He believes the general public does not appreciate that the Paralympics have the same level of competitive intensity as the Olympics. I try to annihilate the competition. He wants to be on the top step of the medals podium. He wants to have more press conferences. He wants to be offered more speaking engagements and better endorsement contracts.
Sports is a killer tool for pushing a political agenda.
All we're saying is that we're so much equal. We might have one arm or no legs or have a head injury or a mental disability, but we deserve as much of a chance as anyone else. If you ask us, we don't think we're disabled. Sports clubs for the hearing-impaired were pioneered in Berlin in the 1800s, and sports were incorporated into rehabilitation programs for injured soldiers returning from World War I. Disabled soldiers returning from World War II went further in embracing sports not just for rehabilitation but for lifelong recreation and competition. And since those postwar years, athletic competitions for disabled people have evolved dramatically.