The Paralympics

After my return from Scotland I was ready to write of my experiences in that fine country, but I decided I had to write about the Paralympics which has now started in London.

What I noticed from the start of the opening ceremony, and which had carried on throughout the games, are not only the extreme hardships all the participants have had to endure to reach this level, but also their obvious enjoyment.

What a pleasure to see such happy people. The smile on their faces as they approach the start of each event is wonderful. In comparison to the more professional athletes of the preceding games (and it a lot of cases highly paid athletes) who at the beginning of each event had such stark and stern looks on their faces.

The only time they smiled was if they won a medal.

I can understand why they have such joy in their heart as they enter the arena. If you have a disability you face many hardships in life especially if you were born disabled.

A lot of these athletes will have had to face a life time of being bullied at school, sneered at by strangers and generally looked down upon.

What a feeling it must be to walk in front of eighty thousands cheering, clapping people who have paid to watch your sporting skills.

This is one thing all those people who thought they were better than them will never experience, and is one of the many reasons why I will be in the crowd cheering these athletes on.