Paralympic athletes resilient as ever

Two weeks after Sir Philip Craven sounded the alarm, the Paralympic movement is doing what comes naturally — making the best of a challenging situation.

On Aug. 19 in Rio de Janeiro, the International Paraly mpic Committee president declared looming budget cuts and dismal ticket sales the most serious threat to the success of the Paralympics in the history of the Games.

The Rio organizing committee had not delivered its full funding. Shock waves soon circled the globe. It seemed the entire movement was in peril, the progressive momentum gained in London four years ago all but halted.

Team Canada chef de mission Chantal Petitclerc digested that woeful news while on vacation in the U.S. and was worried for all Paralympic athletes.

“What I’ve seen of the cuts, it’s not good news, that’s for sure,” she said three days after the announcement. “But I understand everyone is doing their best to make sure it does not affect any athletes. That is the only priority. And so far we are satisfied with the answers that we get. I’m still positive they will be great Games.

“I do hope for our athletes that they will have spectators, that’ s one thing that kind of worries me. I’m still hoping people will wake up and embrace the Paralympians. Because I know that as soon as they show up and watch the Games, they will love it. And our athletes deserve it.”

It’s happening, all right. When Craven spoke, just 300,000 tickets of the 2.5 million total had been sold. But Brazil woke up to the relative affordability of the Paralympics and earlier this week the one million mark had been breached.

More than that, people across the world took offence at the marginalization of the Paralympics and got behind the Games. A crowdfunding initiative called #FillTheSeats started by Greg Nugent, who was the London 2012 marketing director, is aimed at subsidizing Paralympic tickets, transport and food for 10,000 Brazilian kids. It has been endorsed by the IPC. On Friday, the campaign was over halfway to its goal of $300,000 U.S.

Jack Chew, a health care professional in the U.K., launched a fundraising campaign, #SaveTheParalympics, which has since partnered with #FillTheSeats.

“My motivation is threefold,” Chew said in a Twitter message. “Firstly, it is near criminal that the Paralympics would face underfunding beyond that of an already compromised Olympic Games. Secondly, working in health care makes me and my team acutely aware of how important the Games are for inspiring those who would otherwise withdraw from exercise to participate to the very best of their ability. And finally, what better way for the world to reach out to Brazil at a difficult time and support them and their next generation.”

Already on the ground in Rio, many Team Canada members are settling into a comfortable athletes’ village.

“There was some cleaning to do and we had a plan in place to address that, so all is well,” said Alison Korn, the Canadian Paralympic Committee senior manager of communications. “We are very happy with our accommodations in Rio.”

The Canadian track and field team is at a training camp in Juiz de Fora, three hours north of Rio, and they too are content.

“The conditions here are ideal with good food, nice accommodations, and fantastic training facilities,” said wheelchair racer Austin Smeenk. “With regards to the hygiene and bugs, we are yet to see any mosquitoes or flies. There is also ample clean drinking water.”

Though Korn said Canada’s travel grant has yet to arrive from the Rio organizing committee, the team’s athletes are travelling as scheduled and are apparently getting what they need to thrive at the biggest sporting event of their careers.

But the larger issue is one of perception, and the marginalization of the Paralympic movement has done serious harm.

“It’s deeply upsetting,” said Team Canada boccia player Alison Levine. “Again it’s just reinforcing to the public that Paralympic sport is not on par with Olympic sport, that Olympics are important, Paralympics are not. And that whatever money they have they’re going to put into the Olympics. But it is the exact same level of athleticism.

“No doubt we train as hard, only we do it with these incredible obstacles in our daily life as well.”