Events with wheelchairs and swords....you betcha.

Something that’s been bouncing around in my head since we got back from the UK… Did anyone catch the Paralympics? I bet the answer is “no”. No one that I’ve asked since I’ve got back has said yes. Most people didn’t even know what I was talking about.

The 2008 Paralympic games took place in Beijing from September 6th through the 17th. The BBC dedicated an hour of prime time coverage to the games each night, giving the athletes the full Olympic-style treatment. It was awesome. I think that’s bears repeating, the Paralympic games are awesome.

I think if you enjoy watching the Olympics (and admittedly I’m only meh on them), then you need to watch the Paralympics. The Paralympics delivers in a big way that the Olympics is unable to compete with. Do you watch the Olympics for palpable atmosphere of competition? The Paralympics has got you covered – the athletes are using the exact same pools and venues as the Olympians and have been training just as long and hard as the Olympians. They’re there to win.

Do you watch the Olympics to bask in the glory of what the human form is capable of? If you think watching a “normal” athlete do something faster or more efficient than you is awesome, then you’ll be absolutely gob-smacked by what a trained athlete missing bits can do.

Do you watch the Olympics for the display of sportsmanship? The heart shown at the Paralympics will crush you. No seriously, your throat will start to constrict and you’ll be teary eyed. There are no aloof professional participants to jack things up, the participants aren’t going to get multimillion dollar sponsorships, and they probably won’t be able to create a career out of winning big. Take away all the fame (compared to the Olympics) and you’re just left with people trying to play really hard for the sake of sports (and to prove what is possible).

God forbid you watch the Olympics for the predictable stories of a poor underdog who has overcome so many obstacles to compete. If you do, don’t watch the Paralympics – I don’t think you’ll be able to handle it. Needless to say, some of those athletes know what it means to overcome a few inconvenient obstacles.

I think it’s a shame that the US supported our Paralympians in such a poor and asymmetrical manner compared to our Olympians. The US Paralympic team came in third (if you care about medal counts). It’s sad that people weren’t tuned in cheering the wheelchair rugby (affectingly known as “murderball”) to their gold metal.

Lastly, as if any of the above listed reasons are not enough, by broadcasting the Paralympians during prime time, in their moment of glory, the BBC also manages to share people with disabilities with the general public and dispel some of the differentness and/or awkwardness of their condition. At first some viewers might find the sight of incomplete appendages a tad shocking, but by the end of the event I bet they’re rooting for a favorite athlete - having transcended what makes them different and connected what makes us cheer for athletes in the first place.

[Note: On the off chance the Paralympic games get confused with the Special Olympics. The Paralympics are for athletes with physical, mental, and sensorial disabilities. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Special Olympics are restricted to people with intellectual disabilities.]