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flo wrote: wouldnt it be a good idea to combine both the able bodied with the para olympiads, it may help alleviate a lot of bounderies, and the olympiads would get the support they so richly deserve.

I think I agree with you there, Flo. I for one am so against phrase and people living lives as members of the "disabled community". People are forever telling me to register Cameron with one group or another of people "like him" but I refuse to do it. In my opinion, being a member of the "disabled community" (and this applies to the gay community, the black community etc) only results in seperating yourself from the society that you very loudly state you want to be integrated in.

The way I see it my son is just like any other member of society and shouldnt be secluded in a little group. He is not a disabled child but a child who just happens to have a disability. Many people probably wont see the difference in the way I look at it.

So, yes, apart from the practical problems involved in having the Olympics combined (transport, suitable accomodation, access ramps etc) then I do think it would be an idea to have them together.

The para-olympics seems quite cool I have to say. Its brilliant to see these people pushing themselves to the limit.......

If only the England football team had their motivation!

flo wrote:After watching the para olympics (only on a couple of occasions) I felt a bit sad at the lack of spectators in the stands, wouldnt it be a good idea to combine both the able bodied with the para olympiads, it may help alleviate a lot of bounderies, and the olympiads would get the support they so richly deserve.

Flo I totally agree... combine them.

The Para Olympics were quite a scuccess here in Sydney. Some of the events were sold out. The wheel chair rugby was a bit hit so to speak.

Sticky Blue wrote:Flo,
I have to say that running them side by side would be a good idea, a nightmare to organise, and give all the athletes a chance to compete in front of an audience. The turnout of spectators (for any DLs reading this by turnout I mean attendance figures, not the way their shirts are pressed ) has been poor at tha para games. By having the Para Olympics and the Olympic Games it does separate them... a single (combined) Olympic Games would be much better.
Watching the tennis the other day I was amazed at how agile the wheelchair players were I'm crap at tennis and would struggle big time against any of those who were competing!

Sticky to be honest putting them together would be less work really all they would have to do is make the Olympics longer (as in days). I worked the last Olympics here in Sydney as a project manager and it really would of been easier to put them all togther from my point of view. As technically I was running 2 jobs instead of one.

The reason why they don't in my opinion is the big companies and their advertising budgets.