Paralympics to be scaled down

[Mummyme1987]

Just heard this on the news.

Perhaps next time the money should be paid into a fund before the Games start.

This is awful! Some of those people have worked towards this for their entire lives!

It is a disgrace

Brazil should never have been handed the Olympics in the first place.

The fact they can't cater for the next Games is fucking awful and some committee who awarded them the honour should be named and shamed.

I don't understand why the Olympic committee has t stepped in sooner. They must have known for months they didn't have the money.
It's disgusting.
I also don't know why it's not had more mainstream news

It was in the news previously , last two weeks I think.

I wonder if London could step in and hold it instead? I'm certainly dreaming, but I think the Paralympics are SO important

Of course they couldn't, don't be ridiculous. It's not like putting on a school sports day you know. West Ham might have something to say about being kicked out of the Olympic Stadium for a start.

In the UK many people think the paralympics is important. In other countries, they don't. It is a much smaller event due to the number of participants and the sports covered. Television audiences worldwide are less. There is much less money in it for advertisers and participants. Attendance at the Olympics in Brazil has been low, attendance for the Para event even lower.

It's a totally different event from the main Olympics. It would probably be better to have it on different years, or in a different city from the main Olympics. It might attract more attention that way, and people who have not just watched 2 weeks of wall to wall sport may be more likely to watch.

I really enjoyed what I've seen of the Olympics so far but won't be watching the Paralympics.

The IOC is an enormously rich organisation. I don't see why they can't step in and subsidise the event now so that all the athletes who were planning to go can get there - and later hold a full enquiry about what happened, from commissioning process onwards. I say this as someone who isn't really into sport and hasn't watched very much. But I think it's utterly invidious for the Paralympics to be relegated in this way. Is it really happening?

Those athletes have worked and slogged their guts out for this.

I think the time has come for the two events to become one. I don't mean able bodied athletes competing against disabled athletes, but there shouldn't be a separate games. It should just be the Olympic Games and they take place concurrently, not one before the other, and financed collectively, not separately.

Yeah I caught the end of it last week, but it's not been on any news I've seen until today.
I googled abit about yesterday's court case but that was my own seeking out.
It should have been on the main Olympic news each day with updates

It's so sad. I really feel for the athletes! Apparently only 12% of tickets sold. Awful news

"I wonder if London could step in and hold it instead? I'm certainly dreaming, but I think the Paralympics are SO important"

Much as I would love to see it in London again I think that is impractical in so many ways, I do think we could see about 'sponsoring' another less wealthy country to get its athletes to Rio though, I know times are tough but we are a generally quite well off country.

I agree still

It's just awful. Those poor athletes.

Awful. A girl I know is a paralympic swimmer, she's an incredible person and works damn hard. How disappointing for everyone involved.

That's terrible. I attended several Paralympic events in London and really enjoyed it. More so than the Olympic ones to be honest.

The whole games have been a fiasco. A lot of Russian athletes were banned with no proof that any had used drugs, all Russians banned from paralympics.
American swimmers smashing up the toilets in a filling station but keeping their medals.
If you look back to the first post war games there were no luxury apartments for athletes, just very basic arm accomodation. Maybe it is time to scale back on luxury and cut costs.
I also think the paralympics should be help at the same time as the main event, not later as an afterthought. Make to whole thing longer and include everyone.

still yes, that might be a good way forward. Have it over 3/4 weeks instead. Athletes village would need to be huge though.

I hope someone stumps up the money. There should be parity between the two events.

It's awful I hope something happens to make them go ahead, I found the Paralympics so inspiring at London 2012. Agree with other posters let's have it as one event going forward.

IOC should fund. They awarded the games, it was their mistake.

Agreed Seth. The Paralympics shouldnt be an add on.

meg The athletes village wouldn't necessarily have to be that much bigger. They just need, as you say, to stretch it out but focus on the scheduling a lot more. Most athletes go once they've finished anyway

I am totally disgusted to hear this news and was looking forward to watching the Paralympics so much. I suppose being disabled myself may make them of more interest to me but I know many of my friends were looking forward to seeing them too.

I'm interested to know LunaLoveg00d why you won't be watching? Their achievements are just as incredible as participants in the main event.