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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 May 2000 Issue No. 482 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 May 2000 Issue No. 482
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Heritage Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Kinder and gentler
By Abeer AnwarA world more understanding -- and perhaps less patronising -- of disabled sports men and women. That was the goal as executive meetings of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) were held last week in Cairo, the first such gathering in Egypt.
While the three-day conference may not have quite achieved its Utopian goals, a number of steps were suggested which could considerably improve the plight of handicapped athletes, especially those in the Third World.
"We discussed improving and developing disabled sports in Africa and the world in general by holding training courses," said Nabil Salem, head of the Egyptian Disabled Federation and IPC vice president. Salem added that the worldwide subsidy for disabled athletes had been increased from $20,000 to $90,000, still a paltry sum which can never adequately cover disabled athletes who account for 14 per cent of all athletes in the world.
Not much at all but, according to IPC President Robert Steadward, efforts are being made to increase it. "We are doing a lot for developing nations," Steadward told the Weekly. "We are trying to develop stronger national Paralympic committees in developing nations. We are putting a lot more money into them. We pay athletes to go to the Games. We give money to run workshops and clinics to develop sports. We are trying to push richer countries to pay more and attract more sponsors.
"We are now getting more sponsorship for the Paralympic Games and athletes," Steadward added. "We are also attracting more media and TV stations. Our Games are growing quickly and improving," he said, adding he would like to see the Paralympics as important as the Olympics.
While that might not ever happen, the Paralympics have become, in their own right, a major global event, reflecting not only spectator awareness but interest at the official level, too. When the IPC was founded in 1989, 43 nations were members; the figure has swelled to 170. "We have decision-makers who are disabled," Steadward said. "We have athletes committees which represent the disabled in every Paralympic sport and we have members of the executive committee that were former athletes. We also have a committee that looks into athletes' problems and try to solve them immediately."
What characterises a disabled athlete and how he or she should be classified, a controversial subject which has time and again cropped up at the Paralympics, was addressed in Cairo. "We have very strict regulations," Steadward said. "Our classification system is not dependent on doctors but on sports specialists. This is totally objective and fair." He added that the IPC was currently trying to decrease the number of classes "because when you look at the performance of some athletes, you find them similar."
There are two organisations that represent athletes who are mentally retarded: the Special Olympics, says Steadward, "which has a philosophy other than ours. They are for recreational sports. Everyone wins. And there is the Paralympics where they can join as athletes."
Officials search for ways to make life easier for disabled athletes
photo: Kamal El-Garnousi
Steadward, 54, explained why the Paralympics, which this year will witness 5,000 athletes from 133 nations, follows immediately after the Olympics instead of being included in the Summer Games. "The IOC and IPC started working closely together 15 years ago to bring our movements together but we still want to respect each other's autonomy. This is because both are so large it will be impossible to bring them together."
Grouping both tournaments into one was discussed for the 1996 Atlanta Games but the number of men and women who would have participated would have been so huge that the plan was scrapped. "The venues will not be enough, the Olympic village will not host such a huge number of athletes and the athletics and swimming events will take a very long time to complete," Steadward added.
Egypt will participate in the Sydney Paralympics with 46 athletes in four sports. In powerlifting, 10 men and nine women will take part. There will be one swimmer, 12 in volleyball and 14 in track and field. On the basis of Egypt's results in Atlanta, Steadward thinks Egyptian athletes will do well in the Sydney Paralympics. "Egypt always has a very strong Paralympic team," he said, alluding to the Atlanta Paralympics in which Egypt finished 23rd out of more than 100 countries. "Some of them do very well in certain sports like power weightlifting," a sport in which Egypt is the title holder, first among 108 nations.
As to Cairo's bid to host the 2008 Paralympics along with nine other cities, Steadward said its chances were decent. "I think Cairo has a chance because the weather and the place is fantastic. I did not have a look at the sports facilities but I think this country has lots of sports history and traditions. It is a city that can be eligible to host such an event."
Ali Herzallah, head of the IPC Africa zone, said financing was Africa's most serious problem. "The most important thing is money," Herzallah said. "Most African countries have problems in travelling. To go to Tunisia, for example, you must pass by France. As a result, only a small number of countries take part in African championships. Countries like Senegal and Eritrea do not have enough money to cover the expenses of able-bodied athletes, not to mention the disabled."
The next IPC conference, in 2001, is slated for either Cambodia or Lebanon, countries where civil war casualties included many, many athletes.
