The Closing Ceremony of the Olympics was August 21, but don't let the commencement of the Closing Ceremony make you think the 2016 Olympics are over. Starting this Wednesday the Paralympics will be held and we need to give them the same attention we gave athletes Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Usain Bolt, and the Brownlee brothers, but it will probably not happen for a number of reasons. Travel grants for athletes of the 50 poorer nations may miss the Games because the money from the travel grants went elsewhere. Additionally, low ticket sales means the stands will be empty and some of the Olympians do not have the proper equipment to complete.
A 2011 poll by the U.K. disability charity Scope have concluded nearly one in four disable people feel the Paralympics are patronizing and just six months before the London Paralympics, only 11% of British people and under 25% of British disable individuals were excited about the Games. This study suggests that the Paralympic Games are counterproductive and goes against disability rights.
The coverage of the Games as new anchors focus their language on disablement, as according to the 2011 poll, 20% of individuals watching the Games see the athletes as second class. Additionally, the Paralympics misrepresent disable individuals and their everyday struggles and reinforces negative stereotypes.
Since these problems exists for the Paralympics, what should be done? Do we eliminate the Paralympics? No, but what we do is we reinvent the Paralympics to what they should be about, allowing other athletes compete along side of other athletes.
The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”. Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side, so why don't we make the Olympics longer by including both the Paralympics and the Olympics at the same time.
Hosting both the Olympics and the Paralympics at the same time will increase viewing of the Paralympics without the Paralympics having to purchase television time. Additionally, athletes competing in Paralympic Games will be treated as regular athletes and not have such focus of being miracles.
Having the Olympics and the Paralympics at the same time is a strong idea to increase viewing and reduce problems, but these two very similar Games are hosted by two different committees, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. If these committees were able to have hosted cities host both Games, these committees can work together to help cities hold both Games at the same time. Have the two flags, the Olympic and Paralympic fly high at the same time, as both group of athletes deserve the same recognition.
