Why do people not seem as interested in the special olympics as in the 'real' olympics?

The special olympics has had much less media coverage, tv time etc. Both able bodied and disabled atheletes train hard for their olympics so why do people sort of ignore the para olympics? Because unfortunately people seem to think that athletes that do not have all the regular abilities are less important and their achievements are not as great. This is so untrue.

They are not even interested in this question!

I have been wondering this myself, I was a bit shocked at the blatant lack of coverage to be honest. If more coverage was dedicated may be more people would watch, I don't know really, but I know I would.

By the way I assume you are talking about the Paralympics? or is the Special Olympics going on and I have no idea?

Well when people still mix up the name as The Paralympic as Parallel
for elite Athlete with a physical or visual disability

The Special Olympic are for people with an intellectual disability
and the focus is on participation

http://www.en.beijing2008.cn/paralympic

I think it is a shame because competitors in the para-olympics have overcome far greater hurdles, as it were, to get there. Can't understand why they are held after the closing ceremony,

Be nice if the UK could break the trend and hold them simultaneously!

Paralympic Exposure < Olympic Exposure.

No contest. Tell me: Right off the bat, are you more interested in a normal person or a "special" person? No, tell me the truth. You know the answer as well as I do.

I blame the organisers and the media for this. The importance given by the organisers and the media to the special olympics is nothing compared to the summer/winter olympics. The organisers and the media need to publicize the event more to generate interest amongst the public.

Since special olympics normally takes place immediately after the summer olympics, may be the organizers can look at combining both the events to run one after the other, with common stage for the opening and closing ceremonies. This way, people would have continued interest in both the olympics.

Thank-you for bringing this up..
I am so disappointed in the Australian TV networks..Chanel 7 did nothing but play re-play after re-play,hardly saw anything but it was on all day and night..
The Special Olympians are getting bugger all coverage.Chanel 2 is showing a few hours a day of it,but no sign of it anywhere,not even on Foxtel..
As a mother of 2 Autistic boys i am very up set,my 12 yr old goes to special school and they have been sending Hero Grams to their favorite Aussie squad members,but unfortunately they are not getting to see any of these people on TV..I would have thought they would have opened their eyes up and see how many supporters these Olympians have over here..

I think it Sucks to be honest..
These people are all champions and they deserve the recognition for being so brave and courageous...


Great question..!!...

Who wants to see a "special" person run the 100m in 43 seconds?

I agree, they paralympians train just as hard as the Able bodied Athletes!

Although the Athletes in the Olympics are better known, it doesn't mean they should have privileges over the others!

I have an opinion that wont be popular. People with disabilities (or such that they are eligible for the special Olympics) is in the vicinity of 1 to 3% of the population. Even then they break it down into various sub sections- for example there may be many different Gold Medals for the 100M running - single amputee, double amputee, developementally delayed, sight impaired etc etc tec. This means that in your specific pool you are competing against a very, very small percent of the population.

What would I prefer - the 100M final in the olympics where it is finding the fastest man compared to everyone in the world rather than 8 seperate 100M were you are competing against 0.2% of the population per event.

It is a bl00dy disgrace!
It down to media coverage!
You get one hour of highlights on BBC2 and have the interactive button, that a lot of people do not have anyway, which today, was a frigging shambles, basketball most of the time or yesterdays highlights!

These guys have overcome their disabilities triumphantly, yet the BBC give them so little coverage.........I am fecking hopping mad!

I wonder if Gordon Brown will greet these guys at the airport?

They have done so well, as they always do, and are treated like 2nd class citizens by the media!

If Sarah Storey was in the senior Olympics, her time would have been in the top 8!
David Roberts has earned his 10th gold and going for his 11th, but I bet my last quid that most of the people in the UK have never heard these names!

And this is just the tip of the team GB iceberg in the paraolympics, they have achieved so much and broken many world records!

But, hey..........no one seems to give a feck about them!

because disabled athletes are not "real" athletes, and many are ugly...

the women arent cute enough......and its a very minority thing which really is only of interest to people with a disability or their families

There is nothing 'special' about either Olypics , the people participating in them are all Athletes. And if you want to look at the Medal table you'll find each Athlete has won a medal for their country as well as owning it themselves. And as was written they'res a suggestion , hold the Olymics for Non Disabled People at the same time as the Paralympics, and to the person that said 'whod you sooner watch' It doesn't deserve a sensible answer. I bdet if London did stage the ywo together its trade would go up, and you could see you're favorite athlete , if he/she was competing in the Paralympics or not while you were visiting London at the same time

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