You're absolutely right. I'm being drawn into a discussion here that I already agree with. Everybody, whether disabled or not, should have an outlet to explore their capabilities, no matter what. My point is that a global event, claiming to represent disabled people, is drawing a veil over real disabled issues by just focussing on the abilities of elite 'enabled' disabled athletes. Unlike the main Olympics, where we can relate to the trials on show, and where we know that, with a lot of effort, that may well have been me out there, the Para Olympics simply don't offer the same sense of oneness with the event to the majority of disabled people who know they could never compete at these levels. The dream is only relevant to a minority. Good luck to them, but in my opinion. they are the chosen ones. I think most disabled people will see it as this. I'm also concerned about the 'eugenics' element attached which suggests that continuous improvement is the only goal, and the image that creates in the general public's mindset. That completely discounts situations which can't be improved upon, which is true of most chronic conditions. I think you can see why many disabled people won't see this iconic event in the same way that the able bodied might like to think. And I think that the media hype which patronises this event plays on able bodied perceptions rather than on real disabled issues.

G