posted Sep 7, 2008

How is it that they exceed the Olympians' first day results, yet get so little mainstream coverage? And claims of "minority interest" are just puerile, disablist nonsense.

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posted Sep 7, 2008

exactly right the public interest is not there, you cant relate to the performance of a less able bodies athlete compared to an able bodied athlete in the olympics which IS the pinnacle of competition. How can less able bodies athletes compete against each other in many of the sports when they all have differing levels of disablity which in differing ways hinder normal performance. I just cant get motivated to watch it.

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posted Sep 7, 2008

You follow the classification system, silly - that's why it was put there! And there is no such thing as "normal". The Paralympics are directly parallel to the Olympics, so to say the Olympics is the "pinnacle" is simply narrow-minded disablist arrogance.

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posted Sep 7, 2008

@andrewmg86 that just shows a fundimental misunderstanding of disabled sports. All Althletes are graded in to strict categories that are regularly reviewed and Athletes compete within that class so to create a level playing field.

Those occasions when the boundries are merged (LC3/4 today) then there are adjustsments that are made for the weaker class. If Greg Ball of Australia had managed to come within about 3 seconds of Simon's time then he would of won.

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posted Sep 7, 2008

Maybe the BBC feel they have to cater for non-sports fans now after showing so much of the Olympics?

I as a sports fan don't mind there being lots of decent sport on FTA TV but even when the Euro 2008 footie was on the Beeb we getting complaints about it getting in the way of such vital programmes like soaps,reality shows.

Sadly they cannot win TBH.

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posted Sep 7, 2008

Sorry that is vital programmes in the view of non-sports fans...who vent their fury at an even every 4 years taking over their every day programmes for a week or 2.

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posted Sep 7, 2008

Thanks for the link Peter ( a bit belated!)

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posted Sep 7, 2008

I agree with a couple of other members of this board that the Paralympics should serve as a warm-up event for the Olympics. I want to enjoy them, but after seeing over two weeks of able-bodied sprints I find myself completely burned out. Having them on first would be prefered because then I could watch these games without having seen what went just weeks before and enjoy them for what they are, knowing that in a couple of weeks the Olympics would really peak my interest.

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posted Sep 8, 2008

Whilst I am disgusted with the BBC for not showing more of the paralympics I am more so at the IOC for not having the plain common sence to combine the two into one event with a combined medals table.

All the rules and regulations of each and paralympic clasifacations will remain but it could possibly all be done in three weeks instead of the four it takes now.

This way they would get equal coverige and the ill informed will not see the paralympics as 'second rate'

Also the UK would do well to remember that 'team GB' always do better in the paralympics and last time came second in the medals table behind China.

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posted Sep 8, 2008

In holland the coverage is also terrible. Many dutch watched the opening on the BBC. As of today we get 20 minutes (!!!!) coverage on TV. Live stream coverage OS: 12 canals !!!
Dutch think the BBC coverage during degames are better...

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