What is held after every 4 years? Well everybody will answer fast saying “Olympics!”
And if I ask what is held after every two years? Yes, I know you all are still wondering about the answer!
It’s sad that everybody knows what comes after 4 years in the arena of sports but don’t know what comes/is held after two years! What is held after two years is ‘Paralympics’. Does anyone even watch the Paralympics or do you have a notion that Paralympics is a part of the Olympics?
The 23 official sport pictograms of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games ⒸParalympic.org
No, it's not and if your answer is ‘YES’ to the other half of the question, then you are not the only one who thinks like that. Before realising that Paralympics was a separate event all together, even I thought it was a part of the Olympics! I wouldn’t blame us because there’s not much awareness about Paralympics, all the spotlight goes to the supreme event ‘Olympics’.
Can you even imagine for how many years, para athletes have not been recognised for their sports skills? A lot of years! As the big event ‘Olympics’ shadows ‘Paralympics’ many para athletes' efforts and winnings go unnoticed unless their respective country makes a big headline about it! But sadly we don’t see it happening that much.
Time it's given importance!
This 2020, Tokyo is hosting Summer Paralympics from 25th August to 6th September 2020. And also the Olympics will be held in the same capital city of Japan from 24th July to 9th August 2020.
I hope that this Paralympics not only the winners but also the athletes participating in this year’s Paralympics from different walks of lives get noticed and recognised. These are individuals showing their abilities with years of practice, sweat, tears and pain behind the scenes! We need to know from where they come and what makes them push so hard to extreme levels where they put all their fears, insecurities aside and show the world that they are capable of doing anything just like the abled bodies.
Its time! Us, the sports ministries, sponsors show interest and make them known for their unimaginable skills!
How can we support and encourage them!
In order to show our support we can attend their events, I know not all can attend but those who can attend, can also make it a point to purchase tickets to Paralympics events and not only Olympic events! For those who cannot attend these events in reality can switch on their electronic gadgets and help in garnering views to their events by watching their live streams.
Fans cheering for Brazil at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.ⒸParalympics.org
Not only this, as individuals we can also write blogs or articles and make some efforts to garner information about the Paralympics events and the athletes participating in them and put it across social media. We can share their winnings, images of them participating in the events, talking about them and many more.
As for the sports ministries – More funds or equipment, training grounds, trainers need to be provided in order for them to train for such international and national events! Such investment or funding will not only boost them but also make them capable of participating in many more events which will bring a Nation’s name in the spotlight!
The sports ministries also need to inculcate sports skills in children who are disabled from a very young age – and what would be the best place to do it? Schools and colleges! More funds can be sanctioned to improve the infrastructure of sports facilities in schools or colleges for disabled students! Give them quality mentors and equipment, scholarships, counselling to boost their morale and make them know what they are capable of.
Last but not the least, Sponsors! Your duly investment in a Para-athlete will diminish some sort of obstacles which was hindering him/her from participating in such events! Self-financing is difficult for most of the athletes because some of them come from a weak economic background, what the companies can do is sponsor their flight tickets, attire costs, equipment costs, insurance, food, accommodation, training fees and many more!
Don’t do it for the sake of brand publicity, do it with a conscience that you’ll be changing a person’s life with your investment, you’ll be in a way giving rise to a star which will inspire many more disabled minds to make them think that they are also capable to reach greater heights!
(Tokyo 2020 Paralympics venues)
While we eagerly wait for Olympics to start, show the same enthusiasm for Paralympics and till then get to know about the athletes’ participating from your own states or nations!
Read an story of Indian Paralympics Player here: Sanjeev
