Over the past week I have spent some considerable time watching the Paralympics in London. The quality of the sport is really high - especially the athletics. The Irishman who won the 800m and 1500m for visually impaired athletes has competed in able-bodied events and beaten some very high class athletes along the way.
Then there are the bladed athletes - the speed of these across 100m or 200m is unbelievable. Even when I was at my fittest the quickest I managed to complete 100m in was 17 seconds.
Then there is the swimming. Swimmers who have lost both arms or both legs who are able to complete 100m in just over a minute, whereas the best I have ever completed 25m is about 3 minutes.
These athletes are truly inspirational.
However, inspirational as they are, they still face problems in day-to-day life, such as being accused of being scroungers or benefit cheats. Then there was the hypocrisy of David Cameron and George Osborne lending their "support" to the games when they have already shown their true attitude to the disabled - cuts for health services, "work assessments" by the Paralympics sponsor ATOS (who say everyone is fit for work regardless of how disabled they are) and other attacks on the most vulnerable in society. All these millionaire hypocrites care about is their own kind - and their friends who they can give the juicy government contracts to.
So, in conclusion, these games have been a joy to watch for the way the competitors are determined to make the most of life. It has also been good to see that the venues have attracted so many spectators - let's hope that after these games the attitude to the disabled within our society will change and they will no longer be seen as second best or scroungers.
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