paralympic post - tagesspiegel

ParalympicPost

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

IN KOOPERATIONMIT DER

Faster than everPeacock challenges Pistorius

Stronger than ever301 athletes compete for Britain

Sarah Storey won Great Britain's first gold medalof the Games at the London Velodrome.On Thursday she was roared on by a crowdof 6,000 as she stormed to victory in the3km C5 individual pursuit. The 34 year old cyclist,who was born without a left hand, triumphedon a spectacular first day for Paralympics GBwho picked up a total of seven medals.

photo: Thilo Rückeis

Publisher:Stephan-Andreas Casdorff,Lorenz Maroldt.Editors:Nicolas Diekmann, Clara Kaminsky,Carsten Kloth, Annette Kögel, Jan MohnhauptKarin Preugschat, Katrin Schulze,Claus Vetter, Thomas Wurster (V.i.S.d.P.)Art director: Yvonn Barth

Photographer: Thilo RückeisAdvertisement: Ten Alps MediaProduction: Detlev Jackschenties,Fritz Schanninger.Reporters:Maxie Borchert, Carina Canavan,Alice Conroy, Nicolas Feißt, Karla Imdahl,Emily Jamison, Jacob Joy, Tavishi Kanwar,Alexander Kauschanski, Alisha Mathis,Lucy Michaeloudis, Bradley Neen, Al Maatin

Pereira Dos Santos, Dominik Prüfer, BenjaminScholz, Wibke Schumacher, George Simonds,Nora Tschepe-Wiesinger, Keri Trigg, Enya Wolf.

The Paralympic Post is a joint project of Tages-spiegel, Berlin, Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfall-versicherung and panta rhei, Beratungsgesell-schaft für gesellschaftliche Prozesse mbH.The publication ist supported by SecEd.

photo:Reuters

photo:DavidPoultney

photo:KellyHill

photo:dapd

photo:FraukeJohn

photo:AFP

photo:StevenBates

Paralympic_Post_September_6, 2012_2

Contents

12 News round up

A stamp for each winningathlete, The oldest, theyoungest and more news

15 Ade Adepitan’s Paralympics

He played wheelchairbasketball for the UK – nowhe is a TV presenter

Cover picture

Blade runners 11

Jonnie Peacock competesagainst one of his heroes:

Oscar Pistorius

Girl power 13

Great Britain’s wheelchairbasketball-team

go for gold

09 Time to say hello

The opening ceremony wasone in a long line of eventsthat opened the Games

Two games, one set-up 08

Most of the Olympic venuesare also being used in the

Paralympics

04 Paralympics GB

301 athletes from Britainare competing in all20 paralympic sports

A few days ago the Eve-ning Standard carried apicture of a pretty littlegirl who lost her leg whenabus ploughed into her, in-juring her mother and kil-ling her grandmother. Itwas a freak accident afterwhich her family had to

teach themselves to look to the future rather thandwell on their misfortune. The little girl has now ta-ken up ballet. Her mother carried the torch to theParalympic Games. Londoners have embracedthese Games with all our hearts. The athletes arenot merely excellent in their fields, they have over-come terrible adversity. Behind every winner is astory of courage. London is a tough city, as hectic asNew York and, we like to think, evenmore economi-cally and culturally exciting. It is where peoplecome to make their fortunes or their mark. The cityis on display at the moment, full of flags and thereis a carnival atmosphere. We welcome especiallyyoung people seeing the capital through fresh eyes.Make the most of your time here and I look forwardto reading your vivid accounts. The Paralympics areall about stories and that is what you are here towrite. Londoners have shown already that we makea good audience – the roar in the Olympic Stadiumfor teamGBwas louder than a plane taking off. Thatwas then. As the television advertisements for theParalympics put it: "Thanks for the warm up."

SARAH SANDS,

Editor-in-Chief, London Evening Standard

As the largest teachers'union in the UK, the NA-SUWT is delighted to besupporting the Paralym-pic Post and playing itspart in bringing the extra-ordinary spectacle ofthese games to readersacross the UK and Ger-

many. The talent and enthusiasm demonstrated bythe young people selected to take part in this exci-ting project is only matched by that displayed by theathletes competing here in London. I have no doubtthe Paralympic Post teamwill do an excellent job inbringing the intensity of competition and the scaleof human achievement beingwitnessed at these ga-mes to life in these pages.The NASUWT has a long record of support for

and involvement with the Paralympic movementand has worked hard to promote sporting opportu-nities which are open to all young people in schools.The Union is proud to be able to offer this amazingopportunity for young people to develop their skillsand work with their international compatriots in aproject which truly represents the ideal of the Para-lympic spirit.

CHRIS KEATES, General Secretary,

NASUWT, the largest teachers' union in the UK

It is a great pleasure towelcome theworld to Lon-don and showcase theamazing event the 2012Paralympic Games are.We are pleased to saythat this year’s Gamesare the largest yet, invol-ving 4,200 athletes from

166 nations across the globe. We are delighted tosay that everyone interested in the Games – whowas lucky enough to get a ticket – can soak up theatmosphere in the venues and be part of the Para-lympic community. We are delighted that, throughour broadcast deals, in the UK and around theworld, Paralympic sport will now be accessible tohundreds of millions of new spectators. We wel-come the ever-increasingmedia coverage theseGa-mes are receiving. It is delightful to see that the pu-blic is increasingly interested in experiencing sportlike never before, enthralled by theworld class per-formances of the Paralympians.We are keen for young people to learn about Para-

lympic values, the Paralympians and the London2012 Paralympic Games: Games of the possible. Asa former Paralympian myself, I very much appre-ciate projects such as the Paralympic Post. I wel-come the fact that students from all over Europe –with and without disabilities – are working togetherto create the Paralympic Post. This provides the Pa-ralympians and their performances with an excel-lent platform and reaches out to the next genera-tion.

CHRIS HOLMES,

Director of Paralympic Integration LOCOG

Photo:promo

When you walk through London these days and you see young men and women in tur-quoise shirts - it may be our crew from the „Paralympics Zeitung / Paralympic Post“.These are our talented young reporters from Northern Ireland, Wales, England, Swit-zerland and Germany. You could meet one of the most inspired and best informed jour-nalists of the Paralympic Games London 2012. They entered writing competitions andwere selected out of nearly 400 applicants from all over the world. But they do not onlyhave excellent writing skills but also super social skills. Have you seen a kitchenwhere 20 teenagers prepared pizza together, and that was cleaned up perfectly later?The editorial team is based in the Greater London Regional Center. The rooms arekindly provided by the Teachers’ Union NASUWT. In the hallway you can find portraitpictures of the whole team, what a nice greeting! In addition to the students, we aregrateful to have Joanna Bartlett on board. She was a young reporter herself duringthe Games in Beijing 2008 and is now part of the organizing staff.The young reporters all show unbelievable spirit - and are really able to gain experi-ence as a journalist, working with deadlines, and nonstop day and night during the Ga-mes. Without the support of SecEd, the London Evening Standard, NASUWT and espe-cially the „Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung“, the German Social Accident In-surance, we could not be working so passionately in London.

ANNETTE KÖGEl

Photo:EveningStandard

3_Paralympic_Post_September_6, 2012

Photo:ThiloRückeis

Photo:promo

Hello!

Hello!

Hello!

PARALYMPIC POST – THE TEAM

After a handful of fourth places at recent Paralympic Games and the World Championships,the youthful ParalympicGB rugby team led by Steve Brown (photo), hopes

to stand on top of the podium in London.Kent Crusaders’ Kylie Grimes is the team's only female player

whilst high-scorer Aaron Philips is a real strength for ParalympicsGB.

Making only its second Paralympic appearance, Rowing is one sport that is dominatedby Great Britain. This is due down to Tom Aggar, who took to the water again at Eton Dorney

this summer to defend his World Champion status in the Men's Single Sculls.Firm favourite Tom Aggar will be joined by two new teams

in the Mixed Double Sculls and Mixed Coxed Four.

ParalympicsGB has assembled its largest ever swim team.Some of the famous faces include the highly experienced athlete Sascha Kindred OBE,

who won gold at the Sydney, Athens, and Beijing Games.Another one to watch is Ellie Simmonds, who is looking to repeat the success

of her amazing Paralymic debut where she won gold at age 13.

Captain Matt Dimbylow is ready to lead his football 7-a-side teamto their dreams of winning a medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games.Ibrahima Diallo (photo) is making his Paralympic debut this year.

Great Britain’s is pitched into a group that includes Ukraine, Brazil and USA.There are 12 athletes in each of the 8 teams competing.

Wheelchair rugby

photos:PeterSpurrier/IntersportImages,Reuters,ThiloRückeis,AFP

Rowing

Swimming

Football 7-a-side

Paralympic_Post_September _6, 2012_4

The BritishTeam 2012

The Paralympic Games have finally come home again.The 301 athletes in the biggest Paralympics GB Team ever

are excited to be competing on home soil.With the amazing support of the British public,

the team is looking to win more medalsthan the 102 it took home frome Beijing.

Most events were sold out in weeks.In the 2012 Paralympics, GB is represented

in all 20 Paralympic sports,new addition like the sitting volleyball.

The most experienced member of the team istarget shooter Di Coates, who will be taking part

in her eighth Games

With a record breaking number of athletes in every classification competing in London,a grand total of 170 medal events are set to be held (96 track, 70 field, and 4 road).Nathan Stephens (photo) is hoping to sustain his amazing performances of late

and exceed his world record distance of 41.37 metres.Other athletes to watch are David Weir (T54) and Hannah Cockroft (T34).

ParalympicsGB sitting volleyball pioneers look ready to steal the stage in their debut. All eyes willbe on the team when they make GB history. Sitting volleyball has the same basic rules

as standing volleyball. The differences include: the smaller court, lower net, and seated players.To captain Claire Harvey (photo) the key advantage is that it allows you time outside of your wheel-

chair, acting as "a place where you don't feel disabled".

ParalympicsGB's 12-man shooting team has proved to be very successful.Matt Skelhon (photo) remains a major medal hope after his brilliant victory in the Beijing Games.Paralympic veteran Di Coates narrowly missed out on a medal at her eighth Paralympics.

She is the only British athlete with the previous experience of a home Games,having made her Paralympic debut at Stoke Mandeville.

Judo is a sport of mental alertness and physical prowess for visually impaired athletes.Captain Ben Quilter, World Champion in his classification,is hoping to secure the medal he narrowly missed last time.

ParalympicsGB boasts two sets of brothers; the Powell's (photo) aremaking their debut alongwith first-timer Joe Ingram and his brother Sam, who was part of the team in Beijing.

Paralympic table tennis has the same rules as the non-disabled game, butwith a slight tweak: Each serve much cross the back of the table.

It has been part of the Paralympic Games since 1960.Will Bayley (photo) is Britain's best player and current world number 2. Bayley once said that

“table tennis is not a Mickey Mouse sport, it's blood, sweat, and tears every day“.

Wheelchair tennis made its Paralympic debut 20 years ago in Barcelona.The ball is allowed to bounce twice, otherwise the rules are no different to non-disabled tennis.

Flagbearer Peter Norfolk, nicknamed the Quadfather (photo), is ParalympicsGB's mostexperienced and successful player. He will partner with Andy Lapthorne in the doubles, who said

"I'm not going to London for a tracksuit, I'm going to win."

Athletics

Sitting volleyball

photos:AnthonyUpton,ProfessionalSport,onEdition(3),picturealliance

Shooting Judo

Table tennis

Wheelchair tennis


Athletes have to master the ever changing conditions on the open waters of Weymouth atthe London 2012 Games. ParalympicsGB hopes to win the first sailing medal

since the introduction of the sport in 2000 but the team is up againstfierce competition from the Spanish, French, and New Zealand.

Medal hopefuls are Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (photo), in the SKUD 18 class.

Cycling needs tactics for pursuits and relays, speed for time trials and sprints, anda measure of stamina for the road race. "There's no buzz like it," says Jody Cundy. He was on the

GB team, that won 17 golds in Beijing.The 18-strong squad for London is studded with stars like Sarah Storey and David Stone.

Athletes compete using handcycles, tricycles, tandems, or bicycles.

Boccia is similar to boules and has no Olympic counterpart.It is an inclusive sport as "all disabilities can do it," says Dan Bentley of ParalympicsGB.The "fantastic achievement" of winning gold in Beijing means the team is set for success.Team captain Nigel Murray and experienced players David Smith and Zoe Robinsonwill be competing next to the McGuire brothers, who are making their debuts.

With six new recruits like Gemma Collis (photo), and seasoned professional David Heaton leadingthe way at his fifth Paralympics, GB's wheelchair fencers are certainly a team to watch.GB's squad is comprised of a Men's Foil Team, Women's Epée Team, and Craig McCannin the Men's Individual Sabre. Will this mix of experience and new talent be enough

to secure the first ParalympicsGB fencing medals since 1992?

With no Olympic equivalent, Goalball, played by visually impaired athletes, is a unique sport.With two sets of siblings on the team of 12, ParalympicsGB's squad is even more so.The men's team includes brothers Adam and David Knott, as well as Michael Sharke,

whose sister Anna competes on the women's squad.ParalympicsGB goalball teams have qualified for the first time in 12 years.

Sailing

Cyling

Boccia

photos:dapd,onEdition(4)

Fencing

Goalball


The riverbank arena in the Olympic park will host the football 5-a-side events.Football 5-a-side events are for athletes with a visual impairment.

The five man strong squads play 50 minutes per game on a smaller field.This is different to Football 7-a-side, with players like Richard Fox (photo), where 7 players with

cerebral palsy play on a regular sized field.

Powerlifting is pure competition. Athletes are only classified by weight and not disability.Using upper-body strength alone, they lift about three times their bodyweight.

With a rapid two minutes per attempt, it is gripping.ParalympicsGB powerlifter Anthony Peddle was in the first powerlifting event for men in 1988.He is now in his seventh Games: "The achievement this time for me is that I'm actually here."

Wheelchair basketball is one of the most exciting, fast paced and grueling sportsat the Paralympic Games, with Team GB being one of the most successful nations competing.

Spearheading the women's team is experienced player Helen Freemanwhile youngster Maddie Thompson is making her Paralympic debut.

The strong men's team with Jon Hall (photo) is headed by Jon Pollock at his fourth Games.

The five strong Para-equestrian team, who won gold in Beijingis spearheaded by gold medalist Lee Pearson.

Alongside Pearson are experienced athletes Sophie Christiansen (photo) and Debbie Criddle.Making their Paralympic debuts this year are Sophie Wells and Natasha Baker,

last year’s European gold medalist.

In Beijing ParalympicsGB's archery team was brilliant, finishing second to China,with 4 medals, including 2 golds.

Danielle Brown, a gold medallist from Beijing, remains a firm favourite in her class.John Stubbs and John Cavanagh are both also medal hopes from the 13-man squad.

Kate Murray (photo) ist the oldest athlete in the entire ParalymicsGB team.

Wheelchair basketball

Football 5-a-side

Powerlifting

photos:ThiloRückeis,KitHoughton,onEdition,dapd,pa/dpa

Equestrian

Archery


The curtain has set over the Olympic Games,and nine years of planning came to fruitionin spectacular style. Now, it is the turn ofthe Paralympics. Chris Holmes was the

man handed the task of delivering themost excitingspectacle disabled sport has ever witnessed.Holmes was given the role as Director of Paralym-pic Integration, in a set-up using a single Organi-sing Committee for both theOlympics and Paralym-pics."My role is essentially to be in charge of all things

concerning the Paralympics and to make sure thatthey are integrated throughout the OrganisingCom-mittee," Holmes said. The word 'integration' is key.Many of the venues used for the Olympics are alsobeing used in the Paralympics, or have been conver-ted to house Paralympic sports. Holmes believesthis will be an advantage during the Games. "We'reusing the same Olympic Park, the same stadia, thesame transport so it is all about maximising the be-nefits of using the same stuff."The Olympic Park and various infrastructure

have undergone a quick-fire transformation, withonly a two-week time slot between the Games. Oneof the most important transformations is the con-version of 300 vehicles, enabling them to accommo-date up to six wheelchair users. "We're convertingthem so that teams can travel as a team and get onand off independently without any assistance,"

Holmes said. The organisers are also making surethe Games are fully accessable for spectators. Thisincludes adding wheelchair spaces in the Paralym-pic venues to provide an accessible and enjoyableexperience.Organising an event such as the Paralympics is

guaranteed to bring trials and tribulations, howeverHolmes strived to ensure all the small parts of thejigsaw were put together correctly. "The greatestchallenge is ensuring that you focus on every singledetail," he admits. "All [the spectators] want is asmooth, seamless paralympic experience."Almost 2.5 million people will gain a paralympic

experience in London. The 2012 Paralympics will bethe first Games that will completely sell out. GreatBritain's success at the Olympic Games sparked aninflux in sales and organisers were forced to re-lease new batches of tickets every day to meet thedemand.All the Olympic commercial sponsors are also in-

volved with the Paralympics, marking a rise in thecommercial value of the Games. As well as this,London 2012 saw the top British broadcasters vyingfor the television rights. Channel 4 provides themost substantial coverage Paralympic Games haveever seen.World-class athletes, top-level accessibility,

packed out venues and unparalleled broadcastingshould provide us with the best Paralympics yet.And Chris Holmes thinks no differently, "this shouldbe a sensational Paralympic Games."

Amidst the hectic and excitement surroun-ding the London 2012 Paralympic Games,it can be easy to forget that it was only 50miles away in StokeMandeville that the pa-

ralympic movement began in 1948. With the Games'coming home' for the first time, a torch relay tookplace from Stoke Mandeville to London on the dayof the Opening Ceremony to recognise StokeMande-ville as the birthplace of themodern Paralympic Ga-mes.To create the flame, four national flames were

first formed at the highest summits of the four Bri-tish host nations. Groups of disabled and non-disab-led scouts climbed Scafell Pike (England), MountSnowdon (Wales), Ben Nevis (Scotland) and SlieveDonard (Northern Ireland) and carried it to the capi-tal cities: London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfastwhere cauldrons were lit to begin a day of paralym-pic celebrations at flame festivals.From the capitals, the flames were then carried

to Stoke Mandeville where the paralympic flamewas created at the ’Paralympic Flame Lighting Ce-remony’ on August 28th to begin the relay to theOpening Ceremony.Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organi-

sing Committee, said: "The creation of the paralym-pic flamemarks the start of a 24-hour unique relaywhich will see teams of torchbearers work throughthe night to light theway to fantastic Paralympic Ga-mes. Each and every one of them has achievedsomething remarkable."The 580 torchbearers carried the flame in 116

groups of five. Each were selected for their storiesof how they demonstrate the paralympic values ofcourage, determination, inspiration and equality.One torchbearer,MichaelWatson, had to apply eachof these traits after a boxing match in 1991 left himparalysed, ending his career.Despite being told hewould neverwalk again, Mi-

chael took his first steps in 1997 and in 2003 comple-ted the London Marathon over six days. A year laterhe was awarded an MBE for his work in inspiringpeople. He said: "I am over the moon and very, veryproud to have been selected to carry the flame. It isa great honour and I would like to wish ParalympicsGB lots of success and medals."

KERI TRIGG, 17 years

photos:DavidPoultney,SteveBates

Last week saw the official last day of ParalympicsGB’s pre-Games training campas the last squad lefttheirBathUniversitybaseandheaded into theathle-tes village. "The aim of the campwas to prepare theathletes as best as possible for the LondonGames,"saidonedeputycampdirector."Andbyrunningthesecampswearenotdroppingtheathletes inat thedeepend." It is in the training areas where perhaps themost important lessons areworked. The sitting vol-leyball team's session, for example, could be heardall over the sports training village. Not due to coachIanLegrand'sloudvoicebutbecausewhilethevolley-ball squad was training, speakers were blasting outpre-recorded crowd sounds to try and replicate thedistractions of thehomeGames.One thingwhichbecameobvious ishow important

the volunteers were. They restocked fridges provi-ding drinks to the athletes and staff and they helpedin the camp headquarters printing off instructions,programmingthemobiletelephonesandrunninger-rands. Despite not being paid the volunteers recei-vedseveral'perks'fromthejob.Freedrinksareprovi-ded by the corporate sponsors as are meals duringtheshifts;however themainperkgainedfromvolun-teering does not involve material possessions. "Forme the best part of the camp is the chance to meetand interactwith the athletes," saidAlex. "There is ablindfootballerfromthefive-a-sideteamcalledDar-ren Harris and he challenged me to a game of con-nect four. And he beat me three times. But the thingwashehadtopointoutwherehebeatme.Andhehasnot letme forget it since on twitter!"

GEORGE SIMONDS, 17 years

photo:promo

Lighting theway to London


Primed forthe Games

Two Games,one set-up

The Paralympic torch relay had a unique startat the birthplace of the Games in Stoke-Mandeville. The 580torchbearers were selected for their inspiring life stories

Bath University hostedthe paralympic athletes attheir final training camp

Taking advantage of the existing infrastructure, most of theOlympic venues are being used in the Paralympics, or have

been converted to house Paralympic sports

Burn! Claire Lomas lights the cauldron at Trafalgar Square as part of the Flame visit to London.

Back on the track. The new Velodrome track (above) and the Aquatics centre (below) passed theirtests in the Olympic Games.

BRADLEY NEEN, 17 years

Arts and culture have always flourishedalongside sports. Harking back to the an-cient Gameswhere goldmedalswere awar-ded for architecture, design, and sculp-

ture, the Opening Ceremony is a celebration of dis-covery and creativity as well as sports.The CulturalOlympiad was built on this concept, too, and hasbeen running since London won the bid, culmina-ting in the London 2012 festival, which has been ta-king place all summer. As part of this festival, abody of work contributed by several artists called“Unlimited“ has been commissioned to provide thesame platform for artists as the Paralympics doesfor athletes. Unlimited is about welcomingeveryone’s imaginations whilst challenging precon-ceptions about disability. Artistic director of theSouthbank centre, Jude Kelly, describes it as the“most significant piece of work in the London 2012Festival.“ The Opening Ceremony is one in a longline of arts and cultural events representing the va-lues of the Paralympics.Since 1948 the Games have grown froma “revolu-

tionary” idea of using sport to rehabilitate spinalcord injury patients to a sell-out celebration of spor-ting achievement. What better place to continue thejourney started by Sir Ludwig Guttman than in thecountry where science and our “insatiable appetitefor sport” lead to the “first sparks that became theParalympic spirit?” said Sir Philip Craven, Presi-dent of the International Paralympic Committee inhis speech at the Opening Ceremony.Jenny Sealey, Co-artistic Director of the Opening

Ceremony hoped everyone experienced themagnifi-cent home-coming of the Paralympic Games as an“exquisite journey of discovery inspired by the won-der of science.” The central character Mirandaplayed by Nicola Miles Wildin, continued the themeof Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” which appeared inboth Olympic Ceremonies. Lead by the Big BangTheory physicist Stephen Hawking, the ceremonypaid homage to Sir Isaac Newton’s theory of gravityand part-took in the largest collective apple bite torelive this ground-breaking discovery.For us it was a brilliant show, but what did it feel

like to actually perform on that stage in Stratford?Joseph Fletcher from Deafmen Dancing was one of42 deaf and disabled aerial performers at the Cere-mony. Indeed around 80% of the cast was deaf or

disabled in someway. As an aerial performer, Flech-ter took part in a six-week training programme atCircus Space. He performed in the opening se-quence and during “Bird Gherl”.After watching such a professional aerial perfor-

mance, it is easy to forget the trials and tribulationsof producing and choreographing such a unique se-quence.Fletcher says they had to be creative with the cho-

reography: “of the four rope boys you’ve got Jackand Jay who’ve both got one leg, so that cut a lot ofmoves.”“It was interesting how four different people, two

deaf and two one-legged, are going to make thiswork.”Another issue was “working out how we were all

going to stay in time with each other”, Fletcher ex-plains. He had earplugs that help him to hear themusic whereas Jacob was totally “reliant on visu-als.” So in the end “we’re all kind of looking at eachother and learning each other’s choreography” in or-der to stay in time. During the first rehearsals it wasa “nightmare” for the quartet to stay in time. Whenthey practised in the stadium, difficulties arose as“you’re that much further away and you’ve got thechallenge of the wind.”It is through the eyes of Joe Fletcher that we see

the resilience, creativity, and determination neededfor such a celebration.

ThesedancersaccompaniedMirandathroughherexploration of the central themes of “reason” and“rights”, brought to life in a large open book display-ingTheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights.Withthe inclusion ofmany talented deaf and disabled ar-tists and the use of British Sign Language and audiodescription,weknowweareonourway to the“inclu-sive society” Sir Craven speaks of.Aspart ofUnlimited, "InWater I amWeightless" is

an illuminatingplay byKaiteO'Reilly. Theplay canbedeceptive and brings to light the audience's precon-ceptionsaboutdisability. It isacollectionofspeechesand sketches from the "D" monologues, D standingfor disabled and deaf. Incidentally the play is perfor-medbyanensembleofactorswhoaredeafanddisab-

led.TheplayisaresultofO'Reillywantingtodosome-thing "dangerous and edgy" with plays rather thanjust "telling a nice story".One facet of the performance is that it perhaps

unintentionally makes the audience "aware of theirown preconceptions and prejudices." This becameevident during Post-show audience – Q&A’s, wheremany people seemed to assume that the storiesbeing acted out reflected the performers’ own expe-roiences with disability.. However O'Reilly stressesthat it is "absolutely not their experiences, it is abso-lutely not from them". She admits it is very frustra-ting when audiences say "oh, but it was so believa-ble." Indeed, she admits it can be "disrespectful" tothe actors who are playing the parts of disabledpeople written by O'Reilly herself which no resem-blance to their personal stories.The play includes a speech performed in British

Sign Language (BSL) without any translation forthoseof theaudiencewhoareunfamiliarwithBSL. Inthisway, itbyraisingtheplayispromotingthevalueofequality as the play raises the profile of disability tothat of ability. However, the inclusion of a speech insignlanguagerunsfardeeperthanthis.O'Reillysaysit was included as "although "In Water I amWeight-less" is amainstreamproduction, I wanted to have amoment where the main dominant culture andlanguagewasn't going to be hearing culture."The story behind Gadsden's collaboration with

Bambanani arts group of South Africa embodiesthe Paralympic value of determination. It all beganwhen Rachel Gadsden came across a painting "justby chance" which "spoke" to her. The work had tou-ched her so deeply that she decided she "would findwhoever that person was" who had painted it. Andso began Gadsden's journey to meet the Bamba-nani. Information about the artist was scarce andafter weeks of googling Gadsden tracked down a se-cond-hand catalogue of the exhibition in Australia,she sent off for it immediately. At this point shethought about whether she "should be spendingthat amount of money (80 pounds) on a book" thatwould take her "nowhere". Six weeks later, aftershe had "blind googled every name in the book" aflicker of hope appeared. An email arrived saying,"I'm Nondumiso Hlwele and I believe you are loo-king forme". Fast forward to today andRachel Gads-den-collaboration with the Bambanani has led to afull-fledged exhibition and performance featured inthe Unlimited festival.On show today is a body of work which dramati-

ses the visceral truth about living with debilitatingillnesses. The material came from Gadsden's resi-dency in the Khayelitsha township in South Africawhere the group is based – a place where the battle

for survivalmust be fought andwon every day. Gads-den explains the concept is to "celebrate the survi-val of both the Bambanani group who were dyinguntil they got HIV anti-retroviral drugs" and Gads-den herself who is kept alive by a "syringe driver"which injects her every minute to keep her breat-hing. However there is also an acute awareness of"the fragility that's around those issues when youare constantly trying to stay alive."The works created during Gadsden's residency

areprimarilybodymaps,createdasa"psychologicalprocess" to "express theirAidsstatus".Essentially abody map is when you lie on the floor and someonedraws round you. The silhouette then becomes a"vessel for you to be able to tell your story." It seemsthisexhibitionhasinternationalpotential,asitwillap-pear in South Africa during the Women's Festival in2013. It is very important to Gadsden that “the Bam-banani have an exhibition in their own country."

The performance element of the commission in-cludes Gadsden creating "live artwork on stage"with a "contemporary dance element." The work iscreated and digitally projected. "So there becomethis relationship between the moving image I'mcreating and him (the dancer.)" A medical doctor isalso on stage and "intervenes at various times to dowith injections and spreading the virus." The perfor-mance was borne out of Gadsden's experience inAfrica so "there is an element of Khayelitsha withinit" as well as an "element of western culture thatimpregnates the narrative as well."This body of work has many features that chal-

lenge preconceptions on disability, whilst provokingimagination, in London and beyond.

photos:dpa


Fantastic opening

Arts and culture havealways flourished alongsidegreat sporting events

A group from South Africaembodied the paralympicvalue of determination

The ceremony in London was one of a series line of events that opened the Paralympic Games.One aspect of the performance was that it made the audience aware of existingpreconceptions and prejudices about disability

Arts and sports clash. Artists performaround a replica of the sculpture 'AlisonLapper Pregnant' in the Olympic Stadiumduring the opening ceremony (above) –the Queen is amused.

TAVISHI KANWAR, 17, LUCY MICHAELOUDIS, 17 years

Lee Pearson, star of the ParalympicsGB Para-Equestrian team, had a clear goal for the Ga-mes: “Twelve gold medals by London 2012.”Pearson has represented Britain at the Syd-

ney, Athens, Beijing and now the London 2012 Ga-mes. The Paralympic veteran has been competingsince soon after equestrian was first introduced atthe 1996 AtlantaParalympic Games.The sport has developed since then, in 2006 the

sportmoved from being governed by the Internatio-

nal Paralympic Committee to the Fédération Eque-stre Internationale (FEI), this made the FEI the firstinternationalsportingfederationintheworldtoregu-lateandgovernasport for bothable-bodiedanddis-abledathletes,drawingaparallelbetweentheOlym-pic and theParalympic Games.However, unlike its Olympic counterpart para-

equestrian at the Paralympics includes only dres-sage (where the Germans remain Britain’s big-gest threat) and not jumping. But Britain remainsthe nation to beat due to the astounding 10 me-dals won at the Beijing Games alone, five of thosebeing Gold.As in other Paralympic sports, each athlete is

classified according to their disability. The gradesfor equestrian are Ia, Ib, II, III or IV, with grade IVbeing the least disabled.Para-equestrian sport is different to the other

sports that are headlining the Games as it’s not oneathlete competing but a partnership between manand beast. Pearson expresses the uncertainty ri-ders face: “In athletics you know how fit you are,you know how fast you’re running or how high youcan jump, but with horses you can train and traineveryday of your life and something could still gowrong in the arena. You can never predict how ani-mals are going to behave, especially horses.”When asked to comment about competing on

home turf Pearson said: “It’s very nerve-rackinggoing into a Paralympic Arena. I think it changesmyawareness that, when we go in, we’re going to havemore supporters thanwehave ever had, which addsan extra pressure.“ The pressure isn’t helped by thetricky relationship Pearson has with Gentleman, hissteadfor theGames.“Heisavery,veryawkwardcha-racter!We actually don’t like eachother verymuch,”

Pearson laughs. “Sometimes he is really angry orhappy, or refuses to go into the arena!”But the experienced veteran Lee Pearson keeps

calmand focusedby repeating tohimself: “I canonlydomybest. I canonly domybest.“Andso farhisbesthas been good enough. Which is also thanks toGentleman.“Hegenerallyknowshis job,andthe jud-ges like his way of going, but he is not a horsewho has the same character every day.“

Pearson also has his fellow team members tothank for his extensive medal collection. As So-phie Christiansen who was part of the gold medalwinning team in Beijing says it is “phenomenal”to compete on such a “grand scale” in London.Rising to the challenge of their previous succes-ses Christiansen says of the para-equestrianteam: “we always want to better our perfor-mance.”

A10-year old Jordanian boy is being pus-hed around in a pram. Due to his disability,he is ostracisied by the community. Hisbrother is disabled too, but he has the ad-

vantage of the onewheelchair the family can afford.Over time however both boys participate in sportactivities, and thecommunity seeshow it is possiblefor them to integrate. The community extrapolatesthis integration to everyday life, and slowly the fa-mily begins to be included. This is thework of Inter-national Inspiration.International Inspiration (II) is a programme

which embodies the promisemade by Lord Seb Coeat the Singapore bid in 2005 to "reach young peopleall around the world and connect them to the inspi-rational power of the Games so they are inspired tochoose sport". The programme has reached 20countries and around 12 million young people. Itaims to teach the values of the Games and qualitiesto help communities, such as leadership and inclu-sion, through sport."The best part of II is it uses the universal and

easily understandable language to convey its mes-sage – the language of sports", said a New Delhistudent involved in the programme. As part of Inter-national Inspiration, young people around the worldlearn about different countries, cultures and traditi-

ons through the school links programme.With over500 schools getting involved worldwide, one way ofachieving this has been to share traditional gamesfrom their home country.From Azerbaijan to Zambia, II has been working

through theBritishCouncil, UKSport andUNICEFtodeliver inclusive and educational sport. In India, IIhas run a project to train volunteers to teach sportsto young peoplewith disabilities. They have also tar-geted the curriculum with a set of cards to supple-ment physical education.With learning at the centreof the sport activities, country programmemanagerManishSingh said "tobring educationandsport clo-sertogetherandtogetpeople torealisetheyarepartof each other has been a key achievement."The London 2012 Paralympic Games have been a

focal point for II. A key aspect has beenpartnershipswith the schools in the 20 countries to UK schools.This has seen anatmosphere of sharing culture as away of teaching and broadening perspectives. A17-yearold Indianstudent learnt both sport andcul-ture fromhis stay in theUK. "'Rounders is a game I’dnever heard of and learnt it from II in our partnerschool in Essex, UK. I enjoyed it themost."In places where Olympic and Paralympic sports

arenotfocusedonandtherearefewnationalchampi-ons, these sports were particularly promoted. In In-dia "we deliberately chose to focus on Olympics andLondon2012."saidMr.Singh."Weweresurprisedour-

selvesabout theuptakebecausewhenweintroducedgamesand activities they all took to it very easily."One way these sports were promoted world-

wide was through II ambassadors. With the likesof Oscar Pistorius and Denise Lewis, the ambassa-dors visited countries as inspiration whilst raisingthe profile of the project. Dame TanniGrey-Thompson visited Jordan: "It was a realprivilege to go there."The key purpose is to leave a legacy, being a

"short-term programme that needed to have

long-termeffects". Thiswas ensured through volun-teers and young leaders, who were trained both inthe UK and abroad to teach their juniors sport. Withthe skills to teach passed on, the cycle of learningand sports can continue to reflect the 2012 Game’smotto: "Inspire a generation."Erica Kouassi, a 16-year old sports leader and II

torchbearer from North London, described her ex-perience: "It was really nice to see how enthusiasticand happy the kids were. It was fun to pass onwhat Ihave learnt."

photo:promo

photo:promo

photo:promo


Inspire the world

Riding highat the Games

Young people from Azerbaijan to Zambiabenefit from the International Inspiration programmeand learn about the values of the Games

Man and beast -Para-equestrian veteran Lee Pearson and his stead

Gentlemanhave a complicatedbut successful relationship

Give me five. Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson greets girls from the Libanon taking part in the programme.

Spearhead of the Para-Dressage team.

TAVISHI KANWAR, 17 years

Para-equestrian star Lee Pearson relies on his moody horse Gentleman

EMILY JAMISON, 18, and LUCY MICHAELOUDIS, 17 years

When the USA's Paralympic team invitedJonnie Peacock to compete as a guestat their Paralympic trials in July, verylittle was expected of the 19-year-old

fromCambridge, England. The result of these trialshowever, has left USA's Jerome Singleton and thelegendary "blade runner" Oscar Pistorius some-thing to think about when they settle into their star-ting blocks in London 2012.Peacock, who at the age of five contractedmenin-

gococcal septicaemia and lost his right leg belowthe knee, ran a new world record time of 10.85 sec-onds in the T44 category 100 metres sprint, better-ing the previous world record time by 0.06 seconds.Having achieved so much in such a short span of

time, the pressure that rests on Peacock’s shoul-ders to grab gold at the London 2012 Paralympicsappears to be getting greater. However, if there issomething that you should know about Jonnie Pea-cock, it’s that he is no stranger to performing on thebig stage.The former ballet dancer has represented his

school in rugby and football and even played a star-ring role in his local football team. The absence of aright leg posed no problem for Jonnie as he conti-nued to impress when he attended a ParalympicsGB Talent Identification day at the Mile End Athle-tics Stadium, competing in the 60 metres sprint.After being taken under the wing of Paralympics

GB, Jonnie went from strength to strength takinggold in the 100 metres at the UK School Games inCardiff and the Aviva Parallel Success Challenge atCrystal Palace, running times of 12.85 seconds and13.1 seconds respectively.Peacock, who in his early running days was em-

barrassed by his 12+ seconds personal best hasacknowledged the dramatic improvement in his per-

formances in the past year: "My personal best lastyear was 11.47 and less than 48 hours ago it was11.24, now it's 10.85 and I'm not stopping there. I'mso excited now to just keep on racing and pushingthe boundaries of what an amputee can do."In 2010, at the age of just 17, Jonnie broke the 100

metres sprint European recordwhenhe ran an asto-nishing 11.32 seconds at the London Grand Prix butit wasn't until just over a year ago that he made hismajor championship debut at the 2011 IPC WorldChampionships in New Zealand. Lining up againstsome of the fastest athletes on earth, including oneof Jonnie's heroes, the now infamous Oscar Pisto-rius, Jonnie once again surpassedmany people’s ex-pectations coming second in his qualifying heat and

fifth in the 100 metres final, less than half a secondbehind Pistorius.The Pistorius effect has certainly rubbed off on

Jonnie as it has done for many athletes around theworld."In 2010 I met up with my fellow BT ambassador

Oscar Pistorius and seeing what he has done onlyinspiresme to domore," Jonnie said. With Pistoriusand Jonnie expected to compete head to head in the

final of the T44 100 metres sprint in London, thequestion begs; Will Jonnie be standing above hishero on the podium?One thing is for sure, Jonnie's world record time

hascertainlynot gone to hishead.When speakingofhisworld record timesetat Indianapolis thesprintersaid:"Ididn'trunaswellasIhoped.Mystartwasactu-ally pretty bad, so I think there'smore to come. In allhonestymycoachwasn't toopleasedwith therace it-self. Hewas a little bitmad atme."His US-American coach, Dan Pfaff, has been at

the heart of Jonnie's athletic success, giving himthe same tough training regimes as GB's Olympicathletes. Jonnie, who has been training at the LeeValley athletics track in East London, has had the

likes of leading Great Britain sprinters Dwain Cham-bers and Christian Malcolm running alongside him.Observation of their highly professional approachto training, dieting and relaxation has gone a longway in aiding Jonnie’s approach to the ParalympicGames."We're not sat down cuddling and them givingme

loads of endless advice – just being around theseguys and seeing how they approach training helps,"said Jonnie.With Jonnie about tomake his debut on the Para-

lympic stage, some say that success is written inthe stars for the teenager in London.Whether ame-dal is to hang around his neck or not when he cros-ses that finish line, we can expect that every stepand spring that is delivered from Jonnie and his sin-gle Cheetah X blade along the home straight will bethe best he can muster.The 6th September 2012 will certainly be a date

in everyone's diary as the ultimate question will fi-nally get its answer: is Jonnie Peacock the next gen-eration blade runner? JACOB JOY, 18 years

tagesspiegel.de/paralympicsMore information about the Paralympics anda diary of our student reporters.

photos:Promo,UKA


As a five-year-old hecontracted septicaemiaand lost his right lower leg

Potentially Peacock

WWW

Challenge yourself, your familyor your organisation to takepart in outdoor activities in theLake District.We are an outdoor activity centrespecialising in working with peoplewith disabilities.

We have a wide range ofadventurous activities including rockclimbing, canoeing and sailingbased at our accessible centre onthe side of Bassenthwaite Lake.

Calvert TrustChallenging Disability Through Outdoor Adventure

Lake District

For more details please visit our website:www.calvert-trust.org.uk

or contact us on:017687 72255

Rising star Jonnie Peacock challenges the legendary Oscar Pistorius in the100 metres sprint. Will Peacock overtake his hero and becomethe new Paralympic blade runner icon?

A rising star and his idol. Will Jonnie Peacock (above) pass Oscar Pistorius (below)?

Reigning champion Oscar Pistorius

tagesspiegel.de/paralympicsMore Information about the Paralympics anda diary of our student reporters.

High heelswere not the best choice for the Tube, buttheysuited the occassionat theGermanEmbassy onBelgrave square, where the reception to honour theParalympic Post took place on the 28th of August.German Ambassador Georg Boomgarden gave

the excited students a warm welcome, and praisedthe project, saying it "symbolized the motto of theOlympics and Paralympics - 'Inspire a generation' -in a unique and creative way."Managing Editor of the London Evening Standard,

DougWills, who supports the project editorially wasalso impressed by the young reporters. ParalympicPost reporter Al Maatin Pereira Dos Santos was oneof the lucky ones to have his article published in thenewspaper.A frenzy of excitement broke out when the young

journalists saw their articles in print for the firsttime. LorenzMaroldt, the editor of the German dailypaper Der Tagesspiegel, arrived at the receptionwith piles of the first edition of the newspaper andthankedthestudentsfortheirdedication.GregorDo-epke, Head of Corporate Communication of the Ger-manSocialAccident Insurance, asponsorof thepro-ject was also thanked for his support.Young journalist Maxie Borchert felt "proud and

honoured" when our Editor-in-Chief Karin Preug-schatpresented the teamto the 100guestsat the re-ception. George Simonds from the Paralympic Postadds he "enjoyed meeting lots of people and thefancy building butwas too scared towalk on the car-pet or sit down anywhere!" Al Maatin says the high-light for himwas "being personally introduced to theAmbassador and standing on the embassy's bal-cony." Most girls from the team had resigned to thesofa at this point, maybe heels were not such a goodidea. JOANNA BARTLETT, 20 years

NotonlywasAugust30th thestartingdate for thePa-ralympicGames,but itwasalso thedateofKateMur-ray's birthday – her 64th birthday. What makes thatcelebration particularly special is that she will becompeting inhersecondParalympicGames.Atalen-ted archer, Kate also has a keen interest in eque-strian sport, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchairrugby. The 13-year-old water-baby, Chloe Davies, isthe youngest athlete representing GB – but don't letherage fool you.Shehashada love for thepool sinceshewas a baby and already has six years of competi-tive experience behind her. She also has the proudtitleofBritishrecordholder in the100metresbacks-troke. London 2012 will be Chloe's first ParalympicGames but that does not scare her because she hascompeted in London before: "I really liked racing inthe pool in London because it is really fast, so I can'twait to go back." CARINA CANAVAN, 18 yearsThe London 2012 Paralympics are spectacular in

many ways. But this year holds a world premier ofanother kind. For the first time in sports history, aformer Olympian will compete in the Paralym-pics. German discus thrower Ilke Wyludda won agoldmedal at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Shewas an oustanding athlete and exceptionally talen-ted. But even then, she suffered from various inju-ries of the joints and ligaments in her knee. From2000 to 2010 she underwent 15 surgeries the last ofwhich didn’t turn out well. Due to an infection of thewound, her lower leg had to be amputated. But Wy-ludda’s heart and spirit were still those of a fighter.Only 18 months later, Wyludda decided to take upher beloved sport again to regain her persepctive.Within just a few months, she was nominatedfor Germany’s London 2012 team. And now there’sa new perspective: Paralympic gold.

MAXIE BORCHERT, 18 years

The entire nation is very excited about the 2012 Pa-ralympic Games and the Royal Mail is joining in bycelebrating Great Britain’s successful Paralympicsathletes. The Royal Mail is honoring everyone whomakes it to the very top of the podium by paintingone of their hometown red post boxes gold. Cavingin under the pressure of the public, the Royal Mail isnow also issuing a special stamp for every Britishathlete who wins a gold medal. Although they haddone the same for Olympic medalists, the RoyalMail had originally only planned to issue a set ofstamps at the beginning and at the end of the Ga-mes and not to celebrate eachwinning athlete indivi-dually. TAVISHI KANWAR, 17 years

Time for the crown jewels tomove over. On the occa-sion of the Paralympic Games the Queen had tomake room for some valuable items: The Paralym-pic bronze, silver and gold medals are kept safelylocked up in the Tower of London. The precious pri-zes have been guarded there as safely as the Bri-tish monarchy's treasures have been for the last600 years. The competing athletes certainly valuethem as much as the Queen does the crown jewels.The medals will next be seen draped around thenecks of the lucky Paralympians during the 502victory ceremonies. More than 2,100 of the athletes'favorite jewels will be handed out during the 11days of the Games. The ParalympicMedals were de-signed by jewellery artist and lecturer Lin Cheung.

CARINA CANAVAN, 18 years

The London 2012 Paralympics will see two nationscompeting in the Paralympic swimming events forthe first time. The Comoros's Hassani Djae andNorthKorea'sRimJuSongwill be liningupwiththeirfellowathletes to literally take theplungeand repre-sent theirnations in thepool.HassaniDjae,however,hasnotendured thesmoothestof journeys to thePa-ralympics. His chance towin a goldmedal in Londonwas almost whisked away from him when his travelarrangements to the International German Cham-pionships in Berlin fell apart in June 2012.The Comoros, the third smallest nation in Africa

with a population of 798 000, did not have any directflights to Berlin. Hassani tried his luck in Madagas-car, but his plan to arrive at the Berlin Champion-ships on the 23rd of June was once again disruptedas the country was in themiddle of its public holidayand all the airports were closed. In desperation Has-sani and Ahamed Chahalane (president of theNatio-nal Paralympic Committee of Comoros) contactedto the organisers of the competition in Berlin, explai-ning their dilemma. The organisers decided to keepthem entered in the competition and simply wait fortheir arrival. Hassani's troubles, however, were farfrom over.By the 30th June, Hassani had arrived in Paris

and from theremanaged to catch the right train con-nections to Frankfurt. Though relieved they hadma-naged to finally arrive in Germany, they were still350miles away from their ticket to the Paralympics.Hassani travelled those final few hundred milesovernight by train.Despite being exhausted and stiff, Hassani secu-

red his place at the Paralympics in London by swim-ming the 100m freestyle event in 1:36:01.The mental and physical difficulties that athletes

facewhilst training and competing are beyond com-prehension formost of us. For someathletes, unfor-tunately, the seemingly easy task of being punctualcan be the biggest hurdle they face.

JACOB JOY, 18 years

Short!Short!

photo:KlaasBrooe,ReinhardTank

photo:ThiloRückeis

Race againstthe clock

photo:DGUV

Short!From Olympicsto Paralympics


A stamp for eachwinning athlete

Welcome to theGerman Embassy!

photo:RoyalMail

Medals locked upin the Tower

The oldest andthe youngest

WWW

Taking to the world stage at the 2012 Para-lympics will be the youngest women’swheelchair basketball squad to date. Withso much to prove, sacrifices of time, money,

relationships and lifestyles are greater than ever;ultimately posing the critical dilemma – is it allworth it?For Amy Conroy, 19, her Paralympic debut this

summer holds great expectations. Viewing the loo-ming home crowd pressure as an opportunity to ex-cel, she describes the event as "our biggest chanceyet to produce something special".At just 12, Amy was diagnosed with bone cancer

and had her left leg amputated above the knee. De-termined to resume her active lifestyle, she soonthrew herself into the world of wheelchair basket-ball – instantly falling in love with its sheer speed

and aggression. Now, representing Great Britain,the weight of responsibility has inevitably put astrain on her previous lifestyle."It was really hard balancing school friends

with training", Amy admits. "I had to let so manypeople down. I lost a lot of thosewhoweren’t under-standing." She feels the loyalty and support offriends and family are of utmost importance, view-ing theParalympics as "a chance to give themsome-thing back".Relationships within the team are stronger than

ever. Shared emotions and passions, such as exhila-ration and euphoria through to disappointment andregret, have created bonds beyond the game. "Myteammates are some of the most inspiring people Iknow. They help motivate me when things gettough".Taking a gap year dedicated to the sport, Amy has

been living with a teammate and carrying out a rigo-rous daily training regime. "When you give every-thing to the sport, it hurts a lot more when thingsdon’t go theway you’d hoped." Nevertheless, enthu-siastic Amy says that she wouldn’t change anything."Experiencing such challenging obstacles alongthewaymakes the elation of success overwhelming-ly powerful".Joining Amy on the London 2012 women’s wheel-

chair basketball team is 17-year-oldMaddie Thomp-son, the youngest player on this year’s squad. Asingle-amputee who plays for the Sheffield Stee-lers, Thompson’s grit and determination in the bas-

ketball court belie her age. By now she is used tobeing the youngest member of her basketballsquad as, aged 12 years old, she was the youngestperson ever to represent GB in wheelchair basket-ball when she competed in the Junior EuropeanChampionships in Turkey.However, despite her age, Maddie does not lack

experience. A member of the Gold Medal winningteam at the 2011 BT Paralympic World Cup, she ismore than ready to take on the challenge of London2012, believing a great home crowd could helpbring home the gold medal.With similar aspirations to her teammate, Mad-

die’s social life is of secondary importance whileshe tries to achieve success within the basketball

court. "People say ‘oh you sacrifice so much.’ But tome, it’s a great thing to be part of a team." Jugglingintense training with A-Levels in Psychology, Sci-ence and Maths and hoping to achieve a basketball

scholarship to an University in America, she is farfrom the average person of her age.When asked how she copes with the pressure of

being the youngest member of such a renowned

basketball team, her reply is cool and simple, sym-bolising her frame of mind. "I don’t feel pressure. Ilove being in that atmosphere where you’ve got tomake the final basket."So back to the crucial question – is it worth it?

Amy sums up the answer easily, believing that hardwork is necessary when it comes down to winning amedal at the world’s largest sporting event. "It’spart of what I am now; I can’t imagine life any otherway. Winning a Paralympic medal would be invalu-able, as it would show all of our hard work has paidoff. It’s something that you want but you can’t buyand no-one’s going to give it to you. The only way toget it is through long hours, blood, sweat and te-ars,” Amy says.

Richard Sargent was just nine years oldwhen he broke his back in a head-on trafficcollision. He still remembers the date, 6thAugust 2001, and the two weeks he spent

in a coma. Young Richard, who was left paralysedbelow the waist, showed undeniable optimism, de-termined to "man up" for the sake of his grievingfamily. Now 19, Richard recalls: "I couldn't walk - sowhat? I wasn't meant to survive, so having been gi-ven a new shot at life I was determined to embracethe new challenge."Whilst still recovering, Richard began playing

wheelchair basketball. At first he thought it was funto test his wheelchair and be allowed to bump intothings. But he was to spend his last four months inhospital training alongside the Sheffield Steelers,the country's premier wheelchair basketball team,and within a year he was competing in the nationalleague. Richard says: "My teammates acted as a fa-mily of support around me. Their positive outlookand encouragement taught me how to adapt to mydisability and turn a negative into a positive."The best thing about wheelchair basketball is

the rule allowing able-bodied participants", headds. His brother trained alongside him during the

first two years following the accident. "When yourcards are down you know who your friends are," hesays. "The support of my family and friends was thepinnacle of importance."With optimum motivation, Richard aims to be-

come "the greatest 2.5 player in the world". Wheel-chair basketball players are classified according totheir degree of disability: a non-disabled player is a5 and players with the most severe disabilities areclassified as a 1. He is currently a junior player forParalympicsGB, Great Britain's Paralympic teamand hopes to compete in the Rio 2016 Games.Despite the bright future that lies ahead of Ri-

chard, a challenging aspect in everyday life re-mains the way some people react to disabilities. Heexplains: "For instance, when you go to a shop withanother team-mate who is in a wheelchair,everyone looks at you as if you are on a special dayout." The build-up towards the London 2012 Para-lympic Games and the increasing media coveragebring expectations of change. Richard says:"People finally understand the fact that those with adisability can still live their lives." Nowwhen peopleon the street see Richard in a wheelchair, they ask"so do you play sport?" ALICE CONROY, 17 years

photo:GettyImages

photo:promo


A new shotat life

Girl power

When Amy was twelve,her left leg was amputatedbecause of bone cancer

Maddie doesn’tfeel pressure.She loves the atmosphere

After an accident leftRichard Sargent

paralysed, wheelchairbasketball gave him

new hope

Amy Conroy and Maddie Thompson play wheelchair basketball for Great Britain.They hope the blood, sweat and tears they put into the sport they love will pay off.In London, the young talents hope for a Paralympic medal

Richard Sargent aiming for Rio 2016.

Amy Conroy (pictured above) and the Paralympics GB wheelchair basketball team hope to win a medal in London.

ALICE CONROY, 17, EMILY JAMISON, 18 years

For injured servicemen andwomen returningtotheUK,adaptingtotheirnewlifepresentsahugechallenge.BrynParry foundedHelp forHeroes in 2007 in order to support them and

help rehabilitate them.Help for Heroes can be attributed with develo-

ping a whole new generation of ex-servicemen ath-letes through the Battle Back programme whichruns in partnership with the Ministry of Defence.The support offered to soldiers who have lost arms,legs and even the will to live has been invaluable tomany of the British athletes who will be represen-ting team GB at the Paralympics in London 2012.Chris Holmes, a fifteen timesmedal-winning swim-mer and Paralympic organisation director, is along-time patron for the charity. "I first heard ofHelp for Heroes when it just started up, I was justso keen, I had to get involved," he explained. "Whatis trying to be achieved by Bryn is absolutely extra-ordinary and absolutely right." With the support offigures such as Holmes, the charity can continue to,in Holmes' words, "do right by our servicemen andwomen injured in conflict." Other prominent suppor-ters are James Blunt, Andy Murray, HRH PrinceHarry and David Beckham.The aim of the program is to do right by British

servicemen and give them opportunities afterbeing injured serving their country. Help for Heroesprovides injured service people sports training, sho-wing them what they can achieve, as part of theoverall pathway to recovery to help them adapt totheir new life.

Derek Derenalagi is just one example of howHelp for Heroes has spurred on these injured pa-triots to continue living a life of fulfillment in sport."I decided it would be my career, and I've loved itsince I started athletics," Derek confessed. After lo-sing both his legs above his knees in 2007 when hispatrol vehicle hit an IED and exploded in the Hel-mand Province in Afghanistan, Derek has gone onto break two British records in the shot-put and is

hoping to repeat this success in the Discus. "Helpfor Heroes is a fantastic charity," he said. "Whatthey have done to raise awareness of wounded sol-diers like myself is amazing. I am just thankful."The effect of Help for Heroes is becoming apparent.There are more and more injured service peoplecompeting at the Paralympic Games because thefunding Help for Heroes provides allows thesepeople to take up a Paralympic sport and have op-portunities to progress to an elite level, opportuni-ties that simplywould not be therewithout the orga-nisation.The London Paralympics 2012 is undoubtedly

one of the greatest sporting spectacles this countryhas ever seen but whatever colour the medal thathangs around our athletes necks, the bravery andsacrifices made to protect the very country we livein should always be remembered.

Photo:HelpforHeroes


Theorganisationwasfounded in2007–and isconstantlygrowing

Help and hopefor heroesThe charity Help for Heroes wants to do right by Britishservicemen and women who were injured in battle.Many of them are now competing for ParalympicsGB

Help for Heroes supported ex-serviceman Derek Derenalagi on his way to the Paralympics.

BRADLEY NEEN, 17, JACOB JOY, 18 years

21.0

8.20

12 ·

Reh

aCar

e 20

12 /

Par

alym

pic

· Gro

ßbr

itan

nien

· 3

33,5

x 1

31 +

3m

m ·

4c

·

For further information contact ITSL LtdRamsay House, Marchmont FarmLink RoadHemel HempsteadHertfordshire HP2 6JHTel 01442 230033Fax 01442 230012e-mail: [email protected]

Self-determinedliving

Trade Fair and Congress

Düsseldorf, Germany 10 – 13 Oct 2012www.rehacare.de

REHACARE wishes all Paralympic athletes every success!

GB_M_All_333,5x131+3_Paralympic.indd 1 21.08.12 10:58

ANETTE KÖGEL

It could be the new fashion: A woman has a UK flagpainted on her face, styled eyelashes, and herdaughter is clothed in British colours. Many peoplebelieve the stereotype that the Brits are sophistica-ted and an bit stiff. The Brits are very sophisticatedand probably a little stiff, that is the prejudice ofsome people on this globe. But they should travel toLondon and buy one of the last remaining tickets tothe Paralympic Games.It started with the opening ceremony, where

people in the audience cheered and shouted sponta-neously. You could really feel how touched theywere, and how happy they were to host the Games.But to really feel the spirit of sports, humanity andsolidarity you just need to accompany our young re-porters for a few hours.Well, this is an international journalist project re-

quiring practical little things like adapters to get allthese articles written. Even late at night the youngjournalists help each other and lend that preciouslittle thing to the one who needs it. I am proud ofthem - and also happy to be a partner of „Sec Ed“and London Evening Standard.I will never forget the enthusiam of my younger

teammates,whenitallstartedduringtheopeningce-remony. It was so overwhelming that tears of joy fil-ledtheireyes.Pre-Gamesit issometimeshardtogetan appointment with an athlete. But now, everybodyis inOlympicPark,ourstaffwritersapproachfamousathletes, taking pictures and getting their emailadresses.Goodinvestigativeworkforasportsrepor-ter! They even test theequipment, like racingwheel-chairs, andare impressedhowhard theyare tosteer.When we came back from the opening ceremony athalf past two in the morning the, the young journa-lists said: I’ll go to my room, I want to get my articledone. Some teacherswould be jealous.This opening party will be remembered. This is

my fifth Paralympics, and I must say that never be-fore have the disabled have included theirselves ina ceremony with thatdisplayed such self esteem atan opening ceremony. It might help change our con-ception of a “handicaped person“. How gracefullythe dancer without legs performed, how positivethe song “I am what I am“ sounded. And then: theQueen, William and Kate, David Cameron. They allshowed their respect.Eva Loeffler, daughter of the founder of the Para-

lympic Games, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, says societyin Great Britain will be changed by the Games. Wealready feel this. London trained the first disabledVip-shuttleservice drivers. I have never experi-enced that before. But still running up and downthe stairways in the underground feels very drai-ning. Hopefully, all escalators will work until theend of the Games – and further on. Thanks to theGames in London, the image of amputees, blind ordeaf humans will change. Just look at the cool “su-perhumans“-spots or check the great Sam-sung-ads on TV: They present the athletes as theyare: hard-trainingmen and women, no pity needed.Trainers must shout sometimes when their perfor-mance is not good enough. Athletes sweat and fightand don’t give up. Disabled sportsmen and womenalso have a great sense of humour, they joke abouteach other in a funny way which makes it easier tohandle one’s own insecurity. But if you train, you canalso always improve. There should be more Para-lympic posters and flags in town, Paralympic ath-mosphere, when you arrive at Luton airport.Great Britains Paralympic National team was se-

cond in the medal race in Bejing. So they achievedmore than the Olympic team during the Games afew weeks ago. Good luck to team GB! And may thefriendly and social and humanitarian spirit of thefirst Games in StokeMandeville, where a native Ger-man started the movement in GB, live on.

He has spent the best part of twelve yearsinvolved in the Paralympics: from playingwheelchair basketball in Sydney andAthens to helping win the bid for the 2012

Games in London to presenting "That ParalympicShow" – among others – for Channel 4 (C4). Sowhere does Ade Adepitan's passion come from?Adepitan's continued involvement in the Games

stemsprimarily fromhis loveforsport.Hewas inspi-red at the age of twelve when he saw a British teamplay."Isawagroupofguysinfunkywheelchairs.They

had massive arms; they looked awesome, like realgladiators. I was hooked immediately."Representing Great Britain in the Sydney ga-

mes was "the best moment of my life", saidAdepitan. He continued in Athens, where he hel-

ped GB clinch a bronze medal. Perhaps a reasonwhy the 39-year-old is so passionate about theParalympics is because of his belief that they areunique. "I think we have a different sort of ap-peal. You'll get people who watch the Paralym-pics, who are not necessarily sports lovers, be-cause there is a story behind each athlete. A lot

of people think they are seemingly more accessi-ble."With the opinion that the Paralympics have some-

thing special, Adepitan wanted to bring the gamesto his hometown London. The bid was about takingthe Paralympics to the next level and increasing itsprofile, and also about inspiring the next genera-tion. Having shown one of the only bids that involvedtwo Paralympians, he believes that "we showed theIOC something special".One way London has delivered the promise of in-

creasing the profile of the Paralympics is to ensurethere is extensive media coverage. Adepitan has

been closely involved with this, currently being apresenter for Channel 4. The channel won the rightto broadcast the Paralympic games in 2010, andhave commissioned three pre-games in-depth do-cumentary series, as well as coverage of the Ga-mes themselves, with UK TV hours devoted to cove-rage of the Paralympics increasing by 400 percent.Adepitan has worked on "That Paralympic

Show", which educates the public about Paralym-pic sports, whilst introducing Paralympic hopefulsfrom the British team. Helping C4 deliver theirpledge of "the best possible coverage", Adepitanhas worked on several pre-games programmesto give disability sport a higher profile.C4 aims to bring about "a fundamental and per-

manent shift in perceptions of disability in the UK",and Adepitan's work on TV is motivated by the factthat he is helping to change perceptions."I think we would be kidding ourselves if we

thought everyone looks at Paralympics at an equallevel. A preconception people have is that we arenot as good, we don't train as hard and we only doour sport for recreation. Those kinds of preconcepti-ons are very annoying.""Working on live TV is nerve-racking. You don't

want to get things wrong and make a fool of your-self." So how will Adepitan know whether his workhas been successful? "As long as people don'tthrow tomatoes at me in the street!"In a more serious tone, he thinks "when we look

at the uptake of Paralympic sports and the profile ofthe Paralympians afterwards and that has increa-sed, then I can say the work we have been doing onC4 has been successful."Adepitan has an outlook in line with the Paralym-

pian value of determination, which is how he cameto be on TV. "When I went into TV presenting Ithought I'll go for it, and if it doesn't work out and Istill want it, I'll go and try harder."Adepitan will be presenting the 2012 games,

but his involvement will not stop there. A post-ga-mes series of "That Paralympic Show" is beingplanned, highlighting the glittering moments fromthe London games as well as looking ahead tothe fifteenth Paralympics. He hopes London's re-cord ticket sales will be overtaken in Rio deJaneiro."I think it would look really strange if a massive

spectacle has beenmade of the Paralympics in Lon-don and this is not followed through in four years'time."So Adepitan's "trademark cheeky grin and flo-

wing dreadlocks" (so his website proclaims) gracetelevision screens with the intention of raising awa-reness for the Games, which have given him somuch, now and in the future.

photo:KellyHill


His work on TV is motivatedby the fact that he is helpingto change perceptions

Representing Britain in theSydney games was "the bestmoment of my life," he says

Foto:ThiloRückeis

Speakers’ CornerAde Adepitan’sParalympics

Good mood, good job. Ade Adepitan likes his work for Channel 4.

Enthusiam! You feel iteverywhere these days.Just ask our young reporters

He played wheelchair basketball at the Games –now he fronts much of the Paralympics coverageon Channel 4. So where does this man’s passion come from?

TAVISHI KANWAR, 17, LUCY MICHAELOUDIS, 17 years

ellie#takethestage

stagetake the

paralympic post - tagesspiegel

Documents