British Chairman Reddish Hopes London 2012 Leaves Legacy

"There is no doubt that a home Games will heighten the interest in Paralympic Sport, and ParalympicsGB is working closely with all its partners and media to maximize this interest."

While Great Britain has finished second on the medals table in the last three Paralympic Games, ParalympicsGB has a much lower profile than it would like.

That is why a home Paralympic Games offers ParalympicsGB a huge opportunity to engage more people in its Paralympic sports and athletes.

There is no doubt that a home Games will heighten the interest in Paralympic Sport, and ParalympicsGB is working closely with all its partners and media to maximize this interest.

Of course, during the Games we will focus on chasing down as many medals as possible, as we are expecting to field our biggest and best team ever at London 2012, but we also want to employ the Games as a tool to bring about a major shift in the public perception of Paralympic Sport.

We want to show that our athletes are as equally talented and gifted in their respective sports as Olympic athletes are. Without a doubt, we want our athletes to go out and win medals, but the real opportunity that London 2012 allows us is to change people’s attitudes in regards to those with an impairment. Once people realize that the Paralympics are just as fascinating as the Olympics, then the way people perceive those with an impairment in society will change as well.

More than one million people have already expressed their interest for tickets to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. To sign up for your tickets, which go on sale on 9 September, please visit www.london2012.com.

The Paralympian is the official award-winning magazine of the International Paralympic Committee and this issue, in addition to Tim Reddish’s piece, features a guide to the London 2012 venues and which British and international athletes spectators should look out for next year.

To read the latest edition, please visit http://www.paralympic.org/Media_Centre/News/Paralympian/index.html