INTERVIEW
lawn bowls. It’s what drives someone’s heart that’s more important than hav- ing the right physique,” he says. “We need to find out what activity individu- als are excited by, as first and foremost sport, or physical activity, has got to be viewed as a fun thing to do.”
Going forward With the Sochi Paralympic Winter Games in 2014 in the IPC’s sights, Craven be- lieves that the event will have a similar impact on Russian society as it has had in China. “The CEO of Sochi 2014 has become a very good friend in recent years and he’s somebody that I really do believe will see through change,” he says. “When I met up with him at the Beijing 2008 Games he told me that he’d been checking out the Chinese intent to improve accessibility across the cities of China, to check that progress was in line with what was being achieved in Beijing. “I was pleased to hear that his research
had a positive outcome and that he’s 100 per cent committed to achieving similar changes and working to spread these throughout Russia from the Sochi Games. I think the key here is that the Russian president, prime minister and the presi- dent of the Russia Olympic Committee are absolutely supportive of this intent. It’s something that’s still quite new for the Russian sports federations but it’s ex- citing when a sports event has the power to bring about powerful and enduring cultural change in a country.”
Above: Alpine Skiing at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Right: Craven with Paralympic swimmer Mallory Weggemann
Regarding Rio 2016, Craven says
that the IPC is fortunate that a leading member of the Paralympic governing board – Andrew Parsons – is president of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. “He’s worked extremely hard over the years to raise the profile of the Para- lympics,” Craven says. “Twelve years’ ago just 20 to 30 Brazilian Paralympians attended major sporting events, but at each subsequent Games I’ve seen more and more yellow and green tracksuits. There’s been tremendous support for Rio 2016 from the Federal, State and City governments and robust promises made by Rio 2016 president Carlos Nuz- man, so I’m very confident that their pledges will be delivered before, during and after the Games.” Craven is also confident in Pyeong-
chang’s ability to host a successful winter event in 2018, citing the fact that the Pyeongchang region and Korea as a whole, has a long history of staging sports events for athletes with a disabil- ity. “The bid featured a solid concept to boost the development of Paralympic
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Winter sport in the region, throughout Asia and internationally and the team committed considerable funds to sup- port projects,” he says. He adds that they have also committed to staging two sanctioned Paralympic sport events per year in each of the years leading up to 2018, which will help promote Paralympic sport in the area as well as training staff and testing the venues. “The Games are the pinnacle of the
career of Paralympic athletes and a motivation for many to participate or engage in Paralympic sports. Showcased to a worldwide audience they can act as a vehicle to change perceptions and leave tangible legacies,” Craven says. “Sport has the power to unite the
world as ‘one world – one people’, and through their courage and determination Paralympians have the power to sur- prise and change perceptions on equality through their performances. We’ve got great athletes. Whether they have lost a leg, or can’t see, spectators are genuinely surprised that they can offer a fantastic sporting spectacle, just like anyone else.”
Issue 3 2011 © cybertrek 2011
©CREDIT MATHILDE DUSOL
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