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| Oscar Pistorius and Arnu Fourie in the 4 x 100 relay |
Upon completion of the Olympic Games the cries for more sporting action was overwhelmingly answered by thousands of Paralympians. In fact what was once seen by many as an after thought now just became part two of the greatest show on earth. The extraordinary feats of speed, tenacity, and endurance caught the world’s attention, inspired and hopefully helped to change the way people with disabilities have been viewed. What was clear to everybody was that these courageous athletes were determined not to compete as disabled athletes, but as athletes with different abilities.
The excitement for these Games was further fuelled by the fact that this was the first time that the Paralympics were coming home to its spiritual birth place. The Paralympic movement was began in 1948 by Sir Ludwig Guttmann who started the Stoke Mandeville Games. The Stoke Mandeville Games that were held for WWII veterans who had spinal cord injuries and coincided with the start of the 1948 London Summer Olympic Games. the name ‘Paralympics’ (only used from 1988) refers to the fact that these Games were held parallel to the other Games, and has nothing to do with the word “paralyzed”.
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| Natalie du Toit |
2012 may have marked a new era for the Games. It the largest Games ever with 4, 200 athletes from 164 countries competing in twenty different sports during eleven days of competition (fourteen countries made their debut at these Games, many of them from the continent of Africa) but social media, Internet and more television coverage brought the Games closer to us than ever before. During the Games we could hear straight from the athletes who were using Facebook, Twitter and video blogs to communicate directly with their supporters. Not only were 251 World Records broken but “the 2012 Paralympics have broken all records for attendance, with 2.7 million spectators cramming into venues and more than $70 million raised in ticket sales — both unprecedented figures as the British public displayed a previously unseen enthusiasm in the 52-year history of the Paralympics.” South Africa completed their campaign with 29 medals (8 gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze)
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| Anrune Liebenberg, silver in the 400m & bronze in the 200m T46 category. |
As a person with a disability the experience of watching the Games left me with the feelings of acceptance and belonging to a group. The shame and shyness of my involuntary movements slipped off my shoulders for just a brief period. At long last, we were also important in the scheme of things! On the Sunday night as I watched the Paralympic flag being lowered, I found myself in tears. For as I saw the flag coming down, I felt as if the spotlight that had been on people with disabilities was being switched off. No longer would I be able to watch ‘my kind’ on tv nor would their victories be celebrated so openly and enthusiastically. I felt that people with disabilities who had been on show for the last 11 days were being put back into insignificance.
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| Ilse Hayse, gold in women's T13 long jump & silver in 100m T13. |
But as the two British athletes, Ellie Cole and Johnny Peacock, took the flame from where it had been burning for the last 11 days and transferred it to various torch bearers who carried it out of the stadium, it dawned on me that they were actually giving each of us a flame to carry with us to every sphere of life. The Games may have broken many stereotypes and perceptions regarding people with disabilities but it is up to everyone of us who have enjoyed the Games to continue the bigger legacy of the Games – the fact that people with disabilities have a lot to offer our society and that every effort should be made to allow them to participate in everyday life!
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| Fanie van der Merwe, gold in 100m T37 |
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| Samkelo Radebe, Arnu Fourie, Oscar Pistorius & Zivan Smith, gold in the 4 x 100m |
