Learning from Beijing's mistakes in Paralympics

April 30, 2009

The Paralympics have not yet received the hype and crowds of the Olympic Games, but Mitch Carr, Director of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Wirtz Sports Program and Galvin Fitness Center (RIC) thinks that it might be one of the keys to Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid. He traveled to the Beijing 2008 Games to observe the behind the scenes of what went right and what went wrong and tries to help Chicago’s bid become a reality.

What was initially set up for injured military officers of World War II to play wheelchair sports in 1948 has grown into the International Paralympic events that occur a couple of weeks after the Olympic Games. Today the Games are growing quickly with over 4,000 athletes from 148 countries.

After years of hosting the Paralympics in cities different from the Olympics, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has made an effort to coordinate and unite the two Games. This move towards inclusion calls for major improvements from the Beijing Games, where the Olympic rings were covered up and even a different logo was used. The Paralympics were not advertised in conjunction with the Olympics, something that Chicago 2016 has tried to rectify. “You will always hear Chicago 2016 mention the Olympics and Paralympics together,” said Carr. “We are hoping the 2016 movement can help this move forward and bring these two entities together.”

Carr’s firsthand experience with the Beijing Paralympics allows him to discuss where there is room for improvement. He visually explained the “unacceptable” little available seating for the disabled, showing how the seats were under the upper decks so these spectators could not see the fireworks and other events happening in the sky above them. Carr told the story about how he helped carry wheelchairs up three flights of stairs because the elevators were blocked off. Being a member of Chicago 2016’s Paralympic advisory committee and Legacy committee, he tells of these experiences and helps the bid project plans that would give better opportunities for the handicapped, particularly when it comes to the Paralympics.

Very weary of speaking for Chicago 2016, but extremely knowledgeable of the Games, Carr talked about how, if given the Games, Chicago will be given the opportunity to change not only America’s negative image for hosting past Paralympics, but the American attitude towards sports and physical activity for the physically disabled. The 1996 Atlanta Games did not leave a favorable impression of U.S. commitment to the Paralympic movement. Chicago would be a chance to revive this image. Chicago is already a handicap-friendly city, including an Office of Disabilities and sidewalks with curbs. “From a city perspective, we are much further along than other countries,” Carr said. “But we still have problems with our transportation system.”

Carr works at the top rehabilitation hospital in America (according to U.S. News & World Report) and knows the beneficial effects exercise can have on the physically disabled. Just like how the Olympics will leave a legacy on Chicago children and their interest in sports, so will the Paralympics leave a legacy of their own on the 21 million disabled Americans.

The Beijing Games were surprised when sold out crowds at the Opening and Closing ceremony crowded the stadium. They became much more popular than could have been projected. Chicago is already building up its support system on top of RIC with “grassroots organizations,” like Paralympic Sport Chicago and the Chicago Paralympic Development Center which looks to improve the actual sporting events for the 2016 Games. Carr said they are going to focus on primary disability sports like Boccia, Cycling and Judo. “These sports are a weakness in the U.S. now, but we hope to improve them.”

Confident that Chicago’s bid has a solid chance at beating out Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro Oct. 2, Carr hopes they do so that the Paralympics can receive more attention in the U.S. “The Games have to happen in Chicago for our media to move forward in covering the Paralympics” because the U.S. still hasn’t broadcasted these Games. Carr said, “Chicago is the hope for Paralympics live coverage,” something he thinks his Paralympic athletes deserve for their hard work.