Paralympics.

[OkToBeTakei]

Watching the opening ceremony.

 

Good luck to them all. Looking forward to it.

[Minerva]

I haven't got a TV, but I'm looking forward to following the events online.

[OkToBeTakei]

I just heard that the majority of the countries with competitors are not showing it on TV. How totally sad.

[terranova]

They have a pretty decent Youtube channel, and I've been watching the swimming in the lower catagories. Amazing.

[Minerva]

They have a pretty decent Youtube channel, and I've been watching the swimming in the lower catagories. Amazing.

I can never get their live streaming to work, but the videos they post after the events are good.

[terranova]

Yeah livestreaming doesn't work here either :( despite advertising to the contrary. I like the Youtube videos though. I'm amazed at the swimmers in the lower classifications who have no limbs. :O

[OkToBeTakei]

Yeah livestreaming doesn't work here either :( despite advertising to the contrary. I like the Youtube videos though. I'm amazed at the swimmers in the lower classifications who have no limbs. :O

Totally. The Chinese girl who kicked the 200m backstroke. Wow.

Here in the UK we have the full coverage and every night a recap show which is called the 'The Last Leg.' It is fast becoming my nightly pleasure. It focuses on the good and the stupid. They have a twitter hashtag isitok? As in ..is it ok to ask this?

Some of the questions are fascinating. Some are also toe-curling and some are plain hilarious.

'In the equestrian events is it the horse or rider with a disability?'

'How do the swimmers with no arms get out of the pool?'

'Is it ok to tell a Paralympian they are fucking FIT' ( a personal fave lol)

The coverage has a classification system which is easy to follow. I am just finding it really entertaining and educational. Or as was discussed last night as good as the rea...er...other...able..err just really good. Yes the Paralympians find it funny when folks get all flustered. :)

[JesusFightClub]

OMG, did you see the swimming with Ellie Simmonds? I actually cried at that one, sad bastard that I am.

[OkToBeTakei]

You are not alone!

[JesusFightClub]

:)

My brother won't watch it because "it's not elite sport". He's always tutting because he'll say something like "Oh for fuck's sake, did you see that time. That's hopeless, it's a good ten seconds off the worst time in the proper Olympics qualifiers. It's just not ELITE." I've heard other people say that too, as well as "They just let anyone in if they're disabled anyway".

I don't agree with those arguments, for the second I know it's not true because I have an injury to the lower limb and I found out I would not be eligible for the Olympics but would be for the Paralympics. But you know why that doesn't matter? BECAUSE I WOULD NEVER GET ANYWHERE NEAR THE PARALYMPICS OR OLYMPICS AS LIKE THE VAST MAJORITY OF DISABLED AND NON DISABLED PEOPLE I AM NO ATHLETE! Aargh.... :roll: I truly would love to see some of the people who make that argument try their luck in the pool or on the track against the Paralympians, their only sport is going to cheer on their team at a weekend, they would get trounced.

[freejoytoo]

Seriously? What a disgusting thing to say. I haven't been following the paralympics (though intend to catch up on some of it) but it's so utterly ignorant to say if you're disabled you're instantly qualified. I'd like to see them try riding a horse with no arms or swim a pool with missing limbs. I'm really angry now. You're disabled and you can play sport? You're instantly an athlete! How fucking patronising is that?!

[OkToBeTakei]

Send them to play wheelchair basketball. Those guys are animals. It is amazing to watch.

I am amused that USA spent so much time making sure they WON the Olympics. Yet China..you know that awful Communist country is winning the Paralympics. They don't seem to care about that.

OH WAIT! Silly me. It's all about the ba-bling ba-bling I'm all about the Money.....I'm all about the image.

China have some awesome Paralympians. USA do not even televise it.

I am sick.

[lilwriter85]

I haven't watched any Paralympic events yet. I watched the first hour of the opening ceremonies the other day. I hate the attitude that anyone who is disabled would qualify for the Paralympics, that isn't true. The documentary Murderball shows how competitive quad rugby is. A lot of guys never make the U.S. national team. It is the same for the other events.

[ADoyle90815]

I also think it's sad that the Paralympics aren't being televised as those athletes are amazing. I would also like to suggest that those who think anyone with a disability can compete should play wheelchair basketball or race one of the other athletes in the pool or track. Let them go against that athlete from South Africa who competed in the Olympics as he qualified for both teams and made the semifinals against those who had both of their legs.

[flojo]

My brother is a athlete with cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, his disability class (athletes are graded to level the playing field), means he cannot compete in his event, marathon, as his disability is too severe to have any competition (unusual situation). He is expected to be in the NY marathon next year though :).

As a result though, I have had the opportunity to witness a number of other athletes with disabilities, especially wheelchair racing. They go FAST. Really fast. I don't think anyone who has seen them in action would consider them not elite athletes.

[pomology]

Okay, so before I tell this story, I have to preface it with the fact that my fencing coach in college says a lot of politically incorrect, douchy things. He's not a bad person at all, but he tends to operate without a filter. He has also been the world champion in veterans fencing (i.e. people over 40), so he's pretty damn good at it.

Anyway, one day last year, he came in complaining about how at a tournament, he had to fence a high school aged girl who had competed in a wheelchair and he had lost to her. And he blabbered on about not only had he lost to a girl, not only had he lost to a high schooler, not only had he lost to somebody in a wheelchair, but a high school girl in a wheelchair had beaten him 5-0. I'm sure he was making some larger point, but I've forgotten what it is because all I remember is what a dick he was being. (Although, I like to think that he actually learned something from the situation about assuming people's skill level just because they are disabled).

Point being, people are idiots to assume that that just because somebody is disabled, they cannot possibly be a good athlete. Who knows if that girl was even remotely good enough to qualify for the Paralympics? But she still beat a one-time (old people) world champion who was able bodied. Any able-bodied person who says that the Paralympics takes anybody who is disabled is probably jealous that these athletes are more skilled than they are.

[OkToBeTakei]

Osacr Pistorius Was amazing despite the controversy.

i just loved watching it as did my kid..sad it is all over :(

Alex Zanardi= Legend.

[OkToBeTakei]

Closing ceremony.

A Coldplay concert and some cool fireworks. Not bad!