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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be angry that the Special Olympics won't be televised?

31 replies

borninastorm · 26/08/2013 10:53

My big brother, who has learning difficulties, is competing at this year's Special Olympics in Bath this week.

He has told me that ITV and BBC will be there but I could find no scheduled tv coverage of the Games.

The Special Olympics team have told me the Games may be covered by the national news but that it's dependent on what other news happens.

So, AIBU to be really quite annoyed that neither BBC or ITV have scheduled proper national coverage of the Special Olypmpics and havent considered how motivating and inspiring these Games could be for viewers?

A link to the Special Olympics for anyone interested Special Olympics

OP posts:

Mia4 · 26/08/2013 11:26

YANBU to feel annoyed OP, have you tried posing the question to the TV channels? You could ask them over their social media sites and see their response.

Sparrowfarts · 26/08/2013 11:27

Congratulations to your brother and good luck to him in his event.

I would love to see a highlights show, interwoven with some stories about the athletes, their lives, their training and what their participation in sport has done for them. I think that would make a great programme with audience potential.

Thank you for the link - I didn't know they were on and I shall have a think about getting down to Bath with the children to watch some athletics and give the athletes a cheer, especially as entry is free.

QueenofLouisiana · 26/08/2013 11:28

YANBU.

I think the increase in traffic to the special Olympics site has caused it to crash! I can't get onto the site.

I hope your brother has a brilliant time and I will be rooting for him. Which event is he competing in?

Sparrowfarts · 26/08/2013 11:30

Yes, I just got a bit of info out of the site before it keeled over!

Dobbiesmum · 26/08/2013 11:40

Try Twitter and FB, see if you can get a campaign going. It's odd considering the coverage of the Paralympics and how well it was received that there's no apparent plans for this.
Good luck to your brother, whats his event?

Nancy66 · 26/08/2013 11:49

It is a shame.

I would have thought one of the broadcasters could have found a slot - especially as it's August and the schedules are filled with repeats and new season programming doesn't kick in for another fortnight.

Sparrowfarts · 26/08/2013 11:50

It is a national, rather than an international event, which probably doesn't help.

There were some events for athletes with intellectual disabilities at the IPC Athletics World Champs and I remember some swimming events at the Olympics, but it seemed to be a token few events, as far as I could tell from the TV?

Is there any sign of the sport growing as a result of the 'legacy', OP, or is it still very much the poor relation to paralympic sport?

eosmum · 26/08/2013 11:54

When they were held here in Ireland they were fantastic. The venues close to us were sold out, but the tv coverage was minimal. We got to the closing ceremony which was televised but I'd imagine only because of the celebs who were presenting it. Good luck to your brother, my friends sister is defending her bowling gold it's so exciting.

longjane · 26/08/2013 12:10

It is channel 4 that did last year one

ageofgrandillusion · 26/08/2013 12:40

I suppose it all depends on viewing figures. You cant expect broadcasters to show something which hardly anybody watches. Wonder what figures channel 4 got last year.

BrokenSunglasses · 26/08/2013 12:53

Hmm, difficult one.

The profile of the games needs to be raised, but that's up to the event organisers as much as it is the TV companies.

Broadcasters will make programmes because of expected viewing figures, and I don't think they can be expected to televise an event that won't have much interest, but they could probably do a lot more to raise enough interest that it would be worth showing. I'd watch, especially if it was done with a highlights programme explaining everything properly each night of the games. And if I was anywhere near Bath, I'd be first in line for my free tickets, it sounds like it will be great.

Lots of luck for your brother, I hope you all have a wonderful time supporting him.

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmmmmmmmm · 26/08/2013 13:52

Possibly not a brilliant idea running this to coincide with the start of the new football season, if they were hoping for TV coverage.....

Original poster

borninastorm · 26/08/2013 13:58

Oh wow I didn't expect such a response!

My brother's competing in the standing long jump and the soft ball. He started training about 4 years ago and told us that one day soon he'd be in the Olympics. And now he is!!

I understand that tv companies want to make tv shows that they think people will watch but my brother and every other athlete competing at these events has trained really hard with commitment and dedication, just like all the athletes at last year's Olympics. And they're all so very, very excited about taking part in an Olympics that, just like the international Olympics, is only once very 4 years.

And surely these Games can also be a legacy for our children with special needs to get them involved in sports for future Special Olympic Games?

I think I might just try to start a twitter and FB campaign see if I can get someone in TV to take notice of these incredible athletes.

Good luck to anyone who has family and friends taking part in these Games.

PS I quite like the idea that we crashed their site maybe they'll tell the athletes there's been a huge surge of interest?

OP posts:

Original poster

borninastorm · 26/08/2013 14:12

Right, I've started it, not us how to go about getting a campaign going but I'm gonna try my hardest.

Could you all please Tweet the #specialolympicsontv and ask everyone else you know to tweet it, lets see if we can get it trending.

And laksa, if you can be bothered on this sunny bank holiday Monday, it would be great if you could also tweet the major TV channels asking why they're not showing these games with the same hash tag that would fab.

Let's see if we can get some recognition for these amazing athletes. Thanks.

OP posts:

BrokenSunglasses · 26/08/2013 14:13

If you do something on FB, link to it on this thread and I'll like it. You might find something already on there.

Whether it is on TV or not, the Special Olympians involved in these games have already achieved a massive amount and I really hope they don't feel that a lack of TV coverage takes anything away from that.

BrokenSunglasses · 26/08/2013 14:14

X posted, but I don't understand twitter! Sorry!

Good luck though, and to your brother.

Habbibu · 26/08/2013 14:16

Report your thread to MNHQ, OP, to bring it to their attention. It should fit right in with the This Is My Child campaign.

sashh · 26/08/2013 14:26

It's odd considering the coverage of the Paralympics and how well it was received that there's no apparent plans for this.

Not really, the paralympics have only been covered properly in Beijing and London, the coverage started as 1 hour on Channel 4, who were considered 'ground breaking'.

This isn't an Olympics in the traditional sense, it is a UK wide games, more a national championship held every 4 years. Also there are events in the paralympics for people with intellectual disabilities.

Now how many of you were aware of the various para sports events this summer? They were not covered. Anyone even heard of the deaflympics?

What about the transplant games? Also not covered.

Women's football has only recently been covered and many women's sports are ignored.

BTW this does not mean that they shouldn't be covered, just that from the TV/media point of view they are not big events, ie men kicking a ball about or men with tennis rackets both earning a fortune.

Original poster

borninastorm · 26/08/2013 14:34

habbibu so if I report my own thread to MNHQ it'll make them notice it in the hope that they'll get behind it?

I thought reporting it meant they'd remove it?!

I totally see where you're coming from sassh I'd never even thought about the special Olympics being on TV until my brother qualified for them. Now, of course, it's a huge issue lol

So if you all of you with twitter could please tweet #specialolympicsontv I'd really appciate it. I've just tweeted all the famous people I follow in the hope that one of them might retweet it! I haven't done anything on FB yet.

OP posts:

ageofgrandillusion · 26/08/2013 14:52

Bottom line here - if there was enough interest in them, they would be covered. Ditto women's footy etc. All boils down to money.

Nancy66 · 26/08/2013 15:03

there's not much point in starting a campaign the week of the games ! TV schedules are finalised weeks before broadcast.

BrokenSunglasses · 26/08/2013 15:06

It might make TV companies think twice about it in four years time though. There has to be demand this time for them to plan differently next time.

Original poster

borninastorm · 26/08/2013 16:37

I don't expect them to change their schedules for this year's games but I would like them to see that there is interest there and maybe they will consider it for next year.

But also, if we let the BBC and ITV know we're interested this year then there's more chance they'll feature the games on the national news this year.

Currently, both channels have said they'll be at the Games but whether they get on the news is dependent on what other news breaks. I know this is the norm, but it would be nice for the Games not to get bumped off their news lists for something we've heard a million times before like an MP doing something he/she shouldn't or Beckham's got a new hairstyle!

OP posts:

Sparrowfarts · 26/08/2013 16:45

Is your brother's local paper/tv channel/radio station aware that he's competing? Someone might like to run a piece about him and it would all be good publicity for the Games.

vj32 · 26/08/2013 18:39

There was World Para-swimming (sorry don't know what its proper title is) last week or the week before on C4, featuring a number of races with swimmers with learning disabilities. Britain did really well and won lots of medals. Maybe in comparison a national competition doesn't warrant national coverage. Agree about getting local coverage though.

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