Paralympics At Rio

[juvenal]

With the acres of empty seats for the main Games, I can see the Paralympics going down the drain, with only 12% of tickets sold before the events start on Sept 7th.

Apparently £7m of travel grants have yet to be paid out to teams, who won't be coming without the cash up front.

There could be a major embarrassment coming here...

[workingpoor]

Russian Paralympic team is already banned in its entireity.

Sept 7th? the whole "Rio" "Olympics" thing will be long forgotten by then.

People will be looking towards Xmas.

[Errol]

Surely tickets should be given away for free. I mean who would pay to watch?

[Riedquat]

I saw someone suggest that the Paralympics should be held first, when it might get some enthusiasm as a warm-up event.

[MrPin]

It must be disheartening for the Para-atheletes. I don't think Rio is very rich all over.

[Frank Hovis]

We certainly did them proud in London but it's a minority interest; like holding an Olympics for people aged between 61 and 65. You're the best in the world in that particular category, not the best in the world, so there's not the level of interest.

[crashmonitor]

Get the Games and then fail to meet your obligations on the less glamouress stuff.Totally dishonest.

[MrPin]

I guess it is a minority interest, but you can't expect a no-legged swimmer to go as fast as one with the normal number of legs. The world may be watching, and I for one am proud of anyone British that comes back with a medal, just to show Johnny Foreigner.

[Frank Hovis]

I guess it is a minority interest, but you can't expect a no-legged swimmer to go as fast as one with the normal number of legs. The world may be watching, and I for one am proud of anyone British that comes back with a medal, just to show Johnny Foreigner.

Oh yes, they train as hard. I heard an interview on my drive in this morning with a very keen rower who had won the senior crew category gold at Henley this year and had only started rowing at 60.

It's amazing, like that 70 year old woman getting ballet grade 6.

It's all good, it's all to be encouraged and applauded.

It's just not box office.

[Ash4781]

I've not been to Brazil. However, my experience in Peru (also in South America) is that they didn't have the most inclusive of attitudes towards disability.

It's very short notice but you'd almost want them to relocate the Paralympics - to the US ?

[crashmonitor]

It's dishonourable, take the pay day of the big event but don't see the job through on the boring bit at the end. They have reneged on the deal and they shouldn't have got the Olympics in the first place behaving like this.

[Frank Hovis]

It's dishonourable, take the pay day of the big event but don't see the job through on the boring bit at the end. They have reneged on the deal and they shouldn't have got the Olympics in the first place behaving like this.

They bid for the Olympics in the midst and confidence of an economic boom when they genuinely thought they could easily pay for all of it.

They have since entered recession and can't afford any of it hence the public protests and no roof on the diving pool.

There is no Olympic pay day, it's like hosting Eurovision - it costs you. The only Olympics to make a profit was Sydney.

[SarahBell]

They bid for the Olympics in the midst and confidence of an economic boom when they genuinely thought they could easily pay for all of it.

The guy on the news this morning said they had the money two weeks ago and now they don't.

I'd suggest they check down the back of the sofa.

[Frank Hovis]

The guy on the news this morning said they had the money two weeks ago and now they don't.

I'd suggest they check down the back of the sofa.

I doubt that if they couldn't afford a roof on the diving pool. They may have had it on paper but that's different to being in a ringfenced bank account.

[StainlessSteelCat]

I'm very supportive of the Paralympics, but prior to 2012 I was only dimly aware it existed. I suspect I'm not alone, and that Rio is a reversion to business as usual i.e. little real interest from viewing public and mediocre support from the host nation.

[MrPin]

The guy on the news this morning said they had the money two weeks ago and now they don't.

I'd suggest they check down the back of the sofa.

Or up their nose?

[stormymonday_2011]

Oh yes, they train as hard. I heard an interview on my drive in this morning with a very keen rower who had won the senior crew category gold at Henley this year and had only started rowing at 60.

It's amazing, like that 70 year old woman getting ballet grade 6.

It's all good, it's all to be encouraged and applauded.

It's just not box office.

Personally I find the wheel chair racing at the Paralympics along with the occasional associated pile up a lot more interesting than some of the traditional Olympic events such as the Graeco Roman wrestling which seems largely to consist of two blokes grovelling around on the floor simulating gay sex.

http://www.towleroad.com/2016/08/greco-roman-wrestling-rio-2016-photos/

[crashmonitor]

They bid for the Olympics in the midst and confidence of an economic boom when they genuinely thought they could easily pay for all of it.

They have since entered recession and can't afford any of it hence the public protests and no roof on the diving pool.

There is no Olympic pay day, it's like hosting Eurovision - it costs you. The only Olympics to make a profit was Sydney.

You can be sure the UK would have met the cost even if it meant huge sacrifices elsewhere. We have a history of overseas obligations before cancer patients. Look at the aid budget. Perhaps it's misguided to put honour over your own people.

[stormymonday_2011]

You can be sure the UK would have met the cost even if it meant huge sacrifices elsewhere. We have a history of overseas obligations before cancer patients. Look at the aid budget. Perhaps it's misguided to put honour over your own people.

It is a hangover from the days of Empire and the idea of the white man's burden. The truth is the average Briton enjoyed almost no benefit from centuries of world dominion. In fact at the outbreak of World War 1 British military recruits were generally in physically worse shape than most of the soldiers of the other powers involved. An astonishing 40% of British volunteers in 1914-1915 were found to be unfit for military service due to malnutrition and disease. It is strange how outdated imperialist and racist ideologies are dressed up in drag and now promoted by those who claim to despise them.

[MrPin]

It is a hangover from the days of Empire and the idea of the white man's burden. The truth is the average Briton enjoyed almost no benefit from centuries of world dominion. In fact at the outbreak of World War 1 British military recruits were generally in physically worse shape than most of the soldiers of the other powers involved. An astonishing 40% of British volunteers in 1914-1915 were found to be unfit for military service due to malnutrition and disease. It is strange how outdated imperialist and racist ideologies are dressed up in drag and now promoted by those who claim to despise them.

My grandad didn't have the "career opportunity" of going off to die in the first world war. He had to do farming instead, due to only having one eye.

[juvenal]

This reader's comment in the Wail summed it up succinctly for me...

In an affluent, liberal, western, PC dominated society a combination of dripping tap indoctrination and fear of open honest self expression leads to things like Paralympics being boosted in importance way beyond the truth. Their false status persists only as long as the population's attitude is governed by what they perceive to be correct and acceptable rather than what they actually feel. Once this perceived pressure to conform is absent the false status it generates quickly crumbles, and the subject matter (in this case the standing of the Paralympic Games) reverts to reality. In Rio people simply see the Para Games in their true light. This is best indicated by the ticket sales. Only 12% of tickets sold despite prices of only a few pounds many cases. Sure the competitors and their achievements are admirable, but the spectacle and entertainment value of their lower level competition simply does not generate the interest and following that the main event can.

[MrPin]

You shouldn't be reading the Wail Mr Juvenal! true the paralympics are a bit of a minority event.

[reddog]

Mixed feelings to be honest. I was really impressed at the way the London games raised the profile of the Paralympics, and there was a lot of genuine enthusiasm in the country (though I am not sure about the rest of the world). Also Rio should fulfill their obligations.

On the other hand the whole thing is too big, and takes money away from the poorest in Brazilian society. I do not want to see Brazil get further into debt on vanity projects like the Olympics and Paralympics. Most Paralymians are from rich countries, as poor countries cannot afford to have a Paralympics programme, it does seem a bit daft that money is spent on them by Brazil, while many in Brazil are surviving on a few dollars a day.

[Mikhail Liebenstein]

Oh yes, they train as hard. I heard an interview on my drive in this morning with a very keen rower who had won the senior crew category gold at Henley this year and had only started rowing at 60.

It's amazing, like that 70 year old woman getting ballet grade 6.

It's all good, it's all to be encouraged and applauded.

It's just not box office.

I personally don't think most of newer Olympics sports are box office.

They really should cut it down to the core sports like track and field, distance running, gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, equestrian and shooting.

I know team GB would do less well without the cycling, sailing and canoeing, but these events should not really be in the Olympics, and neither should big team sports like football. My take is that if they already have their own major and well funded competitions and organisation then they shouldn't be there; and indeed if the are minority sports needing access to expensive specialist equipment they also shouldn't be there. My final criteria is if they are ridiculously and unrelentingly dull, like canoeing, they also shouldn't be there.

[Frank Hovis]

How on earth does equestrian make your list of core sports?

You're the first person I've heard express any interest whatsoever in that either in RL or OL.

Edit: and shooting for the matter, and wrestling!