100 days more to the best ever Paralympics

Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In 100 days’ time, the most watched, most accessible and most integrated Paralympics of all time will begin in London.

This is the first time the UK will have hosted the Paralympics, and the country is now recognised as having started the Paralympic movement. This is the first Games where the planning and organisation of the Olympics and Paralympics has been fully integrated: from design and infrastructure to open spaces and public transport.

Jeremy Browne, FCO Minister with responsibility for the Olympics and Paralympics said:

This Paralympics will be the biggest, best, most celebrated and most watched that has ever taken place. In Britain we are the inventors of the Paralympics as a concept and we are looking forward to welcoming athletes from around the world to compete in the Games. Its going to be incredibly high profile and the performances will be inspiring. Londons 2012 Paralympic Games will send an important message around the world about the ability of people to overcome adversity and achieve genuine excellence.

Chris Holmes, Director for Paralympic Integration, London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said:

We have an extraordinary opportunity in London, to stage a sensational Paralympic Games. If we get this right the message is clear: a message about possibility, a message of potential, a message of hope resonating around the country and around the globe. We want to use the spotlight of the London 2012 Paralympic Games to shine a light of hope around the globe, to include rather than exclude, to focus on the can rather than cannot, to look to the person not the preconception.

In Sri Lanka, the awareness of disability issues has increased in recent years, thanks to the efforts of organisations like Idiriya and ECSAT (Equality-based Community Support And Training). Working with both adults and children with disabilities, these organisations have promoted supportive legislation and community education, bringing persons with disabilities out of their homes to mix with their peers; helping them to access education; providing their family members with knowledge and support; giving them opportunities to learn life skills and vocational skills that other people take for granted.

Moreover, under SC (FR) 221/2009 dated 27 April, 2011, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruled that all sections of new public buildings and facilities should be designed and constructed in accordance with the design requirements specified in the accessibility regulations. This mandatory ruling gives a legal foundation for further strengthening the ease of access and mobility for people with disabilities, restoring their lives to normalcy.