Updates from the Paralympics

On Tuesday, September 4th, One Billion Strong's Chairman Hassan Ali Bin Ali met with the Qatari team in the Paralympic Village a few hours before competition. I interviewed the Chairman and Qatar’s Abdulrahman Abdulqader as part of the air transport accessibility project.

Some Photos from the Paralympic Games

Totally packed stadium. This shot is from my Iphone, so it is not the highest quality, but you get the idea that the place was filled to capacity:)

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, handing out medals. That was a great surprise and it was even better when she sat a few row behind me right after she handed out the medals. My mom was so excited to be close to her that she nearly fell over trying to take a picture and it came out all blurry, but it created a funny story at least!

Inside the stadium--I had a great view of the medal podium that is on the bottom right in this picture.

Tents and vendors outside of the stadium--very busy!

The Aquatic Center right before a race started.

On my way to the stadium to watch Oscar Pistorius and others compete.

September 2, 2012 Blog

Tonight the Aquatic Center had seats that were completely full and in my walk to the Olympic Stadium there were people everywhere.  Painted faces with the colors and patterns of Great Britain’s flag and a common theme of festivity.

Last night I talked about Oscar Pistorius being on fire in the 200 meter qualifier.  Tonight he came in second with a competitor from Brazil, Alan Oliveira, taking the gold.  It was an interesting moment for me when the American seated next to me exclaimed, “He was beat!” accounting for a huge upset tonight.  It is tremendous to realize that Oscar did successfully qualify for the Olympics and now was beat by another Paralympian.  It certainly is testimony to the strength of the athleticism on display in these games. 

A couple of other things that were noteworthy about tonight—one, the Duchess of Cambridge was seated fairly close to me and it was fascinating to observe how people became aware of her presence.  There was a buzz as people popped up to quietly take her photo.  At one point, she appeared to leave the stadium but a brief time later was seated in another nearby area where her presence was less obvious. And yes, I was one of the people trying to take thousands of photos of her.

Another was my interest in watching the women’s T11 and T12 races where athletes who are blind use guide runners in the race.  It was phenomenal to watch two people who ran that fast with that level of coordination and communication.

During the day I spent a lot of time at the Paralympic Village working on the airport accessibility project which is my main reason for being here.  I worked with a camera crew and was able to get a number of interviews that are important to the research.  I spoke with three American women who compete in track and field, who described their wheelchairs as part of their body and their independence.  They spoke to how discouraging and costly it can be for them when this part of them is damaged or mishandled in air transport.

I also interviewed athletes from Mexico, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Nicaragua,  Spain, and Gambia about their experiences in airport travel.  There were common threads that athletes mentioned at different stages of the airport, such as when they check their wheelchairs, have to be lifted onto a plane, or when they go through security.  I also heard a lot of positives of how Heathrow Airport has made improvements resulting in a good experience for many of them.  Maybe there is something here that can be learned and applied to other airports.  

It was also pretty powerful to see the athletes from the world in all the different Paralympic locations.  The residential village and dining hall are impressive with the signs for Halal Cuisine, McDonald’s, India and Asia amongst a wide range of world cuisines.  Obviously there are many palate tastes to feed the world.  The backdrop of the large expansive room that is filled with food stations is a wall with a sign that stated, “None of us is as good as all of us.”  

September 1, 2012 Blog

I had the pleasure of meeting Rachael Burrows today from Team Canada who competed last night in wheelchair racing and look forward to watching her compete again on September 6th. She's part of a large Canadian delegation that has their large flags hanging from their rooms in the Paralympic village.

In tonight’s 200 meter qualifier, Oscar Pistorius totally dominated and lived up to the expectations of the 80,000+ crowd.  He is recognized as one of the most important figures in Paralympic sports and one of the first to also qualify in the Olympics where he also ran this past month.   He is gracious in the spotlight and points to how sports can change the world and certainly have transformed the city of London. 

I find it fascinating the attention the world is placing on running blades that are in use by many Paralympians.  First used in the 80’s, the blades represent the best of engineering and technology,  The talk is all about the thickness of the carbon fiber and the needs of the athlete and the energy absorption of the blades while in use.  Are they being used for sprinting, jumping, or long distance running are all major considerations in design.

Four years ago while in law school I wrote a paper about disability and sports and how I liked the Nike commercials that featured Pistorius following his success at the Paralympics in Beijing.  The commercials focused on his ability as an athlete when he implied the blades are his weapons for winning.  Best of luck to him tomorrow in the metal round.

Jason Smyth of Ireland won a gold tonight in the 100 meters after smashing the world record twice. He blew out the competition and won by what appeared to be ten feet!  Although his win was fun to watch, I was more excited to hear that he has Stargardt’s—the same rare eye disease I have.  Clearly we would be besties if we knew each other, except I am not as fast, ha.

The Last Leg is on Channel 4 now (and is great), so that's all for today!

August 31, 2012 Blog

There is something to be said for London hosting the Paralympic games—a large city that can offer the world a view.   Somehow it really amazes me to be on city streets in proximity to Buckingham Palace and now in a hotel near St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Buildings defined through hundreds of years of history, well beyond any chronology directly experienced at home in North America.  There’s something to be said about about time that reminds me of the perseverance in training of what it takes to excel in sport.  I am reminded of the countless minutes, hours, days and months that each athlete competing here had to undertake in training to prepare for these games.  

In a T-3 car ride today with one of the Paralympic volunteer drivers, I again heard about the legacy of England’s involvement in the start of the Paralympic games dating back to 1948 and then the official start and naming of the Paralympics in 1960.  The driver talked about a friend who was involved in the recent rebranding of these games to emphasize competition and athleticism and the sports themselves.  We discussed a movement away from promotion of the games in a charity model, where we pity people with disabilities, to a proactive, positive view of these high-level athletes.   This rebranding is effective in my opinion.  The music, the commercials on Channel 4, are all very appealing in selling the brand.  The driver noted that Channel 4, the British station that is providing coverage, was a better fit for its edginess and contemporiness.  

I would like to take a minute to comment on what the Superhuman commercial that has been running in relation to the Paralympic games means to me.  As a disability rights advocate, I wonder about these athletes being presented as Superhuman.  Is the commercial implying that because they have a disability and are successful athletes they are superhuman?  And if so, I have an issue with that, because what about all the other people with disabilities who are not great athletes and who do not fall into this new and exciting idea of the disabled?  I would like to think the commercial is about all athletes, regardless of what they bring to the game, and that any athlete’s high level of performance qualifies them to be superhuman.  I also want to say I really like the commercial because it is catchy and appealing. I just would like people to think about the superhuman concept.   Click here to check out the commercial and see what you think!

I’ve spent years thinking about how athletes perform.  In fact, my obsession in sports is college basketball and Duke University’s men’s team. Everyone who knows me knows not to talk when they are playing (unless they are up by thirty or more points, in which case I may mutter a few words of yes or no if questioned.)   In the last two days of watching wheelchair basketball, I am impressed with the athleticism and competition, and can say there’s more action than the NBA (said by a self-admitted fan of college basketball over the NBA which never plays defense in my opinion.) 

So with ice hockey being my next second obsession, I’m eagerly awaiting the ice sledge hockey scheduled for the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.  As a huge fan of Alexander Ovechkin, of the Washington Capitals, I’m looking forward to seeing a similar level of dominance in the Russian ice sledge team.   From what I’m seeing in competition these past two days, the world is ready. 

I look forward to Oscar Pistorius competing tomorrow!

August 30, 2012 Blog, Day 1 of the Games

Television coverage in the UK of the Paralympics is tremendous.  It was reported that 11.2 million spectators watched the opening ceremony last night, a best ever for the local Channel 4 and supposedly more than those who watched the last episode of Friends!

It seems like TV coverage is non-stop today. Shooting, cycling, swimming, blind judo, wheelchair basketball.  Sarah Story won a British Gold Medal today while setting a new world record in cycling. It’s great to hear about the number of veterans from different countries who are participating.  The venues showcase athleticism, performance, and achievement.  In total it is an inspiration.  The British press and others (including me) are wondering why there is not more coverage in the States.

Free copies of the London Evening Standard tonight enthusiastically reported “Records Smashed in Royal Start to Games” alongside photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who attended events today and cheered on “one massive family.”  The Duke and Duchess attended a game of goalball  which is a game for the blind and visually impaired who play with a ball specially adapted with bells. Each player used covered eyeglasses and full-body blocks to keep the ball out of goal. 

The Grange St. Paul Hotel is the International Paralympic family hotel.  The hotel is complete with Paralympic signage and information for family members, athletes and visitors.  It is a great place for me to be because it is the hub of all of the operations of the International Paralympic Committee.  Purple and gold banners are on display all over the hotel. There is a sense of preparedness and expectancy —all under the slogan “Inspire a Generation.”  

A few photos from the opening ceremony