Paralympics
Mary Brady, MD TAP Executive Director
Aretha Franklin asks: What's YOUR Excuse?
We answer: to participate in the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics you need no
excuse!
Ms. Franklin will headline the Opening Ceremony on August 15th. Along
with a cast of other celebrity athletes and performers including
Christopher Reeves,she will be following a tradition started in
England in 1948. Since then, nine other Paralympiads have taken
place.
ParaFACTS:
- The 1996 Paralympic Games will be the first Paralympics ever
broadcast in the United States.
- 4,000 athletes will participate, along with 1,000 coaches and
team staff, 1,500 officials, and 15,000 volunteers.
- Events are diverse, ranging from powerlifting to yachting.
- The Paralympics is the worlds second largest sporting event, just
smaller than the Olympics, and bigger than the World Series, Super
Bowl and World Cup in scope, number of participants and events.
- There are more than 700 events because athletes compete according
to degree of disability and functional level. (The Olympics, by
contrast, have about 330 events.)
- The official mascot of the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games is
BLAZE, a phoenix. A mythical bird which was burned by the rays of the
sun and rose,renewed, from its own ashes, BLAZE symbolizes the triumph
of the human spirit.
Not Just Sports!
In conjunction with the 1996 Paralympics, a Cultural Para-lympiad,
including live theater, comedy, a Disability Film Festival, arts
exhibitions and conferences will also be taking place. Also, the World
Congress on Disability will be taking place at the Atlanta Marriott
Marquis from August 12-16. An international focus features Justin
Dart, Judy Heumann, Marylands own John Lancaster, and the Honorable
Joshua T. Malinga, chairperson of the Southern Africa Federation of
the Disabled and Mayor of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Tickets and Information: For a complete information packages,
including pricing and schedules, call (404)724-2700, or visit the
Paralympics website at: http://www.paralympic.org.
