AS I SEE IT COLUMN: Paralympics are must-watch TV

If you are a sports fans who hasn’t caught any of the action at the Paris Paralympics, you still have a few days, as they end on Sunday, September 8th.

For those of you wondering what ‘para’ means, its meaning in Greek is “alongside.” The whole idea of the Paralympics is that they exist alongside the Olympic Games. The objective is to include athletes with a diverse range of challenges and giving them equal exposure to able-bodied athletes.

If you are a true sports fan, you have to watch the Paralympics. What those athletes can accomplish despite the physical and intellectual challenges they face is truly remarkable. They are beyond inspirational.

Sprinting with blades instead of legs. Swimming without any arms. Are you kidding me?

I defy any Canadian sports fan to watch Parkville B.C.’s Nicholas Bennett on top of the medal podium after his astonishing come-from-behind gold medal swim in the 100 metre breaststroke and not be moved to tears. Not just because of his remarkable finish to win gold, but by his reaction on the podium.

Seriously, if you haven’t signed up for CBC’s Gem platform, do so right away and prepare to be blown away by the amazing athletes competing in Paris. You can watch all the sports on demand.

Sitting volleyball. Triathlons for people paralyzed below the waist, where it takes two people to pull the para-triathletes out of the water and put them on their specialized bikes where they pedal with their arms. There are 4,400 athletes competing in 22 different sports. Many sports have multiple sub-categories, depending on the severity of the impairment.

I’m a huge fan of watching world-class badminton on YouTube and I can honestly say that some of the best rallies I have ever watched in that sport in my entire life were played by Paralympians of short stature in Paris.

Take wheelchair basketball as another example. The dimensions of the Paralympic basketball court are the same as in able-bodied basketball. I would venture to say that 98% of able-bodied people sitting in a chair at the foul line would not be able to get the ball anywhere near the hoop, let alone swish it.

Given the polarized world we live in, there are no doubt people who will attempt to belittle the Paralympics as “the woke games” or as some kind of DEI initiative (diversity, equity, inclusion).

Sadly, many people who consider the word “woke” to be some kind of a progressive talking point or an evil force in the world are evangelical Christians. Here’s a newsflash for them: The Jesus you profess to worship was the poster boy for wokeness and DEI. The New Testament is woke. If lived properly, Christianity as a religion is woke and has DEI as a core tenet. You folks seriously need to radically re-evaluate your theological belief system.

Fortunately, most of the world sees the Paralympics for what they are. A truly amazing display of courage, strength, toughness and perseverance. And don’t get me started on the sportsmanship. While there were lots of moving displays of sportsmanship at the Paris Olympics, the Paralympics take it to another stratosphere.

The Para athletes have so much love and respect for their fellow competitors, it really is something special to see.

The closing ceremonies will be fantastic. It will have all the grandeur and majesty fitting of an Olympic closing ceremony, only now the performers will be missing arms, legs, sitting in wheelchairs or using crutches.

And here’s the thing about the Paralympics. You don’t need to feel sorry for the athletes or watch the Paralympics out of some sense of sympathy. Once you tune in, you will be mesmerized and captivated by their skill, tenacity and bravery. It’s riveting sports competition, by any metric, by any objective standard of what makes sport part of the fabric of society.

It’s must-watch TV.