Left: Team Canada 2010 Vancouver Wheelchair Rugby champions. Above: Goalball is played by visually impaired athletes. The ball has a bell in it to help the player locate it


“The wheelchair basketball players


suddenly found themselves in front of crowds of up to 12,500 people rath- er than the average 1,000,” he says, “Spanish TV raised its profile by broad- casting across the country and to other Spanish-speaking parts of the world. “During these Games it became ap-


parent to me that the Paralympic train had just left the station and I wanted to be on it,” he says. “I went for the IPC presidency, at the age of 51, full of en- ergy and enthusiasm – and 10 years’ on, I’m still going strong.” According to Craven, dropping the


term ‘disability’ has been key to paras- ports’ increase in world recognition. “I think that if we’ve achieved one thing in my tenure as president it’s that we’ve moved away from the term ‘dis- ability’ into a sports’ organisation. This equal profile has presented more op- portunities for us in dealing with the International Sports Federations and the IOC – it had to be done and it’s def- initely paid off,” he says. Since Barcelona, Craven says Paralym-


pic sports have increased in popularity. “After a successful Sydney Games, we


Issue 3 2011 © cybertrek 2011


were excited by the incredible swing of perception and genuine interest in Par- alympic sports during the 2008 Beijing Games – and if you can do that in China you can do it anywhere,” he says.


Paralympic legacy While interest continued to grow in Canada during the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Craven’s particularly excited about the role the Paralympic Games will play in London. “When I’m visiting athletes and col-


leagues around the world, there’s a palpable excitement about coming to visit London,” he says. “It’s a great city, a vibrant city and I’m sure that great things will happen at the Games and will continue to happen afterwards. When the legacy benefits continue thereafter, that’s when you realise that a Games has been a great success. “Barcelona is a brilliant example. The


city is so accessible now. As a wheel- chair user you wouldn’t know that many areas formerly had obstacles – you can now go anywhere on the streets, no problem at all. And the city increased hugely in popularity as a


visitor destination in recent years – such was the impact of the 1992 Games.” Regarding London’s legacy, Craven


says it’s good to question genuine lega- cy. “It will be the only opportunity in the early 21st century for Britain to maximise the potential for more people to partici- pate in sport and physical activity,” he says. Adding that the term ‘physical ac- tivity’ is key as he believes the way sport has been taught in schools has put many off regular sports participation. “The win, win win mentality, when


only the best people are viewed as im- portant happens in many schools across the country. Sport in school helps chil- dren to get to know each other and how to get on with other people in any situation – you don’t necessarily do that sitting in a French or maths class. Continual interaction in a slightly com- petitive environment is key to making sure children acquire life skills, and the more they practice, the better they get.” Craven goes on to say that we


shouldn’t pigeonhole sports players either. “We shouldn’t assume that a 6ft 6inch person is going to be a basketball player, when they may have a love for


Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84