Gavin Foster paralympics An agreement signed during the 2000 Paralympics now drawing to a close in Sydney might finally bring about what most people mistakenly think already exists – the unification of the Olympic Games and the Paralympics. Just 16 athletes, most of them crippled World War II veterans, competed in the first disabled games which took place in London parallel with the normal Olympics in 1948, but by 1976, when the games took place in Toronto, disabled sportsmen and women from 52 nations arrived to do battle. Then, in 1983 came the blow. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), headed by Juan Antonio Samaranch, summoned the organisers of the “Olympic Games for the Disabled” to Lausanne to warn them off piggy-backing on the valuable Olympic brand. No longer were the games to refer to the Olympics in any way, and the famous five-ring symbol was not to be used. Outgunned by the power and the wealth of the IOC, the organisers of the disabled games went away, only to reappear at Seoul as the Paralympics. But here too they invoked the ire of Samaranch, and were hauled off yet again to Lausanne. The reason? Their logo, consisting of five teardrops arranged in the pattern of the Olympic rings was seen as a threat to the IOC, and they were warned to change it. The offenders were forced to shed a tear or two, and thus arose the three-teardrop logo of the Paralympics. Since then the two bodies have lived in somewhat uneasy harmony. The Olympics became a massive moneyspinner, while the Paralympics struggled in their shadow for exposure, funding and recognition. Because the Paralympics took place straight after the Olympics, a television audience saturated with sport couldn’t really be bothered watching what was essentially a curtain-raiser played after the main event. But recently interest in the Paralympics has grown, and with the public developing a respect for the competitiveness of the disabled athletes, the Paralympics could no longer be ignored.
Showing a remarkable softening of its attitude, the IOC has made a number of concessions to the International Paralympics Committee (IPC), possibly driven by the need to be perceived as politically correct. Although the Paralympic Summer Games have been held in the same city as the Olympics since 1988 the host cities have never been obliged to accept the Paralympics. Athens, the venue for the 2004 Games, has shown reluctance to commit to the Paralympics and that was one of the factors leading to the hasty signing of the agreement between the IOC and the IPC. The concessions made by the IOC are significant. In future the president of the IPC will be given a seat on the IOC board, and IPC representatives will become eligible for positions on IOC advisory committees, having say on matters such as drug testing, levels of technology allowed and the evaluation of potential host cities. A more powerful agreement between the two bodies is expected to be signed next month, forcing future bidding cities to sign one contract to host both the Olympics and the Paralympic Games.
This will lead to closer links with broadcasters and better marketing of events, as well as increased sponsorship for the IPC. The IOC has further agreed to contribute $300000 a year towards the administration of the IPC, and a subsidy of $100 000 for development projects. Although a pittance for the billion-dollar IOC, the extra funding will help the IPC immensely. But the fact that they’re willing to talk to the IPC, give them some money and make future concessions to them doesn’t mean that the IOC has turned into Mr Nice Guy overnight. The day after the Olympics finished in Sydney workmen were busy removing every single trace of the Olympic Games’ five-ring logo in the city, in the vain hope that nobody would associate the Paralympics with the Olympics. South Africa has a long and successful history in the Paralympics. In the Tokyo Games in 1964 we entered just nine athletes, who bagged nine gold, seven silver and three bronze medals. In Tel Aviv in 1968 eight South Africans captured 27 medals (nine gold), and in Heidelberg, West Germany, our 22 athletes brought home 46 medals, 18 of them gold, in 1972. Apart from a break between 1976 and 1992, when politics forced us to stay away, we’ve continued to do well. In our comeback year we took eight medals, and the last Paralympics in 1996 saw us win 10 gold, eight silver and 10 bronze medals to finish 11th in terms of medals won. This year, with four days to go at the time of writing, we lie in 11th place in the medals chase, with seven gold, five silver and five bronze awards. l The Paralympics are not without their own little intrigues. The Canadian squad was highly miffed when somebody absconded with their mascot, a 200kg moose called Bruce. Given the Aussies’ renowned propensity for sheep, they should have expected something like that to happen. It’s not known whether Bruce was a live critter or not, but if he wasn’t stuffed before he’s sure to have been by now. The Aussies themselves have also been hit by kidnappers. Their mascot, a platypus called Matty, has also been reported missing. The motive is unclear.
ENDS