THE LONDON 2012 PARALYMPICS
A SUPERB ENDING TO ANOTHER WONDERFUL DAY, WHEN PRINCESS ANNE, DAVID CAMERON AND BORIS JOHNSON EACH MADE SPEECHES REMEMBERING TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ‘BODY’ RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THESE GAMES SUCH AN ENORMOUS SUCCESS
FROM THE VOLUNTEERS, EMERGENCY SERVICES, POLICE, AND MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEES, WHILST NOT FORGETTING THE ATHLETES THEMSELVES..
I THINK ‘NATIONAL TREASURES’ CLARE BALDING AND ADE ADEPITAN ALSO DESERVE A BIG THANK YOU FOR THEIR SEAMLESS AND HARMONIOUS COVERAGE OF THE GAMES TOGETHER. (PERHAPS WE SHOULD ALSO SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE KEPT THE COUNTRY QUIETLY TICKING OVER IN THE BACKGROUND, SO THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ENJOY OURSELVES…)
THE ATHLETES ARE NOW TAKING THEIR POSITIONS AT THE QUEEN VICTORIA MEMORIAL, AND A MAGNIFICENT FLY PAST OF HELICOPTERS AND THE RED ARROWS FLEW OVERHEAD!!!
AS OUR PARALYMPIC AND OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS TAKE TO THE STREETS OF LONDON ON FLOATS TO GREET THEIR ADORING PUBLIC FACE TO FACE AND SHOW OFF THEIR MEDALS, THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CROWD (SAID TO BE AT LEAST ONE MILLION PEOPLE) AND THEIR BEAMING SMILES, AND THE SIGHT OF THE ATHLETES BEAMING AND WAVING BACK , WILL BE YET ANOTHER SIGHT WHICH WILL BE HARD TO FORGET!
WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT ENDING TO A PERFECT SUMMER ….
DAVID WEIR WON FOURTH PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDAL YESTERDAY IN T54 MARATHON
WHAT A SUPERB AND EMOTIONAL CLOSING CEREMONY TO THE LONDON 2012 PARALYMPIC GAMES!
ON AN EVENING WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY PRINCE EDWARD, AND DURING WHICH MANY OF OUR WAR VETERANS FEATURED HEAVILY, IT WAS AN EVENING OF AFFECTION AND PRIDE.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CEREMONY, 13 VETERANS OF THE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN CONFLICTS PULLED IN A MASSIVE VEHICLE MADE FROM RECYCLED PARTS, AND THEN RAISED A LONG WHITE FLAGPOLE USING ALL OF THEIR COMBINED STRENGTH AMIDST GASPS FROM THE AUDIENCE.
COLDPLAY PERFORMED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, AND WERE A PERFECT CHOICE FOR THE EVENING. THEIR SET REALLY ‘HIT THE SPOT’, AND RIHANNA AND JAY-Z ‘ADDED A TWIST’, WHICH WAS TOTALLY APPRECIATED BY EVERYONE..
SEBASTIAN COE MADE A TEAR JERKING AND INSPIRING SPEECH, AND A MUSCULAR, YET POETIC CORPORAL RORY MACKENZIE (WHO WAS INJURED IN A ROADSIDE BOMB IN IRAQ AND LOST HIS LEG) WAS RAISED INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STADIUM ON A CRANE TO GIVE THE OPENING SPEECH. (CORPORAL MACKENZIE LOST HIS LEG IN IRAQ IN JANAUARY 2007, BUT HAS SINCE GONE ON TO ROW 3,000 MILES ACROSS THE ATLANTIC, WITH FELLOW VETERANS), AND IS A PIVOTAL FIGURE IN THE ‘HELP FOR HEROES’ CHARITY.
ALSO, WITH UTMOST COURAGE, CAPTAIN LUKE SINNOTT WHO WAS A VICTIM OF THE AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT, CLIMBED THE LONG WHITE FLAG POLE TO HANG THE UNION FLAG OVER THE PARALYMPIC STADIUM. (CAPT SINNOTT LOST BOTH LEGS AND ONE ARM LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO IN HELMAND, AFGHANISTAN). BUT NEVERTHELESS, HE CLIMBED THE VERY TALL POLE UNROLLED THE FLAG, AND HUNG IT OVER THE STADIUM! CAPT SINNOTT IS NOW A SAILOR AND HOPES TO COMPETE IN THE 2016 PARALYMPIC GAMES IN RIO WITH A ‘HELP FOR HEROES’ FUNDED BOAT.
THE ENTERTAINMENT WAS SPECTACULAR FROM START TO FINISH, AND INCLUDED DANCERS SEEMINGLY SUPPORTED BY PINK BALLOONS FROM THE SKY IN HOOPS, HIGHWIRE ARTISTS (ONE ON A MOTORBIKE), A BEAUTIFUL SNOW-QUEEN AND BLACK CROWS ON STILTS, (WHO ALL DANCED ON ICE!!) COLDPLAY’S ‘YELLOW FELLOWS’ DANCED SUPERBLY TO ‘YELLOW’, AND NO DOUBT RAISED HAIRS ON THE BACK OF A FEW NECKS (NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE EVENING…)
YES, IT WAS A SUPERB ENDING TO WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A MAGNIFICENT SUMMER OF SPORT.
IT’S LOVELY TO HAVE THESE GREAT CEREMONIES, BUT THE IMAGES WHICH PERHAPS WILL ALSO BE REMEMBERED ARE THOSE OF THE ATHLETES (BOTH PARALYMPIC AND OLYMPIC) SMILING AND SHOWING THEIR MEDALS WHEN THE CAMERAS ROLL IN THEIR DIRECTION.
ALSO, THE IMAGES FROM THE GAMES THEMSELVES, FROM WHEN THE ATHLETES WERE COMPETING, WHICH WAS OFTEN A MIXTURE OF HOPE, PRIDE, ELATION, DESPERATION AND JUST PLAIN EXHAUSTION.
WHICHEVER IMAGES YOU MAY REMEMBER FROM THESE GAMES, I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT THIS SUMMER WE FELL A LITTLE BIT IN LOVE WITH ALL OF OUR PARALYMPIAN AND OLYMPIAN ATHLETES.
THEIR STRENGTH OF WILL AND “TRIUMPH OF HUMAN SPIRIT” HAS LEFT US TOTALLY ENAMOURED AND WILL TRULY “INSPIRE GENERATIONS” FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO COME…!
WELL DONE TO ALL OF OUR PARALYMPIC AND OLYMPIC ATHLETES – WE WILL MISS YOU – AND THANK YOU!!