They think it's all over.. But it isn't yet.

As it occurs every four years when the Olympics and preceding Paralympic games find their way onto our TV screens in the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and every establishment we dare to enter, we all have the old, recognizable conversation. It's a sort of tradition that I have with those who are actually interested in what I have to say, (which, I'll admit, are people few and far between.)

It hits us like a speeding train and spreads like a deadly disease. People here, there and everywhere are suddenly grasped with the notion that both events should be run at the same time because it would make Paralympians  and people with disabilities feel equal. It's as if they notice inequality for the first time and they are completely incensed about the issue. They cry out for all people to be treated as equals and point out to us that people with disabilities are just as important. It's funny how these people who become walking advertisements for equality overnight , only take note of equality issues regarding disabilities through the beer goggles of the Paralympics.  It's funny that these people spew out plans to unite the Olympic and Paralympic games as if they are the first people to come up with the ingenious idea. It's downright hilarious when they bang on about equality issues, to only go home and take the piss out of their partners with sandwich jokes and male incompetence.

Don't get me wrong - I love a good sandwich joke and I'm forever banging on about my boyfriends inability to pick his socks up off the floor or iron a t shirt once in a while, but if you're going to attempt the impossible and compel people to treat others as their equal, don't do it half heartedly. The sad truth about the Paralympics is that it works by making disability visible.

Samuel Clench, a VERY good looking Australian sport journalist posed the ultimate question on everybody's lips last week in an article entitled; "Why not run the Olympics and Paralympics together?" There's no more need of explanation on my part - he says it all in the title. Clever man.

First Paralympic Games 1948

So, let's begin with a bit of background, (we historians love all that.) The Paralympics, just like the Olympics, are built on a rich history; from its early development at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Britain in 1948, to London 2012. We have gone from sixteen humble and injured war veterans competing in archery at the same time as the 1948 London Olympic Games, to nearly 4,200 competitors coming in from 165 countries to compete this year. Whether we agree with the Paralympics being its own entity or not, we cannot deny that those figures are impressive and that the games are clearly growing from strength to strength.

Back to Clench's article, which, I can't say I enjoyed reading. I won't go into the whys and hows - if you give it a read yourself you'll see what I mean. Why not run the Olympics and Paralympics together?

To answer his question, which will resurface again in about four years time, I have to be brutally honest. If there even were the possibility of fitting the Paralympic events smoothly into the daily schedules of the Olympics, there would be a lot more people, testing and pressure involved. There would have to be more competitors and officials to be housed in one city at one time, more time used up in drug testing, more spectators to fill up an already crowded city such as London and more tax payers money spent to fund the games. I'm sure that Clench wouldn't be too happy with that.

Personally, I think that merging the Olympic and Paralympic games is just, well, a silly idea. While it's a nice thought that we can change the face of equality, running the Paralympics events during the Olympics, when viewers are most likely to be distracted by the 'main Olympics'  isn't going to make any notable change. Airing them separately gives the Paralympics more time to shine on its own accord.

                  

Anyway, Clench claims that 'our paralympians must be used to being ignored and undervalued,' which, I'm sorry, everyone can shout about and agree with until they are blue in the face, but that is simply not true. Ok, it's a fact that disability hate crime isn't exactly at an all time low, but speaking for myself and on behalf of thousands of British people, not everyone sees disabilities as an excuse to ignore and undervalue fellow human beings. It is so annoying that I am essentially categorised with a group of people who cannot see disabled people as being equal, and I'm sure that most people would agree with that.

Clench goes on to claim that the Paralympics are effectively staged "weeks after the Olympics have ended when public excitement has abated and most of the media pack has left." Ok, he has a point - most of the Olympics media pack has left - to make room for the Paralympics media pack, you silly man. It isn't that there isn't as much coverage of the Paralympic Games as there was for the Olympics - it just isn't being publicised as much.

This is one issue that I can get on board with Clench about. After all the hype that has been leading up to the Olympics for at least the past two years, the Paralympics lead up was very disappointing. The Olympics was shown on one of the major channels for at least 23 hours a day, (I may be exaggerating, but you get my drift) and additional broadcasting repeated events that we had already watched. It was talked about everywhere, by everyone, and with good reason because we did absolutely fantastically in the games.

Meet the Superhumans - Channel 4 

The lead up to the Paralympics was an advert on Channel 4. Though I did like the song they accompanied it with - my boyfriend did me an epic favour and downloaded it for us to listen to when we drive in my car (it makes us feel gansta.) I've had conversations about the Paralympics, but it hadn't really been mentioned until the opening ceremony started, (which, I'll admit, I did not understand and therefore, did not write a blog on.) The lack of hype is the only thing that has disappointed me, considering  Britain essentially founded the Paralympics. The broadcasting of the games, however, is out there - we just need to go and find it. So quit complaining, stop being lazy and get searching the TV channels - it doesn't take too much effort to press some buttons.

Public enemy - Harder than you think  

If what Clench is ultimately suggesting in his article is true, (that people have stopped caring), then I'm sorry to disappoint him, but he'll have to tell that to the 2.4 million ticket holders who have been going to watch the events. Obviously, the 11.2 million people of the British population alone who attended to opening ceremony weren't warned beforehand that their attempts of showing interest in the Paralympics were futile. Channel 4, the main broadcaster for the Paralympics, has been receiving its highest ratings in about the last ten years. The British population, at least, clearly didn't get the memo about not caring.

And if he's pinning the apart lack of interest on his fellow Aussies, he's still sadly mistaken about the whole thing. According to statistics, coverage of the first day of the Paralympics back in Australia reached 1.8 million viewers. The first evening show on the main Australian channel doubled its regular audience and has continued to grow since.

Basically, this whole blog can be summed up in the words of Oscar Pistorius, an Olympic and Paralympic champion : "I don't think there's anything to be ashamed of. I don't think [Olympic and Paralympic integration] will ever happen and I don't think it'll ever need to.

"We get so few opportunities to publicly and raucously celebrate our community and the amazing contributions people with disabilities make. The Paralympics are ours. Hands off."