If you're a person with a basic grasp of maths, you've probably gathered by now that the Olympic Games are this year. And, if you've got an even better grasp of current affairs, you'll know they're happening in London. And if you've been gifted with knowledge of geography and my life, you'll know that I happen to reside in the same country as the Olympics.
I've put up with the hoohah. Read the newspaper every night as yet another scandal of minor proportions breaks out. Laughed at the sheer accuracy of Twenty Twelve. Watched with interest at the multiple documentaries. Clapped with a small amount of interest as the Olympic Torch was run around my school's astro turf. Done my bit, basically.
But today, I'm not going to talk about the Olympics. I'm going to talk about the Paralympics.
It's a little like women's football, isn't it? We say we should care more about it, that you can get all the same enjoyment from a women's football game than a men's, yet as I sit here watching the GB/Sweden game, I can do little but feel a little downtrodden at the fact the stadium is near-empty.
Recently, I watched a documentary called Murderball. It's the story about the US wheelchair rugby team and their intense rivalries between the Canadian team. It was very good and I'd advise that you all try to watch it at some point. So when the Paralympic tickets were released, I looked into getting tickets to watch wheelchair rugby.
I expected them to be around £60/£70 each, and was fairly shocked to find they were only £15. Although they're sold out, I looked up the Men's Final (and award ceremony) tickets prices. Some tickets were £30, but the rest all £15. I looked also for Wheelchair Fencing, which has the similar prices. All the tickets on sale for Wheelchair Fencing, including the finals and awards ceremonies, are £15 a pop.
Lies, I cried to myself. I knew some tickets were cheap, but surely the award ceremonies are not that cheap! Maybe it's a system glitch? Should I check back later?
I wondered if this pattern continued in the Olympics. I checked Fencing. Not a single ticket cost as low as £15. Yes, one or two could be found for £20, but on the whole they'd cost between £30-£60. The only difference I can see is the Paralympics are a few weeks later and the players aren't standing. They've still worked for this for years. They're still elites.
This also occurs in the Opening/Closing Ceremonies. Olympics: Opening - £20.12-£2,012 Closing - £20.12-£1,500. Paralympics: Opening - £20.12-£500 Closing - £20.12-£350.
So in a week's time, when the Olympics open, I won't be cheering on our athletes. They've got enough support already. I'll hold on until the 29th August, when the Paralympics open. Because they'll probably be forgotten about.
I've put up with the hoohah. Read the newspaper every night as yet another scandal of minor proportions breaks out. Laughed at the sheer accuracy of Twenty Twelve. Watched with interest at the multiple documentaries. Clapped with a small amount of interest as the Olympic Torch was run around my school's astro turf. Done my bit, basically.
But today, I'm not going to talk about the Olympics. I'm going to talk about the Paralympics.
It's a little like women's football, isn't it? We say we should care more about it, that you can get all the same enjoyment from a women's football game than a men's, yet as I sit here watching the GB/Sweden game, I can do little but feel a little downtrodden at the fact the stadium is near-empty.
Recently, I watched a documentary called Murderball. It's the story about the US wheelchair rugby team and their intense rivalries between the Canadian team. It was very good and I'd advise that you all try to watch it at some point. So when the Paralympic tickets were released, I looked into getting tickets to watch wheelchair rugby.
I expected them to be around £60/£70 each, and was fairly shocked to find they were only £15. Although they're sold out, I looked up the Men's Final (and award ceremony) tickets prices. Some tickets were £30, but the rest all £15. I looked also for Wheelchair Fencing, which has the similar prices. All the tickets on sale for Wheelchair Fencing, including the finals and awards ceremonies, are £15 a pop.
Lies, I cried to myself. I knew some tickets were cheap, but surely the award ceremonies are not that cheap! Maybe it's a system glitch? Should I check back later?
I wondered if this pattern continued in the Olympics. I checked Fencing. Not a single ticket cost as low as £15. Yes, one or two could be found for £20, but on the whole they'd cost between £30-£60. The only difference I can see is the Paralympics are a few weeks later and the players aren't standing. They've still worked for this for years. They're still elites.
This also occurs in the Opening/Closing Ceremonies. Olympics: Opening - £20.12-£2,012 Closing - £20.12-£1,500. Paralympics: Opening - £20.12-£500 Closing - £20.12-£350.
So in a week's time, when the Olympics open, I won't be cheering on our athletes. They've got enough support already. I'll hold on until the 29th August, when the Paralympics open. Because they'll probably be forgotten about.
