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# I'm guessing it's because it's a focal point for disabled sportspeople to work towards,
same as the one for able-bodied people. It's not patronising to the competitors if they're doing it for themselves, is it? Nobody is saying to them, here, have this event because we feel sorry for you.

Able bodied wheelchair racers probably wouldn't stand a fucking chance against the paralympic wheelchair racers. For a start, they're lighter and second their main method of perambulation is their arms. It might be a laugh to let a few of them try...
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:10, archived)
# "they're lighter"
Hull for you my boy!
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:14, archived)
# Just stating a point of fact.
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:19, archived)
# You get the feeling that the rowers would do well at that.
Reminds me of Douglas Bader - one of the reasons he was so good as a pilot was that he could take much higher G loadings on account of not having legs for the blood to drain into, so he could turn tighter without blacking out.
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:14, archived)
# Is that so?
Blimey: that's nifty!
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:26, archived)
# Rowers use their legs when rowing
but the wheelchair pushing stroke is quite different to the rowing stroke. I don't think the muscle groups they use in rowing would be right.
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:36, archived)
# ^ this
They use completely different techniques and muscle groups
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:41, archived)
# I think you're right about able-bodied racers.
They probably would be annihilated in competition.

Wouldn't it be possible for just one competition to provide a focal point, though? It might even be more of a focal point, inasmuch as that - like it or not - a lot of people do see the Paras as second-best. Full integration would quite possibly raise the profile.
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:15, archived)
# I'm sure it's been done on
TV. Didn't C4 do a show with able bodied versus paralympics athletes in Beijing?
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:18, archived)
# Oooh - I don't know.
I'll have a rummage. I've been meaning to write a paper on this for years anyway...
:)
(, Mon 13 Aug 2012, 16:27, archived)