Games boost disabled sport

Aug 6 2002 Report By Scott Wilson

WELSH wheelchair athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson believes the Manchester Games will have a lasting impact for disabled athletes throughout the Commonwealth.

These Games have created history as the first in which disabled athletes have competed alongside their able-bodied counterparts as an integral part of the Games programme.

Their events have followed each others', they have lived side by side in the Athletes' Village, and all medals have counted towards the final medal table - all new developments things for a major multi-sport gathering.

Grey-Thompson, who has won nine gold medals in four Paralympics, believes this has made Manchester's Games special and has forced smaller countries to look at how they treat their disabled athletes.

"I think the most important thing, and what makes it really special to be here, is that they've got the EAD (Elite Athletes with Disability) events as part of the full programme," she said.

"It's not just about sports programmes; it's about social care as well.

"A lot of countries that are here don't have huge social security or any kind of safety net within society for people with disability, and I think this just encourages a lot more openness.

"Nelson Mandela said it better than me, but sport does have the power to change the world because this will change Commonwealth society in a huge way."

Grey-Thompson also feels the Games have helped to raise the profile of disabled British athletes competing in minority sports which often get little or no mainstream coverage.

"We're lucky in wheelchair racing because we get TV coverage with things like the London Marathon and the Great North Run," she said.

"But some of the guys who play bowls say they get nothing at all.

"A lot of guys who have come here as part of the Welsh team get virtually no funding. It's important that they get recognised."

The successful integration of disabled athletes into the Games has led to suggestions that Manchester should act as a blueprint for future multi-sport events.