We began with Tracey McCillen, the CEO of the UK Sports Association for People with a Learning Disability, to talk about their 8 year ban from the Paralympics. We also hear from Sir Phillip Craven. IPC President, on his perception of those events.
Also featuring:
Wheelchair tennis from Eton Manor. One of only two bespoke Paralympic venues. Athletes competing included Nicholas Taylor of the USA and Peter Norfolk of the UK.
Swimming at the Aquatics Centre (from the evening of Day 5) and a brief reflection on Dow’s involvement in the Paralympics and crowd reactions in general to politics.
That is followed by reflections or a trip to a temporary shooting and archery venue at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. The original venue was the National Shooting Centre at Bisley in Surrey.
Observations from Orbit Circus at the heart of the *lympic Park, including a morning session at the *lympic Stadium.
Also featuring:
a walkthrough in the Park, marking the halfway point
Ellie May’s research project into whether volunteering at the Paralympics changes your perception of disability.
A discussion of the arguments about prosthetic legs in athletics.
Rowing at the Eton College Rowing Centre, aka Eton Dorney in Buckinghamshire. Mist and heavy rain. Followed by power-lifting and boccia at ExCeL East in the Docklands.
Para-Equestrian Dressage in the London 2012 Paralympics in Greenwich Park.
Coverage of the Closing Atos Ceremony, hosted by UK Uncut and Disabled People Against Cuts at Atos HQ and then the Department for Work and Pensions to protest the disconnection between Atos sponsorship of Paralympics and ongoing conduction by the company of flawed Work Capacity Assessments.
Goalball at the Copper Box, track cycling at the Velodrome and reflections on the opening ceremony.
The day of the opening ceremony at the London 2012 Paralympics is “Day 0” in the organising committee’s terms. Non-rights holding journalists such as ours were only allowed in the Olympic Park at large until 4pm.
Before then, we secured our only athlete interview, New Zealand Para Equestrian rider Anthea Gunner.
Also, what does the *lympic Park sound like when there is no-one around?
This week we talk to Kieran Strange, born in Selsey, West Sussex and living in Vancouver with life experience of autism and cancer and a powerful voice and message.
Full details on www.kieranstrange.com (And Twitter, Instagram and Facebook)
