Rio 2016 Paralympics Megathread

Mahony0509 · 22-08-2016 03:08PM #1

Yes, the Olympics is over and that means only one thing, the Paralympics is around the corner! It gets underway in just two weeks, and RTE have released their promo.

A full list of athletes for Team Ireland can be found here.
Hopefully this will be a little bit more memorable than the Olympics, even with all the budget cuts.

murpho999 · 22-08-2016 03:10PM

No disrespect to the athletes involved but I can't get excited by this event as we hear nothing about the athletes for 4 years.

maudgonner · 22-08-2016 03:12PM

murpho999 wrote: »

No disrespect to the athletes involved but I can't get excited by this event as we hear nothing about the athletes for 4 years.

Same is true for most of the Olympians too.

How many people outside of rowing circles knew who the O'Donovans were three weeks ago?

murpho999 · 22-08-2016 03:16PM

maudgonner wrote: »

Same is true for most of the Olympians too.

How many people outside of rowing circles knew who the O'Donovans were three weeks ago?

Athletics has other events that receive a lot of coverage.

Tennis players are well known as are the footballers, basketballers, cyclists, swimmers.

I couldn't name one athlete who won a medal at the last paralympics.

Mahony0509 · 22-08-2016 03:17PM

murpho999 wrote: »

Athletics has other events that receive a lot of coverage.

Tennis players are well known as are the footballers, basketballers, cyclists, swimmers.

I couldn't name one athlete who won a medal at the last paralympics.

Jason Smyth is probably the most well known, he is a runner and one of the best in the world. He won gold last time.

failinis · 22-08-2016 03:20PM

murpho999 wrote: »

No disrespect to the athletes involved but I can't get excited by this event as we hear nothing about the athletes for 4 years.

I think it is more of a case that if you find certain sports interesting that you will follow them, some fully abled and some not, in that area.
Therefore having knowledge of the athletes.

Its not like you should expect weekly shows updating you.

biko · 22-08-2016 03:46PM

Ireland have been consistently good at the Paralympics and this year should bring more medals.

HigginsJ · 22-08-2016 03:48PM

Isn't there going to be no fans and a skeleton support staff as they have not been able to get the money in for this. I feel for the guys going, could end up being a horrible experience.

maudgonner · 22-08-2016 03:56PM

murpho999 wrote: »

Athletics has other events that receive a lot of coverage.

Tennis players are well known as are the footballers, basketballers, cyclists, swimmers.

I couldn't name one athlete who won a medal at the last paralympics.

Yes, but the point is that once the Olympics come around you get to know the more obscure competitors, who you would probably never otherwise hear of. And get wrapped up in their stories and wind up shouting for them.

The beauty of the Olympics is becoming absolutely engrossed in sports that you don't normally follow. The Paralympics is like that, but moreso.

Not knowing much about the sports/competitors beforehand never stops me from enjoying the events.

maudgonner · 22-08-2016 03:57PM

Mahony0509 wrote: »

Jason Smyth is probably the most well known, he is a runner and one of the best in the world. He won gold last time.

He was/is the fastest Paralympian in the world.

maudgonner · 22-08-2016 04:06PM

Just to whet the appetite even more, here is the Channel 4 promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk

And here is their legendary one from 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vavJK1McHUo

Mahony0509 · 23-08-2016 01:48PM

Is this the first ever Paralympics that we have a football team? I can't remember having one in the recent Paralympics..

SEPT 23 1989 · 23-08-2016 02:06PM

your country is proud of you

enjoy every minute of it

smash · 23-08-2016 02:27PM

maudgonner wrote: »

Just to whet the appetite even more, here is the Channel 4 promo:

Is drifting an Olympic sport now?

longshanks · 23-08-2016 02:39PM

The Russian Paralympic team won't be allowed compete due to the state sponsored drug programme. They lost their appeal. This makes even more of a mockery of the Olympics, Russia, the whole thing really.

PowerToWait · 23-08-2016 04:43PM

Mahony0509 wrote: »

Jason Smyth is probably the most well known, he is a runner and one of the best in the world. He won gold last time.

Smyth is good. I'd say Athlone's Mark Rohan was the real story from London with 2 golds out of 2 events in Handcycling.

fryup · 23-08-2016 04:52PM

i hope its well attended but reports back from Brazil suggest very few tickets were sold...

could be very disheartening for the participants

maudgonner · 07-09-2016 07:56PM

The Last Leg is starting on Channel 4 in a few minutes, kicking things off (no pun intended

).

Pherekydes · 07-09-2016 08:08PM

Interesting and disappointing that the President of the IOC is not attending the opening ceremony.

fryup · 07-09-2016 11:17PM

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

he's wanted by brazilian police

mansize · 07-09-2016 11:24PM

Still waiting for Team Ireland!!!

maudgonner · 07-09-2016 11:29PM

Having the team names in Portugese seems to have meant loads of Es.

We're onto the Fs now!

mansize · 07-09-2016 11:31PM

Irlanda is what I'm waiting for 99th in Olympics- don't know what number in Paralympics

mansize · 07-09-2016 11:32PM

Remember when Ireland came out and they kept showing Pat Hickey...

maudgonner · 07-09-2016 11:37PM

mansize wrote: »

Remember when Ireland came out and they kept showing Pat Hickey...

I don't think he had any luck getting tickets for the Opening Ceremony this time, unfortunately. :pac:

maudgonner · 07-09-2016 11:47PM

Come on Team Ireland!

Larbre34 · 07-09-2016 11:51PM

The team looked great, nice stylish garb, so much better than the Penneys raid the Olympic team had to wear for their ceremony.

mansize · 07-09-2016 11:55PM

Yeah Under Armour not New Balance!!!

timthumbni · 08-09-2016 09:20AM

Watching news night (I think) a few nights ago and the father of one of the UK girls was saying that the categorisation process was being abused all the time and was unfair.

He said that if someone was ridiculously far ahead ahead of the rest in a short event there was something wrong.

I remember in London thinking the same sometimes.

kneemos · 08-09-2016 09:26AM

The commentator on Channel4 started telling us how this made him cry and that made him cry.

I switched off.

ScrubsfanChris · 08-09-2016 11:38AM

Watching the count down numbers failing to unravel, flashbacks of Sochii :P

Rio 2016 Paralympics Megathread

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