Everything You Need to Know About the Paralympics GameSharein
This post is part of Viator’s coverage of the London Olympics. Leading up to the Games and every day during the Games, we’ll be posting tips from our London-based blogger, Philippa. Be sure to check back often for the latest updates on happenings around London, news on special events and tips for what to see and do in London and the surrounding area while you’re visiting!
Paralympic Symbol at Trafalgar Square in London. Photo courtesy of ell brown via Flickr.
So the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix has reignited our flame for watching sports after a two week hiatus following the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Now the stage is set for the Paralympics which begin on August 29th and runs until September 9th.
The Paralympic Torch has been lighting up the country beginning on August 22nd with the lighting of four flames at Great Britain’s highest points: Scarfell Pike in England, Slieve Donard in NorthernIreland, Snowdon in Wales and Ben Nevis in Scotland. The four flames will be brought together to form the London 2012 Paralympic Flame for the opening ceremony. On August 24th the English flame came to Trafalgar Square, carried by Claire Lomas who was an event rider until an eventing accident in 2007 left her paralyzed from the chest down. Claire recently walked the London Marathon in a pioneering robotic suit raising £204,000 for Spinal Research, just one of the amazing stories we’ll hear over the next couple of weeks.
The Paralympic logo, Agitos, went up on Tower Bridge. Agitos is from the Latin ‘I move’ and the logo colors of red, blue and green are those most commonly found in world flags, while the symbol stands for courage, determination, inspiration and equality. The symbol will be proudly on display at Olympic Park for the games.
While the Paralympics will use mostly the same venues as the Olympic Games, changes have been made, and to the Olympic Village which will house 4,280 Paralympic athletes, 3,500 team officials, 1,225 Games officials and 22 assistance dogs (there will be 1,800 wheelchair users in total).
And there are two new venues: Eton Manor, located in the Olympic Park will host the Wheelchair Tennis competition, and Brands Hatch – the internationally-renowned motor racing circuit near Sevenoaks in Kent will host the Paralympic Road Cycling. The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich has been modified to host the Paralympic Shooting and Archery.
For the first time in history, the Paralympics tickets are sold out – great news and a real indication of just how much the wonderful London 2012 Olympics enthused us all for watching sport and appreciating achievements. But as with the Olympics, tickets may become available at short notice so keep checking the websites. In addition to the specific event tickets there will also be Olympic Park day passes, ExCel day passes and The Royal Artillery Barracks day passes. There are also a couple of different sports: Goalball, which is a team sport for blind athletes and Boccia, which is a game similar to bocce played by athletes who require wheelchairs.
At 8:30pm on Wednesday August 29th the world will once again be watching London for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Called Enlightenment it’s been designed by another of the UK’s award-winning film directors Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot). There’s a cast of over 3,000 volunteers, rehabilitating soldiers, children and professionals, 4,000 athletes from 162 nations, and it will include an acrobatic performances on a 35 meter-high rig above the stadium.
If you’re going to the Paralympics, the same travel and entry conditions apply – leave plenty of time and expect airport style security checks. If you don’t have tickets you can catch all the action free on the big screens at BT London Live at Trafalgar Square where there’ll be live music every evening and a chance to try out a few paralympic sports.
The venues are ready, the athletes are poised for another world-stopping sports fortnight, now all we need is for the English weather to be as good as it was for the Olympics.
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