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Paralympic drama ahead - for the Inverness Courier
We may not always have had the sunniest weather, but even cynics concede this summer has already been lit up brightly by sport.
The achievement of our country in welcoming the world to a safe and successful Olympic Games was surpassed on so many occasions by the accomplishments of the athletes who came – not least by the members of Team GB.
But neither the Games’ organisers, nor Team GB can rest on their laurels just yet as we are only now at the half way mark of this extraordinary festival. After a few short weeks to draw breath, tomorrow evening the eyes of the world will turn on Britain once more as the Paralympics begin.
While the geographic origins of the modern Olympic movement are debatable, it has been clear since the flame begin its convergence from the highest points of the four home nations that the Paralympic Games are coming home to Britain.
A great deal will be said and written in the days ahead about the remarkable vision of Sir Ludwig Guttman – a German Jew who fled Nazi persecution on the eve of World War Two – in founding what became the Paralympic Movement at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1948.
At a time when many parts of the world – and Britain in particular – were still living in the aftermath of the war and its terrible cost, Guttman had accepted a role in the new frontline, working with those who had suffered spinal injuries which were widely considered debilitating.
Neither in terms of money nor medical technology can the resources at Guttman’s disposal have seemed sufficient to meet the challenges which he and his patients faced. But he persevered, innovated and ultimately demonstrated the potential of competitive sport to empower his patients and enrich their lives.
That opportunity has been passed on to countless others in the sixty-four years since – and it has formed a part of a continuing and still far from complete change in global attitudes to disabled people.
The Olympics have always been about stretching the limits of human physical and mental capability. Guttman’s Games were no different and they belong firmly at the heart of the international Olympic movement for that reason.
The Games are here to be watched and enjoyed, but they also present two challenges to us all. The first is to think differently about disability: to redouble our efforts to drive out prejudice and break down barriers which prevent individuals from fulfilling their potential. The second - shared with the Olympics - is to ask whether Dr Guttman’s discovery is not equally relevant to us all, whether disabled or not. We may not be able to match the speed, skill and strength of our Paralympians, but we can still challenge ourselves through participation in sport and live healthier, happier lives as a result.
So perhaps don’t sit back, but do enjoy what lies ahead. There will be stories of triumph and heartbreak. But in the sports on show, and for the Olympic movement as a whole, I am confident that the bar will be raised higher again.
The Highlands played an important part at the beginning of the 2012 Paralympic story when the flame was lit by the Scouts on the summit of Ben Nevis. Several athletes will be flying the flag for us locally within Team GB – including David Smith from my home village of Aviemore in the rowing; and both Karen Darke from Inverness and Craig Maclean from Grantown in the cycling. I will follow their fortunes with excitement – and wish them and all their team-mates every success.
ENDS
Posted on: 28/08/2012
