Having attended the Paralympic Games in London I was warmed one day as I left the 5-a-side Blind football to hear a little boy say to his mum, “That was great mum, can we come again next year?” She then explained the hosting rights rotate and the games are held every four years. His face dropped.
At the start of the games there was a quote that the Olympic Games change the way you feel and the Paralympic Games change the way you think, and it would appear that in most cases London has delivered on that. It has hopefully not just changed the people think in the short term, but long into the future and that more people start to view those who are differently-abled the same as everyone else.
It would certainly appear that the children in the UK have definitely been affected by the games, as apparently two of the top kids’ wishlist gifts for Xmas this year are Pistorius-type blades and sports wheelchairs. Now who would have ever thought that to be the case? Wonder if Playstation will try and trump this?
