London 2012 Paralympics
27 August 2012
After a wonderful London Olympics it's great to be able to get stuck in to the Paralympics this year.
It is so good to see that London 2012 has pushed the prominence of the Paralympics like never before. Over the last week I've spoken to the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Head of London 2012 Lord Coe and the Chef de Mission of Paralympic GB Craig Hunter and their excitement and determination is palpable.
How wonderful too that CLEARLY the Paralympic spirit is being taken onboard by the British people, with 2.3 million tickets sold, making it the most successful ever in terms of sales. A tough call for Paralympic GB though. An amazing achievement of 102 medals in Beijing - a target they are determined to beat. THANK HEAVENS then that Nottingham Trent alumni are involved with our Paralympic athletes.
Chris Furber is the lead coach of the paracycling squad and the pressure is really on! The team dominated the medal table in Beijing. With Chris at the helm I know we'll do even better this time round.
Julie Broadhead is the lead coach for Boccia BC3 classification. It's a game first seen at the Paralympics in 1984, where athletes with Cerebral Palsy or other neurological conditions compete by throwing special 'game balls' at targets. The classifications refer to the severity of the players condition.
You can read more about them HERE and I know you'll join me in wishing them all the very best - and indeed wishing all Paralympians a wonderful Games in London.
I certainly take a real pride in knowing that anytime there is a major event going on, there always seems to be an NTU Alumnus involved. How's that for legacy?
Don't forget to keep me up to date with YOUR news. You can email me at stephen.dixon@ntu.ac.uk at anytime.
Stephen