PARALYMPIC FLAME -- UPDATES

THE SYMBOL OF THE PARALYMPICS







UPDATE:  8 January 2013  --  The Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor  George Osborne were  there to  hand out the medals.  They were booed by 90.000 spectators.  To sit there watching the horrendous effort and struggles of disabled people and planing at the same time to cut their Disabled Benefit must take a very cold blooded man. Especially David Cameron who experienced Disability at first hand.  By now it cost around 1,000 lives because the government agency ATOS cut their benefit.  Even so the death might not all be because of the Disability Benefits being cut but surely at least half are.  AS that would be all but the government closed 67 factories where disabled people could work contemning then imprisonment at home.

UPDATE -- 9 September 2012:   Britain is on second place with winning medals. The first place is Chine. This is a fantastic achievement for a small island .  Congratulation and well done. The athletes can be proud of themselves and so is the nation proud of them.


The Paralympic flame was ignited on Friday and it gave the signal of its beginning of  Opening Ceremony on Wednesday, 29 August, 2012. On Wednesday 8.45am the Paralympic flame crosses the famous Abbey Road in North West London.  9.37am it passes through the London Zoo.  10.45am Ex-boxer Michael Watson who was brain damaged in his last fight will carry it on Regent Street.   1.12pm the flame will be taken over the Tower Bridge.  6.20pm at Hackney Town Hall on its way to the Olympic Stadium and it arrived at around 9pm.

Claire Lomas, 32, lit a ceremonial cauldron at Trafalgar Square before the Wednesday’s Opening Ceremony. She is paralysed from the chest down caused by a riding accident in 2007.  Earlier this year she finished at the London Marathon in 16 days wearing a bionic suit.  She commented that she felt very proud to be selected to lit the cauldron. She admitted that she was trembling before but was glad it all went smoothly.

At the same time the GB’s Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team gave a demonstration of their great abilities inside St Paul’s Cathedral.

On Tuesday four flames kindled in the home nations will be united for a 24-hour relay to Stratford from Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Buckinghamshire.  It will take 580 torchbearers, in team of five, to cover the 92 miles which goes through Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and London to the Olympic Stadium.

Prime Minister David Cameron wished the 4,280 competitors good luck.  The Athletes will compete on front of a record breaking crowd.

The Paralympics began in 1948 at Stoke Mandeville, where neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttman helped Second World War veteran overcome their injuries with sport.

SIR LUDWIG GUTTMAN

Seb Coes the chairman of the London 2012 Olympics stated that without being too jingoistic or nationalistic it has to be seen as the Paralympics coming home.

London Major Boris Johnson added: “The Olympics showed what we can don and I think the paralympics will show what kind of people we are … what’s going on in our hearts.”

The Agitos symbol of the Paralympics was lowered into place over the Thames on Tower Bridge.

Up to 166 National Paralympic Committees were arriving in the athletes’ village. They were the biggest number to attend the Paralympic Games.

It is unbelievable the achievements and determination of these athletes it certainly puts everyone to shame. It is unfortunate that we forget too quickly what these people go through due to various injuries even in their ordinary daily life and their heroic spirit to achieve these gold, silver and bronze medals.



UPDATE:  By now the competition is in full swing but the Opening Ceremony is still in the mind of many who were there. It was spectacular and even better than the Olympics Opening Ceremony. The title was Enlightenment and it certainly was. Professor Stephan Hawking telling a young disabled actress not to look down on her feet but look up to the stars. After a wonderful and inspiring three hours the flame was carried by Royal Marine Commando Joe Townsend, 24, who lost both legs fighting in Afghanistan.

The Queen's speech was: "It is with tremendous pride that the people of London and the United Kingdom welcome the world to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

"The Games are returning to the country where they first began, more than 60 years ago.

"The athletes endeavours and triumphs will excite and inspire people wherever they live."