Thanks for the warm-up

The title of this blog is the strap line from the Paralympic broadcasters in Great Britain.  This billboard is near my home. They are all over the country.

After the Olympics Great Britain has a great buzz and feel good factor.  Also there has been record ticket sales for the Paralympics which is fantastic.

Lots of people I work with and people I know who don’t follow sport have embraced it.  They have been asking me about my involvement and whether I am excited about the Paralympics?  My answer has been yes, big time!
It has been nice as well as overwhelming that people are showing an interest in my officiating duties, I hope I can do a good job.

To help my friends and colleagues get an understanding of the Paralympics I have been posting and tweeting a fact every day.  So far the facts are:

• There are 21 different sports at the Paralympics in London 2012
• 1988 in Seoul, South Korea was the first time the Paralympics used the same venues and facilities as the Olympics.
• Great Britain has never finished lower than 5th in the medal standings.  Since 1960 they have won 528 golds, 502 silver and 492 bronze.
• The 3 spikes on the mascot Mandeville’s head relate to the 3 atigos (means “I move” in latin) in the Paralympic symbol.  Plus the mascot has 1 eye because it’s actually a camera recording it’s journey.
• Classification is the structure used for competition.  There are 10 eligible impairments within the Paralympic Movement. Click here for more details

Today’s fact is:

• In 1952 the first international Stoke Mandeville Games were held.  These games are thought to be the precursors to the Paralympic Games.

I think the build up to the Paralympics has been positive and I hope I can share awareness with my daily facts.