Chris Waddell on Paralympics in parallel with Ukraine’s resistance: “You see what is spectacular about the human spirit”

Chris Waddell believes the world’s winter Paralympians will provide much needed inspiration during our current tumultuous times.

Waddell, a seven-time Paralympian, who amassed 12 medals in alpine skiing across four Winter Paralympics, returns to the NBC Sports’ studios to provide expertise, analysis and insight over the course of the next nine days of the Beijing 2022 Paralympics. He served as a co-host for the American broadcaster’s coverage of Friday evening’s opening ceremony.

The Paralympics Hall-of-Famer believes these Paralympics will bring out the absolute best of the human spirit and the will to overcome all adversity in order to succeed. Waddell sees parallels between the Paralympics and Ukrainian citizens who are now fighting to save their homeland.

“That kind of resilience (by the citizens of Ukraine) is really ultimately what we’re seeing in the Paralympics, so working in parallel in some ways,” Waddell tells Around the Rings. “You see what is spectacular about the human spirit, this ability to fight, to re-calibrate and reform.”

“This as sport, has the ability to show what we as human beings, who really don’t know what we’re capable of until we’re stressed to where we have to figure out how to find the very best in ourselves, and the Paralympics are a visual representation of finding your best out of a very challenging situation.

“I hope people tune in to the Paralympics to see what is great about being a human being,” Waddell said.

Waddell also hopes, in simpler terms, for top-notch sport and thrilling, down-to-the-wire, competition.

“I always hope that it’s great sport and great entertainment – that’s why we tune in, we sitting on the couch or holding the microphone, are hoping that we as human beings have amazing success in sport and that the people on the field-of-play blow our minds,” he says. “I hope we have close races, spectacular finishes and that it is a battle to see people get pushed to their very best.”

Waddell also competed in three Summer Paralympics as a wheelchair racer on the track and won silver in Sydney 2000. His final Paralympics as an athlete were in Athens 2004, however Waddell has been involved in an additional nine Games as an ambassador and now a journalist, bringing his grand total to a staggering 16 Paralympics.

The U.S. Paralympics legend says while he believes that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) ultimately made the correct decision about banning Russian and Belarusian Para athletes from competing in Beijing, although it seems their hand was forced considering athlete boycott threats, he still sympathizes with the athletes about their missed opportunity.

“I feel badly for the athletes because it happened over their heads,” Waddell says. “This is really personal for a lot of people in the way and this is the right decision.

“I think there will be solidarity coming out of Ukraine with the world’s athletes.”

Oksana Masters and other Paralympians not to miss

The Park City, Utah, based commentator, podcast host and journalist highlighted some of the top athletes and human interest stories to follow, as American/Ukrainian Para Nordic skier and biathlete Oksana Masters leads the procession on multiple levels considering her birthplace of Ukraine.

The ten-time Paralympics medalist wrote on her social media accounts prior to Friday’s opening ceremony: “It’s the stars and stripes that keeps my Ukrainian heart beating. I’ve always been proud of where I come from. And I can’t wait to race for the two countries that make me whole.”

Waddell says that while Masters is warm and personable, she is also one of the fiercest competitors across all sports that he has ever met.

“She is the most competitive person that you’ll ever meet – she talks about how she is no longer allowed to play board games anymore,” Waddell says, with a laugh.

Another athlete to watch is U.S. mono-skier Andrew Kurka – who is seeking to defend gold medals in downhill and super-G, and begins his quest in Saturday’s downhill on the race course in Yanqing. The 30-year-old Alaskan skier recently graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, alongside teammate Thomas Walsh, a tremendous and once unheard of honor for a Para athlete.

“That is a huge step for the Paralympics – absolutely amazing,” Waddell says of Kurka and Walsh’s cover appearance. “He knows how to go fast, harnessing his speed and he is riding a new rig that was designed by Toyota Racing. We now have NASCAR involved with mono-skiing,” he says of Kurka and the new project.

Waddell also notes French ski legend Marie Bouchet, who competes with a limb deficiency of agenesis of her left arm, an eight-time Paralympic champion. She has also collected 22 world titles and 102 World Cup victories over her lengthy career.

“It’s a gigantic number and she might not make it to the top of the podium here, having been the best in her class forever,” Waddell says, noting the ever-increasing level of competition.

The puck drops with Para sled hockey opening on Saturday, including the highly anticipated USA vs. Canada showdown. The Americans are seeking their fourth consecutive gold medal in Beijing.

“They’re a tightly-knit group that have been training out of Nashville, Tennessee, which is interesting,” Waddell informs. “They’ve certainly been successful and Canada will be their biggest rivals.”

Some 736 athletes are competing at these 13th Winter Paralympics across a total of 78 medal events (39 for men, 35 for women, and 4 mixed events) at six venues in three competition zones: Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou.

Breaking down more barriers

Waddell says he believes that these Paralympic Games and the Para athletes showcasing their ultimate best – aided by the powerful message of the ‘WeThe15 Movement,’ established prior to Tokyo 2020 to further raise awareness and break down barriers, referring to the 15-percent of the world with disabilities – will once again be a game-changer.

“I hope that it goes further – that it changes the narrative in the world where it’s not ‘oh hey it’s too bad what happened to you, it’s what do you do?,’” Waddell says. “And what do you do well – that’s what we get to see in the Paralympics.”

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