16 April 2008
“Spirit in Motion”
Paralympic Games will follow Beijing Olympic Games
By Charlene Porter
After the Olympic Games draw to a close in August, a second cadre of elite, world-class athletes will arrive in Beijing. Close to 4,000 Paralympic athletes will travel to China from some 140 countries to prove their skills in the Paralympic Games September 6-17.
The motto of the International Paralympic Movement is “Spirit in Motion,” words that capture the goal of its endeavors “enabling athletes from all backgrounds to unite on a single stage, inspiring and exciting the world with their performances.”
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), based in Bonn, traces its origins to a 1948 competition organized in England for injured World War II veterans. Olympic-style games for athletes with disabilities were first held in 1960, and by 1988, the Paralympic Games joined the Olympic Games, both winter and summer, in the same host city.
The goals of this movement reach far beyond a two-week series of events held every two years. The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Philip Craven, says sport "gives people the passion to fight for their lives and lead a full life." Craven who uses a wheelchair as a result of an adolescent accident, is a five-time Paralympian. He made the comment in an interview with the official Web site of the Beijing Games.
The U.S. Paralympic Committee cites research finding that physical activity helps all people lead better lives – they have better relationships and a greater sense of achievement which extends beyond physical activity itself to influence all aspects of their lives. U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, wants to convey this message to 21 million Americans with disabilities who have typically lower rates of physical activity than normal.
Beyond the training and support provided to elite athletes who will compete at the global level, U.S. Paralympics works to increase access to sports for people with disabilities at the community level, with a goal of establishing programs in 250 cities by 2012.
In early 2008, the IPC launched the Paralympian Ambassador Program, naming 11 past and present athletes to heighten awareness and understanding among young people about the Paralympic Movement.
