Silver medal for Paralympic star cyclist from Lewisham (From This Is Local London)

Trouble is, it's not the REAL Olympics, is it? We all know it but no one has the guts to say it.

Good luck to the participants but perhaps they would be put to better use helping charities instead.

It will always be a second class event. Sad but true.

Tug Skinbach wrote:
Trouble is, it's not the REAL Olympics, is it? We all know it but no one has the guts to say it.

Good luck to the participants but perhaps they would be put to better use helping charities instead.

It will always be a second class event. Sad but true.

I couln't disagree more! It's the real paralympics and there is no getting away from that. The paralympic movement has done a tremendous job in changing attitudes towards people with disabilities and helping people to realise that having a disability does not equate with being "unable"!

Many paralympians raise money for charity through their sporting activity, But why shouldn't disabled atheletes have the opportunity to push their talents, skill and ability to the very limit, in the same way that able-bodied athletes can?

It takes more courage and more determination to succeed as a paralympian as it does as an olympian. Many paralympian's achieve records as good as those achieved by olympians and a hell of a lot more than sad people like "Tug Skinbach" who do not come close to comprehending the importance, power and popularity of the paralympic movement.

What is "sad but true" is that sadly there are still some people in this country who do not appreciate or understand how the human potential of disabled athletes can realised and developed and how lives can be transformed for ever.

DrMcK