On the Scene in Beijing -- London Learns from Beijing Paralympics

"It is our history," says Sebastian Coe, linking the Paralympics with the games for war veterans with spinal cord injuries founded in the city of Stoke Mandville. (Getty Images)Change through Education

The London 2012 Games will be about new standards of sustainability and legacy, as well as a re-thinking of the word "disabled" says chairman Sebastian Coe.

"That word needs to change, that’s what I’m hearing," Coe said, speaking shortly after arriving in Beijing for the end of the Games.

"We will engage all communities – all faiths, no faiths, all abilities or so-called disabled."

And the underpinning message of Paralympic athlete performances – their abilities – will be spread in a larger context, according to plans from London.

The main domestic project for the handover is the launch of the Paralympics education scheme in schools across the U.K.

More than 4,000 schools have confirmed participation in the program. London 2012 provides lesson plans, ideas for an assembly and activities plus multimedia materials. And there’s broadcast of the Paralympics closing ceremony to cap a Wednesday school day. Games organizers estimate the programs will reach some two million students.

In Stoke Mandeville, which, for a decade, hosted the games that were the forerunners of the Paralympics, the stadium will open for students to attend a handover ceremony.

"The London 2012 Games have a wider focus than venues and a park," says Coe.

"This is a party; we’re inviting the world to a city that welcomes everyone to a party."

Creating an Atmosphere

Near the end of a program that brought 60 observers from London to Beijing, organizers are already forming an idea of what they like about Beijing and what they might modify.

When Peter Norfolk won the men's singles gold, Sebastian Coe was in the audience and impressed with the near-capacity crowd. (Getty Images)The full stadium in Beijing gets high marks. Coe thinks that Britain’s history of interest in Paralympic sport plus a host broadcaster and print media that take the Paralympics seriously will result in nearly full venues.

The London team also likes Beijing’s speedy transition to the look of the Paralympics and the reports of athletes very happy with their treatment.

LOCOG is also considering setting up live sites throught the U.K. for Paralympic spectators, and may offer multi-media spectator services inside venues.

They’re also looking at classification – the sometimes contentious and difficult process of assigning a Paralympic athlete to the right group of competitors.

"I think that we will look at the ways we can present, in an even better and more cogent way, some of the classification issues. I think that lends understanding," says Coe.

Coe adds that he is confident that despite the credit crunch, LOCOG will meet its own privately-funded budget goal of some $3.9 billion. But he has a vision of what happens if LOCOG fails.

"That budget of course is scalable. You don’t get there you don’t get quite as many fireworks in the opening ceremony."

U.K. Olympics minister Tessa Jowell is also in Beijing to watch the handover.

She says there are a few things that especially strike her about the Beijing Paralympics.

"The Olympic Green during the Olympics seemed to be much more of a thoroughfare for people going to the venues. During the Paralympic Games, it’s a place where Beijingers and visitors gather simply to imbibe the atmosphere."

And she’s observed complete parity in treatment of athletes, with both Olympians and Paralympians going home happy with their whole experience.

Making the Transition

London mayor Boris Johnson will receive the Paralympic flag at the Games closing ceremony on the evening of Sept. 17, when London 2012 has eight minutes to present its vision for the next Games. Youth, diversity and energy are the themes on offer.

The London bus from the Olympic closing ceremony will reappear in the Paralympics ceremony. Other details are under wraps. (Getty Images)London’s promise of fun and inclusion faces one of its first proofs on the weekend of Sept 26 – 28 with the launch of the Cultural Olympiad. Already more than 500 events have been listed by their organizers in the London 2012 directory – from the musicians of the London Symphony Orchestra to the actors of the Bureau of Silly Ideas.

After the official Paralympic observer program wraps, London will receive a full debrief from Beijing in November.

Beijing Briefs…

Six athletes join the International Paralympic Committee Athletes' Council, amid record turnout at the ballot boxes. Swimmer Teresa Perales from Spain, archer Marketa Sidkova from the Czech Republic, fencer Yu Chui Yee from Hong Kong, athlete Heinz Frei from Switzerland, athlete Robert Balk from the U.S. and swimmer David Smetanine from France were the top six vote-getters, in that order, among 14 candidates. More than 88 percent of athletes voted, up from 47 percent in Athens. Now the six athletes join three colleagues from the Winter Games as Paralympic athletes' collective voice, charged with giving input at all levels of IPC decision-making.

South African swimmer Natalie du Toit and Panamanian athlete Said Gomez are the newest winners of the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award. At each Games, one male and one female are awarded the prize for exemplifying excellence in sports and the spirit of determination. The prize was endowed by Whang Youn Dai with her prize money from the 1988 Paralympics.

Written by Maggie Lee in Beijing

ATR Coverage of the Beijing Paralympics is Proudly Presented by Rio 2016.

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