Paralympic Opening Ceremony

Forrest Whittaker is looking well.

Could live without the adverts

Via Twitter,

Channel 4 @C4Insider

If you’re asking about ads, we’re showing less than usual but as a commercially funded bcaster they allow us to show events like the Paras.

an example

Holland, the high-vis team.

What sports you looking forward to then?
Wheelchair rugby and blind footy for me. The close ball control in the football looks amazing.

What sports you looking forward to then?

Pretty much all of it – with the Olympics I was obv looking forward to the cycling but loved getting hooked on sports I knew nothing about, couldn’t get enough of the womens hockey:)

Quite telling with all this, breaking down barriers and all,

Just seen a guy with a ponytail wheeling himself in and my first thought was, “wow, look at his hair.”

We really should put a better effort in people, these athletes deserve our attention just as much as the able bodied ones!

I disagree, but there’s no way of saying why without sounding crass.
to be honest, and I may be opening myself up for abuse, I overdosed on the Olympics to such an extent that I’m not massively bothered about the Paralympics. I’ll watch it, and might be going next week, but it just doesn’t have the same appeal, certainly not the opening ceremony 😕

I was hoping there would be wheelchair jousting- but wheelchair rugby sounds sweeeet!

Yesterday my boss told me he couldn’t watch the Paralympics because it makes him feel “weird” and “awkward”. Cretin.

Really looking forward to the Judo again. I remember my coach when I was a kid blindfolding us to make us feel for what our opponent was doing. It was bloody difficult to do.

Looking forward to seeing all of it though. I just love sport and look forward to those unknown sports coming to the fore however briefly to grab our attention and hopefully inspire everyone to participate.

wheelchair rugby sounds sweeeet!

Have you seen any of it? Utterly mental, compelling viewing.

Yesterday my boss told me he couldn’t watch the Paralympics because it makes him feel “weird” and “awkward”. Cretin.

I spoke to a bloke at work about the football and he said “Isn’t it all a bit of a … freak show?”
Jeez, 1940s anyone? 😕

Go Team GB. Entering to Heroes too. Now for the show!

On the floor there, is that the Death Star?

Heroes it is,
Heroes they are !

I have said it before but after the last few weeks I’ll never be able to listen to it again without getting a lump I’m my throat and a tear in my eye.

FANTASTIC !

I like that they’ve got a signing person there, so deaf people can understand what the singer is saying. Which makes them one up on me.

Is that that ****ing Garrett woman again?

I like that they’ve got a signing person there, so deaf people can understand what the singer is saying. Which makes them one up on me.

Not a clue what that song was about!

Yesterday my boss told me he couldn’t watch the Paralympics because it makes him feel “weird” and “awkward”. Cretin.

I spoke to a bloke at work about the football and he said “Isn’t it all a bit of a … freak show?”
Jeez, 1940s anyone?

Yeah, I’m hearing a lot of this, mainly from the boss at work. Getting a bit tired of it now.

Oddly, I feel kinda the opposite. The opening ceremony for the Olympics was great, but I felt a bit awkward with the arrogance of it all. It was all a bit check us out, we ruled the world. Which is, and isn’t, something to be proud of. It leaves me with a lot of uncomfortable moral questions.

The support offered to the less fortunate of those amongst us however, is something to be massively and genuinely proud about, I think. We’ve come a long way as a society.

Not a clue what that song was about!

Seriously, seconds after complaining about that, I caught the TV remote with my foot accidentally and it went “subtitles [y/n]?”

Apparently, the whole song revolved around “take my hand”.

Took me till now to work out how the hell to switch them off again. ‘help’ on the Sky remote, it seems.

The ceremony is certainly much better than the Olympics closing ceremony ego-fest.

Some great inspiring stories from many of the athletes – for example the woman who had her legs amputated after 7/7 and is in the GB volleyball team, or the Azerbajani who survived a bullet through his head.

Bit of Orbital sampling Stephen Hawking there!!! 8)

Bloody fantastic – Marine on zipwire is awesome.
And not a Trevor Nelson anywhere.

I didn’t watch much of the olympics, but i’m more likely to watch the paralympics. Its just more interesting with all the wheelchairs and blade feet and whatnot. And the wheelchair rugby looks brilliant, its a shame there isn’t some way for the able bodied to join in without looking insensitive, that’d be inclusive, we could all play in the same games then.

made me smile to see Ian Durys song spasticus autisticus performed considering it was banned at the time by the BBC

I want to find it uplifting, but I find it a bit depressing.

Certainly these people are showing bravery, and are making the best of the cards they have been dealt- but come on, what about the shitty, negative situations which caused their conditions- landmines, war, accidents etc?

its a shame there isn’t some way for the able bodied to join in without looking insensitive, that’d be inclusive, we could all play in the same games then.

Outside of the Olympics, I fail to see what’s stopping any able-bodied person from sitting in a chair and playing (say) wheelchair rugby.

Well i’m never going to be good enough for the olympics- I dont get enough practice.
Seriously tho, if there was a club in my area I dont know if i’d feel right just turning up and asking to join, It’d feel a bit cartmanny.

Mind you, i’d rather live in a world where we could all play together (man)

Clare Balding on 4?

You do realise she’s freelance, and goes where the work is?

Outside of the Olympics, I fail to see what’s stopping any able-bodied person from sitting in a chair and playing (say) wheelchair rugby.

You can. I went to a practice session for the local wheelchair basketball team once and they got me playing. They use a points system where each player has points depending on injury/disability with a maximum total team points allowed on court at once, so able bodied players can play. They did have one able bodied player in the squad I think. Goes without saying the able bodies player might find it hard to justify their place given their maximum point allocation.

I thought it was a great sport to play in its own right by the way, much more than just the adaptation of basketball for wheelchairs. Frankly it was quite scary at times – I wouldn’t call it a “non contact” sport by any means, the court smells like a welding shop with all the metal on metal clashes. Inevitably I was utterly sh*t at it.

I spoke to a bloke at work about the football and he said “Isn’t it all a bit of a … freak show?”
(My own quote)

Realised what I should’ve replied now: “Hmm, so you see disabled people as freaks?”
(annoying how you think of these things too late!)

I watched about an hour of it and then put some washing on. Good to see the ceremony, but like the Olys earlier I’m just not into parades and they seem to take an age.. I’m relieved to see that it’s getting a lot of attention and you know it could inspire a few more to take part in sport, which is good.

Best bit though, best bit by FAR..

C4 getting disabled presenters on TV!! In front of the camera and interviewing!!

This, this alone deserves a huge “about time”!!! About bloomin time.

The commentary is atrocious!

I was thinking the same, but MrsSalmon pointed out it’s probably for people who can’t actually see what’s going on.