Special Olympics General Interest

Humphrey

Is Louis Walsh correct in saying "the normal people of Ireland are not interested in the Special Olympics."

Is the average person interested in the special olympics??

Who intends going to the sporting Events?

Humphrey.

Humphrey

umm...

judging by the response I guess Louis was Right.

Humphrey.

Yavvy

No. i dont think you were right and I dont think Louis Walsh was right either. This is an extreamly unpopular board and you would have had a much bigger reaction had you posted this in after hours.

I for one will be going to the Soccer and backetball


C'mon Ireland

D-Generate

I think Louis Walsh to a great extent was correct but he phrased it very badly. In the past I have never watched it and this will be no exception even though it is in Ireland. I just don't find it entertaining viewing as do a lot of other people.

Now here is the point at which I get flamed by those who do not allow others to have an opinion construed as something that is not 100% politically correct. To me the term Olympics means the best of the best and I think that the Special Olympics is a fair bit patronizing. "But they can't compete at the same level as able-bodied athletes" you cry, well neither can 50 year olds but there is not an Olympics for over 50 year olds.

Emboss

I think Louis Walsh is a bit of a tit but I think he was right, Personally I'm not intrested in the Olympics beit special or any other, but the general feeling I get in work/friends no ones really bothered about it,

Humphrey

D-Generate I think you are wrong and frankly a bit ignorant.

Over 7000 people have volunteering to work for a week for this I don't call this disinterest.

D-Generate you said in the past you have never watched it, that s probably because it was never in ireland before yes. Remember this is the first time that even the Opening Ceremony will be shown live.

You also say you dont find it entertaining viewing (how dow you know), maybe you should go along to some of the events and I will be get alot more at of it than mere "entertainment".

About it being patronizing again, go along, get involved and then tell me if any of the athletic find it patronizing.

Humphrey.

Humphrey

Sorry my mistake 35,000 volunteers. Its 7,000 athletes.
Humphrey.

D-Generate

Just because it is in Ireland doesn't make it anymore of a more interesting or exciteing event. It will still have the same games and rules. The World Cup doesn't need to be in Ireland for it to still be watched by Irish people, maybe because the World Cup is a good viewer sport..... Also in the past the only thing Irish T.V ever showed of it was when the participents came back to Dublin Airport and they would show a 2 minute clip of them with their medals, hardly great coverage and now they are saying it is such an amazing event, yet it was never shown before.

Repli

I don't think the general public are that interested tbh..
When I watch professional sports I watch it because I'm seeing the best of the best competing and it's entertaining..

I don't find anything entertaining about watching handicapped people race.. In fact I think it's kinda bad racing handicapped people for entertainment...

My 2c

oneweb

Originally posted by D-Generate but there is not an Olympics for over 50 year olds. [/B]

50year olds had their chance 30 years ago. The Special Olympics is a chance for those who would never otherwise have had it.

There still seems to be a preconception of 'oh the poor thing' 'it must be awful' etc etc. That's just ignorance. It's about time the tabboos were smashed and these people were seen as what they are. People.

I don't have much of an interest in the games purely because sport doesn't interest me.

Sir Random

Great opening ceremony!
Congrats to all involved in organising it.

Mossy Monk

agreed. it was worth my 3 hours and a bit

Hairy Homer

The competitors in the Special Olympics are adhering to the central tenet of sport which is the pursuit of excellence through competition. Measuring yourself against others to attempt to be as good in your chosen field as you can possibly be.

Who says they have to be gorgeous blow-dried clothes horses like David Beckham? Or magnificent athletic specimens like Sonia O'Sullivan?

If you think that by attending the games or taking an interest in the athletes is patronising then ponder the following:

Some years ago, I completed the London Marathon in Joe Soap average time of just under four hours. This means that when the professionals contesting the race were crossing the finishing line in about 2hrs 10mins, yours truly in common with more than half the (able bodied) participants, still had about 10 miles to go.

For the entire duration of that last 10 miles the streets were lined with people watching, applauding, encouraging, cat calling and willing the participants on. Why did they stay to watch us? It wasn't to see who won; that had been decided ages ago. It wasn't for our superb athleticism, believe me! It wasn't because they all knew the participants or wanted to identify with our 'Brand Image'. So why did they do it?

Maybe it was because they recognised that ordinary people were taking part in an event for which they had to push themselves to the limit of their endurance. Each contender was competing, at the end of the day, against themselves. Pushing themselves to their own limits. That, in the final analysis, is what sport—real sport, not celebrity bollox image-rights sport—is all about. Being as good as you can be.

As the trainer in Chariots of Fire tells his charge: 'I can't put in what God left out'

Doesn't mean that you can't participate however. Or that others can see worth in the fact that you do.


Regarding lack of interest. We replied to the request to put up visiting families about six months ago only to find that the whole thing was so vastly oversubscribed that our services weren't needed. So much for apathy.

Humphrey

Nice one - Hairy Homer.