Paralympics

Paul Lewis in the HoS talks about the Paralympics. China is again expected to dominate on sheer numbers:

China is expected to top the Paralympics medal table as it did the Olympic medal table but a nagging doubt remains whether the Paralympics will usher in a new era of understanding and enlightenment for the 80 million.

You read that right; 80 million. The entire population of Germany. Not all of those are wheelchair-bound, as the term ‘disabled’ can cover a wide range of conditions.

But, in the world’s most populous nation, the numbers are gobsmacking. China has an estimated 12 million blind people, for example – three times the population of New Zealand.

Hell.

For friends and fans of Paula Tesoriero, her cycling races are:

Mon 8 Sep – 500m Time Trial 15.45 (final)

Wed 10 Sep – Individual Pursuit 13.55 (heat) and 18.00 (final)

Fri 12 Sep – Road Time Trial 19.09 (final)

And anyone wanting to know more about Paula, might enjoy this Q&A with a class of primary school students.

Sadly TVNZ is not showing most races live. This is understandable on the grounds of commercial reality, but shows why digital TV is the future – then you could have a dedicated TV channel for the Paralympics.