Everybody but the British media seems to recognise the titanic effort of the Paralympians. What, not exhilarating enough for you?
All our Paralympians have shone brightly at the Rio Games but there is very little mention or coverage of this in the newspapers. Unlike the Olympics, which dominated the news stories for two weeks, the Paralympic stars are not gracing the front pages and there is no mention of honours for some very accomplished athletes.
There is a disparity between Olympians and Paralympians. The former receive the honour and greatness they deserve, the latter are merely an afterthought, relegated to the sports section. Rarely do any news of Paralympians even feature as smaller stories on the front page — despite the years of training and experience put in to reach this optimum level of being able to represent their country on the world stage. The media who do not accord these stars their due attention and praise, are the chief culprits of this inexplicable snubbing.
This year, Britain has achieved its highest medal count since 1988. However, apart from a few sources, the media has largely overlooked the Paralympians’ brilliance during these Games. For instance, Dame Sarah Storey, has won the most medals in female Paralympian history for Great Britain, winning her third gold medal at Rio on Sunday. Or, Ollie Hynd, who has dominated the field in swimming, winning two gold medals at Rio and breaking a world record title.
Despite this success, Paralympians continue to be left out of the front pages of newspapers — quite ridiculous. This disparity in treatment, where the Olympians receive a grand standing while the Paralympians are treated like a dull younger cousin, is now routine.
Great Britain should be proud of its Paralympians and their success. These remarkable people deserve to receive as much coverage in the news as their Olympian counterparts.
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