Folks who first learned about South African runner Oscar Pistorius during the 2012 Olympic Games held earlier this summer will have a chance to see him again next week when he returns to the United Kingdom to compete in the 2012 Paralympic Games, taking place August 29 through September 9, in London.
Breaking records are part of any Olympic experience and a couple have already been eclipsed before the games are even underway. The 4,280 athletes is the largest number to take part in the 50-plus year history of the Paralympics, and countries like Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and San Marino are sending representatives for the first time, bringing global participation up to a record 166 countries.
It’s pretty cool that the same city hosts both sets of games in the same venues. The 2012 Paralympics Wikipedia page says this arrangement with the International Olympic Committee began back in 2001. While that means the facilities designed to host the world’s athletes get an additional two weeks of use, it also means a lot of changeover to venues, accommodations, and even signage in a short period of time, as noted in the official press release, which includes these mind-boggling figures:
One example is the transition taking place at the Olympic and Paralympic Village. It has taken just 5 days (16-21 August) to transform a Village that hosted over 10,000 Olympic athletes to host 4,280 Paralympic athletes, 3,500 team officials, 1,225 Games Officials and 22 assistance dogs (there will be 1,800 wheelchair users in total). 14 tonnes of workshop equipment and spare parts has also arrived for Ottobock’s service provision for athletes, this includes a wheelchair repair centre.
Beyond the truncated timeframe for reading the sports venues, London itself had long been preparing for these and other events — including the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II — that would attract a larger-than-usual influx of visitors to the city. Preparations included the development of InclusiveLondon.com, which launched in 2011. The site provides a searchable database of accessible facilities and services in the city; including everything from hotels and tourist attractions to banks and healthcare.
According to the press release, more than 7,700 entities have registered with the site, which also enables users to publish reviews of their experience. The release also notes that “The spending power of disabled people in the UK is estimated to be in the region of £80billion each year,” providing ample incentive for these organizations to ensure people with disabilities will have a pleasant visit to the city.
Look for additional coverage of the 2012 Paralympics here in the coming days. In the meantime, share your thoughts about the games in the comments area below.
Image by Elliot Brown.