The power of Para integration
THE beaming smile on the face of James Arnott said everything about what winning an athletics medal at the XXI Commonwealth Games meant to him.
On a balmy Friday evening, 35 000 fans had packed into the Carrara Stadium to watch Caster Semenya seal the middle distance double and New Zealander Valerie Adams attempt to win a fourth successive shot-put gold.
Tucked into the programme between the 3 000m steeplechase and the heptathlon 80m heats was Arnott’s 100m sprint.
As the crowd roared their support, the Englishman made a great start out of his blocks, only for Nigeria’s Suwaibidu Galadima to storm past him with a blistering finish to claim gold.
“All of a sudden, I saw the guy to my left come through and I was a bit like ‘woah’,” Arnott said.
“But I held my form and I came away with a silver medal, so I’m really happy.”
Later, Arnott was awarded an identical silver medal to the one Adams received, on the same podium where Semenya stood to receive her 800m gold medal.
While Adams and Semenya’s next multisports Games will be the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the goal on the horizon for Arnott is the Paralympics Games that follow.
This is the Commonwealth Games, where Paralympic athletes are not just included but fully integrated in the teams, and their events in the programme.
Usain Bolt last week described it as “brilliant” and Arnott, who was born with a condition called Erb’s palsy which restricts the movement of his left shoulder and affects his ability to sprint, would not disagree with the Jamaican great.
“It’s just amazing to see the able-bodied and the paras coming together, we’ve all become friends, it’s just been one big team-bonding experience,” he said.
“I’ve been exchanging tips with the able-bodied sprinters. Them to me, me to them as much as I can,” he added with a laugh.
“It’s just been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.”
Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg believes full integration is essential if the Games are to reflect the mission of the movement.
“Truly if we want Games that are representative of all the people across the Comonwealth, then our athletes need to be truly representative,” said the American, a former senior executive at the International Paralympic Committee.
“If you value people, you include them, it’s that simple.
“But it also needs to be legitimate sport and I think the performances here speak for themselves.” – Reuters