Mantas 3 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I have olympic withdraws already Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I have olympic withdraws already Cheer up Emo boy Para's starting soon. Link to post Share on other sites
7-11 2 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Wonder how much attention the Para's will get. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Apparently, tickets are selling well for them. Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 A local girl will be swimming in that. Should do well too. Link to post Share on other sites
peterson 0 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm kind of curious as to how they are fair. After all, people have different things going on. And why was that guy with the non-real legs allowed in the main Olympics? Link to post Share on other sites
surfarthur 22 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm kind of curious as to how they are fair. After all, people have different things going on. And why was that guy with the non-real legs allowed in the main Olympics? Its ok, they have an able bodied person taking his place at the paralympics Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I'm kind of curious as to how they are fair. After all, people have different things going on. And why was that guy with the non-real legs allowed in the main Olympics?Peterson the Paralympic athletes are all 'classified' ... That is they are assessed by professionals to determine their level of disability and they compete within thier classification. Sometimes a few classifications compete in the same race, but they are not directly competing with the people not in their classification, usually it is more straightforward than that though. My friends daughter was a T53 wheelchair track athlete. However she had surgery to attach a titanium rod to her spine to help straighten it, as the lack of muscular support over the years had caused a scoliosis which effected her breathing, it reduced her movement and she is now reclassified as a T54. T53s and T54s often compete together, but also competed in separate classes. Madi competed in Beijing as a 14 year old, and is back in London, now 18. Other sports have a minimum disability requirement, for example the Wheelchair Rugby/quad rugby or Murderball requires that the athlete is a partial quadriplegic, there is a slight variance for minimum disability depending on whether it is neurological or physical, but those guys have at least a 3 limb involvement. And talk about a rough sport!!! Wow!! I think I enjoy the Paralympics more than the Olympics because it is more than just sporting excellence (and it IS sporting excellence) it is also a showcase of a triumph over adversity. Every single one of these athletes has an amazing story. As for Oscar Pistorious, the South Africam runner known as the Blade Runner, he was allowed to compete (after lots of testing to make sure he didn't have an advantage) because he COULD compete. It used to be that a guy running on prosthetics could never hope to go as fast as a guy with regular legs. Modern technology is allowing those of us not born with fully perfect bits to achieve similarly to those who were born with everything working as it was supposed to. Oscar was born without one of the bones in his leg (fibula's if I recall correctly) and it was decided that amputation and prosthetics would give him the best chance at a normal life. I'd say it was the right choice, wouldn't you? Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 The local girl that trains with my kids doesn't have a physical disability at all. She has a mental disability. Link to post Share on other sites
ProbablyaCrazyPerson 2 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Is that a category on it's own then? Sounds complicated all that lot. Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Not sure. As far as I'm aware there is nothing physically wrong with her. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I looked it up Mantas, because I had never noticed people with an intellectual disability at the Paralympics - especially considering they also have the Special Olympics specifically for them, but it is correct that they have a category for intellectual disability in the Paralympics as well. They compete in thier own classification. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 How many people are there? With all the billions of classifications that there seen to be, is there a lot of competition? Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Actually, there are rules for classifications. Have a gander at http://www.london2012.com/mm%5CDocument%5CPublications%5CJoinin%5C01%5C24%5C08%5C10%5Clondon-2012-guide-to-the-paralympic-games.pdf and scroll to page 44 and following. The classifications are well explained there. Enjoy your reading! Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Interesting if not a little long. Do we know how many competitors? Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I didn't watch much of it, with Japanese coverage partly to blame, but the weather held, London looked great, and everything seemed to go very smoothly. British athletes did brilliantly too, which doubtlessly helped more people get into it. Still prefer football though. By a very long way, as well. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Feel the same definitely. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Wait til the paras hit town! Link to post Share on other sites
1 4 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Let's face it, and no offence meant, but it just doesn't mean much to most people. Sorry, but it's true. Where's David Brent for a quote? Link to post Share on other sites
oblivion 5 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 So, when do the Paraolympics start then? Can't seem to recall it being on the news of late....... Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 For those of you who can't get enough of the Olympics' top sport, the women's U-20 world cup is on at the moment in Japan with lots of seats available by the looks. fwiw, Japan scored a couple of screamers in their first match. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 For those of you who can't get enough of the Olympics' top sport, the women's U-20 world cup is on at the moment in Japan with lots of seats available by the looks. fwiw, Japan scored a couple of screamers in their first match. U-20 What?? Tiddlywinks? Much more important is that the Paralympics is on soon, far greater commitment and more guts and determination there than in a dozen "normal" olympics! Yet the big networks will not have the paras, they are on ABC (the national broadcaster) in Oz, while the "normies" were on the Commercial network. Link to post Share on other sites
OBLONG 0 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 You know why? Because hardly anyone cares. Brutal, but true. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 The "Olympics top sport" for anyone in Japan is now women's football (it might be back to curling or ski jumping or something else the next time) Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 The Japanese women footballers are the best in the world. Didn't they win the world cup? Link to post Share on other sites
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