Let the games begin - #2!

3:38pm Friday 5th September 2008

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Opening ceremony less than 24 hours away!

The fireworks of the paralympics start in just over a days time. The organisers have promised a number of things including a record haul of medals by the host country and an opening ceremony which will knock your socks off!

Either way the chinese win! They have only just recognised the importance of disability sport in the complete rehabilitation of a disabled person. In the last 10 years I mean. The blink of an eye really.

And they have thrown money at the opening ceremony so that no other country will ever be able to compete with it!

I have just discovered a remarkable story. There is a Hungarian who won the OLYMPIC Fencing title in 1988 in Seoul called Pal Szekeres, was crippled in a bus crash and then won the Paralympic Fencing title in 1992 in Barcelona! What a performer.

In the process of researching I came across a story which defied belief. Another Hungarian won the pistol shooting in 1936 Olympics in the infamous games of Berlin. During the great war he lost his right arm in a land mine accident and came back to win a gold again in London in 1948 using his left arm/hand. Is their no limit to the will of the human spirit?

Great Britain is expected to be prominent again in the medal table so watch out for performances in BFP for both Ian Rose in his fourth Paras in Clare Strange in her third.

Once again - let the games begin....