The Paralympics show us quite clearly that the disabled deserve equal rights. Like every other athlete they train hard and are totally committed to their sports. Unlike others, though, they have to master a disability to enable them to participate. It is likely that they have more illnesses than non-disabled athletes which will cut into their training schedules. It is only when we see them at the Paralympics that we really begin to appreciate their bravery and their sportsmanship.
They do not get anything like the same media coverage and appreciation as other athletes. Yet they should. After all they represent their countries too. They are living examples of the will to win. They show us what can be done despite having a disability. They find it more difficult to get sponsors and government agencies are likely to give them less funds than those participating in the Olympic Games.  For them every day is like the day of an Olympic event. They are living proof that sport is for all.

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The bookies will be out of a job
The papers will be much thinner
And what will they do on TV shows
When they cannot talk to a winner?
Sport is for all or so they say
The ratings prove it’s true
The Olympic games wooed us all
We watched as though stuck by glue.
They give their all for a nation’s pride
Though steroids and sport are the nasty side
Of what should be sport at its peak, its best
The answer to challenge, the ultimate test
Of speed and skill and heart and pace
We watched them all race by race.

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Almost everyone, it seems, is watching the athletes in China. There are, of course, those who hate sport but the Olympic Games have got most of us enthralled. We watch in fascination as nation takes on nation. We exchange views on performances and shout on our own favourites. Will they win medals or is it the taking part that really matters? It should be, of course, but there is huge pressure on the athletes to do well not only for themselves but for the pride of their own countries. Whether we like it or not the game are political too. Otherwise the athletes would not run under any flag but under their own names. Instead the national anthems are part of the prizegiving ceremony. Why?
Is it because Governments fund the training of athletes? Is it because countries are sending out their own message to the world? Do we confuse shouting on our athletes with patriotism? Just what are the benefits of the Olympics?
Some say they throw the spotlight on human rights abuses but does that have any effect? Will it change the world whether the Olympics are held or cancelled? What about the nastier side of athleticism? What about the case of the steroids and sport? What makes an athlete cheat which is totally against the whole ethos of sportsmanship?
The original Olympic Games had nothing to do with commercialism. The heroes were feted for their sporting prowess alone. They were not paid, they were truly amateur, their prize some laurel leaves. So what has happened to make the Olympics the business it is today? Would any country be prepared to send representatives who ran or swam for love of the sport and not for gain?
The questions asked are about who will be winners? Maybe a more fundamental question is are the Olympics about prestige profit and power or just simply sport?

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I don’t sail and know little or nothing about boats so when the Commodore of the local yacht club asked to write a speech I was in a bit of a quandary. He explained that they were going to have a sail pass dinner and that he needed to speak at it. He confessed that no matter how many times he had to speak he still found it hard going. My imagination took flight as I remembered walking by the seashore one balmy evening recently and being entranced by the colours of the sails reflected in the water. He wanted to speak about the youngsters who were the life blood of the club. He spoke proudly of how, when a sudden squall had overturned many of the boats, the children had not panicked but had kept their wits and waited to be rescued. He had the interesting thought that their training at sea would help them deal with the squalls of life later on. With that interesting though I was soon in full flow and his speech, he told me later on, was plain sailing.

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The chairman of the amateur football club wanted me to write a few words for his annual general meeting. Obviously he wanted to praise the work done by his coaches. He wanted to talk about the success of the various teams during the year. He also wanted to point out that some teams were not doing as well as could be expected and he wanted to suggest, tactfully, ways they could improve. He needed to address the general membership about the support they could give the club and about the urgent need for fundraising. He said that, overall, he’d like to speak about the whole ethos of the club, how it had enriched many lives and to lay out the challenges it faced. He wanted to end on a positive note so that everyone would go home proud to be a member of the club and willing to volunteer their services in some way. My challenge was to see that the speech coaxed busy people into believing that they could spare the time to become involved in such a worthwhile organisation. He had sold it to me, now it was my job to sell it to others. I hope I can score with this one.

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Many pupils who don’t shine in the classroom make an impression on the sporting field. That’s why presenting awards for sporting achievements is so important. When you are speaking at such a school prizegiving speak about the benefits sports gives young people. Speak about team spirit and the competitive element. Above all sell the idea that sports people can be a success because of the discipline imposed by training and preparing for sporting fixctures.

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This week I was unexpectedly presented with a sporting award and asked to give a speech. This brings to mind the problems of speaking off the cuff. Unless you are a very accomplished speaker it is wiser to keep it simple and simply say, Thank you I am honoured to be given this award. I shall treasure it.”

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