The London Paralympics has helped shatter social taboos and attitudes towards people with a disability, as well as giving a new, high-profile global platform to disabled sport, organisers said yesterday
“I really genuinely do think that we have had a seismic effect on shifting public attitudes,” London 2012 (LOCOG) chief Sebastian Coe told a news conference at Olympic Park in east London on the last day of the Games.
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The Games have “shown the way to treat people with disabilities,” the former double Olympic 1,500m champion added, as the event had “defined ability over and above disability”.
“I don’t think people will ever see sport in the same way. I don’t think they will ever see disability in the same way. We have talked about what we can do rather than what we can’t do,” he said.