It looked like London all over again. The spectacle was extraordinary, the colors, lights, dancing and music were marvelous. After a joyous athletes' parade, the queen declared the Games open, followed by a salvo of fireworks from the stadium's roof. And the looks on the faces of the athletes as they processioned into the stadium was truly memorable. By all accounts it was an uplifting experience. This could easily have been the London Olympics but in fact was the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games which involves athletes with physical impairments. On the surface, the Paralympics is not much different from the Olympics. A cumulative TV audience of four billion watched the four-hour Paralympics gala opening about science and humanity. In terms of sheer numbers, the two events are similar: 4,280 Paralympic athletes from 166 countries will compete in 20 sports. But while the Paralympics might on the outside look and feel like the Olympics, they aren't really the same. The athletes are at a disadvantage and it's not just in terms of their physical impairments — it's how they are viewed in society. The physically challenged have forever wanted to be seen and treated as normal people who can become respected and useful members of society. Events like the Paralympics are designed to give disadvantaged people an opportunity to do just that. It's about the human spirit and mankind's constant drive to overcome adversity; to see how people measure up against others and how good they can be when there are difficulties to be overcome; to improve the quality of life for the world's most disadvantaged citizens who in the end are competing in sports not because they are easy but because they are difficult. It would only trivialize the Paralympics to wheel out the old cliche “it's not the winning that counts”. Of course, participation is one of the most important components of the Paralympics philosophy. Participation brings its own rewards for the athletes, coaches and their family members, but winning plays a big part as well. Let's not forget that Paralympic athletes compete for the same fundamental reason anyone else does: to win. It would be a pointless exercise otherwise. Some people are strongly against the notion of specialneeds athletes competing to win medals. But there's nothing wrong with people with physical and, in the case of the Special Olympics, mental impairments, competing against one another. For many disabled people, simply competing, just being there, is joy enough. But many disadvantaged athletes do have an Olympic-like determination to be the best at what they do and, as such, they are owed, at the very least, the acknowledgement of their achievements. Athletes with special needs have come a long way from when the first Paralympic Games were organized in 1948, in London. In London 2012, the 11-day sporting event will sell 2.4 million tickets, will set record broadcast deals with 2,500 accredited media, 2,000 of which are international, and will see more athletes and countries competing than ever before. It all adds up to unprecedented levels of interest which should continue long after the athletes return home and the stadium floodlights are turned off.
