too watch the blind runners is stunning (and myself and my lad saw them in Manchester for the Commonwealth games) yet for me i just cant see it as doing this,maybe i am wrong ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcTVlLj8Q4&feature=related

You're very wrong!

We went to the athletics yesterday morning, and the atmosphere was immense. 80000 fans screaming, and you could see the sheer effort, the joy, the pain and the determination in every athlete. This is no second rate games, just a different classification, and this is the creme de la creme of their specific sports, and they HAVE achieved sporting excellence!

I'm just one of the many that didn't realise this until a couple of weeks ago. Consider my eyes well and truly opened!

 

[Wardy]

My overriding thought is that sitting on the sofa watching the Paralympics will be a huge number of people who's disabilities are far less, but they have been signed off from doing any meaningful work and are being kept by the State.

This does not of course apply to most disabled people.

Same could be said for able bodied people though.