Paralympics opening

[defy-one]

They really should combine the Olympics and Paralympics to celebrate the best sporting achievements...

They say it would be a logistical nightmare,but i think to acheive true equality for people with needs ..... a way must be found!

 

[Dangermouse]

I,m with you two Archie and defy on this, a combined games would be excellent and it would make our Paralympians feel as one with the teams and not sent out on a second stage after the able bodied athletes have finished, they are true athletes with more determination than us able bodied people and really deserve the centre stage just as Mo and Pendleton and Wiggo get, yes a way should be found and proposed to the Olympic commitee, to invole the paralympians would probably extend the games by around a week only but it would be a great show to watch and cheer them all on, but I think we all know this would never happen, which is a shame

 

[Dangermouse]

Another thing, I am very dissapointed the great BBC are not doing the coverage, pushing these great athletes onto the back burner as usual

 

[subaqua]

and now got adverts again , think I'll go and mickle me chain.

is that a euphemism

best bits
the zip wire to fetch the torch in.
the bit where the 1st paralympian lookked like she was going to get fried by the flame from the petals as she went to light it
and finally the fireworks. Pity C4 didn't cut from the wailing lady to see them until they had been going for a bit. I only knew they were going as I heard the 1st bang then leggged it to the top floor to watch them. better than the closing ceremony for the olympics IMO.

 

[subaqua]

Another thing, I am very dissapointed the great BBC are not doing the coverage, pushing these great athletes onto the back burner as usual

C4 bid more than the BBC for the rights to televise it in the UK. the BBC isn't an endless pot of money despite what some may think.

 

[snapper_37]

Only watched 2 mins so far (catching up 1/2 hour behind) and I'm already unimpressed with Jon Snow and the commentator. And that was meant to represent the Big Bang?

All I can think is that this gives every appearance of being the embarrassment which many thought the main Olympics opener would be.

+1. I was really looking forward to it and found it very disappointing ... boring even. Ad breaks pissed me off no end so I couldn't be arsed watching after about 10 pm. A shame.

 

[Norm]

The thing which struck me in thinking abut it this morning was that I don't remember anything from it.

 

[defy-one]

Some nice aerial scenes with the athletes being suspended high above the arena,but i didn't understand the theme and got bored. Shame. Look forward the games and have a ticket for next Wednesday

 

[summerdays]

The thing which struck me in thinking abut it this morning was that I don't remember anything from it.

Me too - when Mr Summerdays asked what had happened after he went to bed .... mind went blank!

 

[Archie_tect]

Didn't end with Paul McCartney trying to sing then... who could forget that!

 

[Beebo]

They really should combine the Olympics and Paralympics to celebrate the best sporting achievements...

I dont think this will ever happen, but there have been suggestions that the paralympics should be staged before the Olympics which would give it less of a second rate feel.

 

[on the road]

C4 bid more than the BBC for the rights to televise it in the UK. the BBC isn't an endless pot of money despite what some may think.

Probably means that there'll be an ad break every 5 minutes

 

[Arch]

I dont think this will ever happen, but there have been suggestions that the paralympics should be staged before the Olympics which would give it less of a second rate feel.

I don't know - if it's before, some people will see it as a 'warm up'. (In fact the C4 ads have been using that idea, with shots of the Olympics and then the Paralympians saying "Thanks for the warm up!")

I guess the events could run at the same time, for a whole month, while keeping the results separate. It would be complicated, but not impossible to operate a handicap system to meaningfully compare Paralympic and Olympic performances in some events - timed events like races, for example, or weightlifting/throwing sports, but contact or one-on-one sports (badminton etc) would be more difficult to integrate. Just watching C4, they were talking about the cycling in which we just won a silver, and how the time trial result were calculated based on the level of impairment, so it ought to be possible to also calculate how well someone would do with no impairment.

On the whole, it seems to me that if they can't run concurrently, then having the Paras afterwards highlights the extra acheivement - "Hey, you thought those guys were good, look at these guys doing it with one leg!" sort of thing.

NT and I were saying today as we walked slowly back up to my sister's house from town, that a lot of people were paying attention to him on his crutches, saying hello, how are you doing, etc, and wondering if the Paralympics has had a hand in making the general public more aware of people with disabilities, whether temporary or permanent.

 

[Maz]

Everytime one of our paralympians wins gold, we should paint a wheelie bin in their honour.


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What?!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Everytime one of our paralympians wins gold, we should paint a wheelie bin in their honour.


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What?!

Every time Sarah Storey wins we should paint one floor of the house gold.