Beijing 2008:
A Great Step Forward for Future Paralympic Games

Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, was awarded the right to host the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games on 13 July 2001, at the 112th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Moscow. For the first time, the requirements for the Paralympic Games had been included in the bidding documents of the IOC for the 2008 Games, and will be included in the host city contract, which obliges the host city to organize the Paralympic Games following the Olympic Games, using the same sporting venues and facilities. Bob McCullough, President of the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF) and an IPC Executive Committee Member, served as the IPC representative on the IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2008 Games. In this article, McCullough recounts the background scenes that led to Beijing's success over the other four bid cities-Istanbul, Osaka, Paris and Toronto.

I never would have thought that an early morning phone call in July 2000 from the President of the IPC would have resulted in having such a lasting impact on my life. Yes it was a call from Dr. Steadward inviting me to participate in the IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2008 Bidding Cities, and that simple answer of "yes" led me on an experience which undoubtedly has surpassed all of those previous experiences which I had regarded as the ultimate in one's life. I must admit that when I accepted the position, as a great honor, I had no idea as to just what it meant in terms of involvement, and just how the Paralympic Games would fit into the overall evaluation and how the future of the Paralympic Games would change forever. To witness the total acceptance of the Paralympic Games by the IOC, the Bidding Cities and the Members of the Evaluation Commission was indeed a great step forward for the Paralympic Movement and a credit to all of those people who have worked so hard in gaining the recognition and acceptance of the Paralympics.

The speed at which the evaluation moved and became organized as a cohesive unit was fast, and its administration from the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, under the leadership of Jacqueline Barrett, was efficient and always pleasant and helpful. The Chairman of the Commission, Hein Verbruggen, quickly established a sound working process and he earned the utmost respect for his leadership from within the Commission and each of the committees of the bidding cities. It was very much a team atmosphere with a dedication to gather in the facts and ensure a fair evaluation. The workload was heavy throughout the evaluation and it was a credit to all the commission members that the team spirit prevailed with great harmony. Of course there were those on the Commission who provided those lighter moments-Rocky (Kang-Ro Yoon) with his President Samaranch speech impersonations, which were absolutely perfect, and his display of the most outrageous neck ties and socks. I think we all were guilty of giving Rocky an outrageous tie! He was backed up by Sergei Bubka and Simon Balderstone, both of whom displayed great physical ability and the drive to keep fit. Rocky certainly had his share of teasing from these members but Rocky survived it well and counteracted with a wonderful linguistic ability which left most of us amazed, particularly when he took the opportunity to address his concluding remarks in the Turkish language at Istanbul! Overall the Commission worked extremely well together and proved to be very effective in their ability to obtain the necessary information from the bidding cities.

What of the bidding cities? The cooperation of all cities was excellent and all warmed very quickly to an understanding of the Evaluation Commission's role. I would well imagine it was not easy for the bid committees and high-powered city officials to be facing the evaluation team of 14 people all seeking detailed information. Nevertheless the process established by Hein Verbruggen of each commission member being responsible for at least one theme of the bid process worked effectively as each of us then had to maintain records on the theme and produce a draft report before departing from each city.

The awarding of the 2008 Games to Beijing will undoubtedly change forever the world of sport in China and in the Asian region. I would anticipate a significant accelerated development in Paralympic sports over the next few years and a wave of enthusiasm for sport that has never before been experienced in Asia. It can do nothing but good for Paralympic sports and for people with a disability in particular.

For the bidding cities which missed out I have no doubt that reaching the final five is a great honor and I feel sure that the benefits of going through the bidding process has and will contribute to the development of sport in your respective countries in the future.

My thanks to everyone for a lifetime experience and to being part of Paralympic history.

Bob McCullough
President ISMWSF, IPC Executive Committee Member