Exciting Proposal: Let's Get Rid Of The Paralympics!

Charly Lester, has made an exciting proposal in an article on the The New York Times calling for Olympics and Paralympics to be held at the same time.

Lester notes that "the Paralympics has become the ignored step-brother of the Olympics." further he says that in the two week gap between the Olympics and the Paralympics " the majority of the world’s media disappears, the cheering crowds return home, and the host city returns to normal. "

What Lester does not note is that not only do the fans go home, but also most of the media goes home as well. The UK's BBC has already stated that they will not give live TV coverage to the 2010 Paralympics and it is looking like there will be no live TV coverage in the USA as well.

So, Lester declares "why not declare them all Olympians, and simply incorporate Paralympic disciplines into the Olympics?"

I think that THIS is the key sentence, though Lester does not come out and say it. GET RID OF THE PARALYMPICS ALTOGETHER. Let's just have one Olympics, with events for able-bodied and events for disabled athletes.

Blend it together, call them all Olympians. Maybe in time we will even find a way to have Olympians and Parlympians competing in some demonstration events, like a mixed Ice Sled Hockey game...but perhaps I am having a dream, where all people truly are equal.

Comments

  1. When i pushed this barrow spome years ago it was the support staff of the Paralympians and the Officials who were against the idea!
    They would be out of a job so it was protecting their job mentality!
    Personally the Olympics is the warm up for the REAL EVENT because these truly amazing Paralympic athletes are there for the sake of SPORT not commercial interests!

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  2. But eventually as the disabled athletes got similar status and recognition as able bodied athletes, eventually the sponsorships would roll in and their commercial status would rise. Nothing wrong with that.

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  3. Hi there - literally just stumbled upon your post - I actually wrote that Op-Ed to the IHT and NYT and no one ever told me it got published!!! I only just found out by googling my name for a blog post I'm writing on pen names!!! So thank you so much for writing a post about it :)
    Kind Regards
    Charly Lester
    (ps I'm a girl - http://theelementarycircle.wordpress.com/ )

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