2013-05-24T03:57:26-04:00 Chris Holmes http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=chris-holmes Copyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Chris Holmes Good old fashioned elbow grease. tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1864733 2012-09-07T19:00:00-04:00 2012-11-07T05:12:01-05:00

Chris Holmes http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-holmes/
And what a Games it has been so far! We learned that the same aforementioned opening ceremony attracted well over 11 million viewers, a Channel 4 10-year record. In terms of viewing, the sport has also pushed well in excess of anything seen before in this nation in terms of Paralympic sport.

So to the pool, and we have to talk about that noise, that physical force coming at you whenever a Brit steps out onto the deck. Never more so than for Ellie Simmonds. Her first race marvellous, the noise massive. At 200m how could she win, how could she do it but she kept coming, she kept on coming and the crowd, the united physical Paralympic force behind her kept on growing. Down the final length, could we hold it as individuals, could the pool hold it, and powering through the gold was hers. Two days later she returned for another stellar performance, her final turn pushed the crowd onto new levels and I imagined sitting rooms around the country were in no need of their armchairs, a nation on its feet roaring for Walsall's finest. Again powering away she made the gold her own and had it presented by the Prime Minister.

What of the track, well, what about that? Some 80,000 packing it out for some Paralympic moments which would shape the games, which would shape us all. Men's 200M Oscar on the start but at the thrilling finish the race went to the Brazilian Olivera. And that is the fundamental truth of Paralympic sport, the fundamental truth of all sport, the single way to win a race is to cross the line first.

The same evening we had that 5,000 feeling again as David Weir sprinted home to a roar at least as loud as for Mo three weeks earlier.

At the velodrome another 'Storey' unfolded for Paralympic swimmer-turned-cyclist, Sarah. She eats up training and in London she ate up the track nailing gold after gold after gold. Her ability, her talent, is boundless - bright, brilliant performance.

So what of the games in total? The largest number of athletes from the largest number of nations, 164. The largest broadcast coverage across the UK and across the world. Last Thursday all the front pages, the same on Friday, the same on Saturday bar one and the same on Sunday bar one. Paralympics has caught across the nation. New names have been learned, new sports watched, witnessed and appreciated. The Paralympic park full, full of smiling happy people, friends, family, toddlers, teenagers and all and every person else. One big smile over East London, one big smile across our land. The Paralympics has arrived. It continues to excite, to inspire, to engage, to connect.

Keep watching, keep supporting, keep roaring for our Great British Paralympians and the Paralympians of the world, in our city, in our country, inspiring the world.

Chris Holmes MBE is currently a guest blogger on Freeview.co.uk taking a look at the TV highlights from the Paralympic Games ]]> tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.1531217 2012-05-20T19:00:00-04:00 2012-07-20T05:12:15-04:00

Chris Holmes http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-holmes/
Today, as we mark 100 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, it's an opportunity to reflect on the journey to date and the final steps on the road to one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

I am in the middle of a month-long tour of schools and it's been a magical experience speaking to young Games Makers who will be volunteering at the London 2012 Games, playing Paralympic sports with young people who are trying something new for the first time and hearing how the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality have inspired them in life.

Young people are absolutely core to our commitment to use the London 2012 Games in a transformative way and it is so inspiring to hear their overwhelmingly positive responses. But it's not just children and young people who are already getting involved and benefitting from London hosting the Games. Millions of people here in the UK are already inspired and involved, through the many sports participation programmes going on, such as the Sainsbury's Million kid challenge and by volunteering at the Games or in local communities.

Another way people can show their support is by joining the hundreds of thousands of people who will be going to watch this unmissable sporting event live. A million tickets to the Paralympic Games have already been snapped up and today, we are putting a further million tickets on sale, covering every sport and giving everyone a chance to experience the fantastic venues ranging from those in the Olympic Park, to ExCel and Brands Hatch. Tickets start from £5 for young people aged 16 and under and seniors aged 60 and over and full price tickets start at just £10. If you can't choose which sport takes your fancy, you can go for day passes at the Olympic Park or ExCel which will allow you to take your pick from four or five different sports on one day.

Whatever ticket you decide to go for, I can guarantee that Paralympic sport will leave a deep and lasting impression on you. Every single athlete involved in the Paralympic Games is an incredible sportsman or woman and I urge everyone to take this once-in-a-lifetime chance of a home Games to be there and to form memories that will last a lifetime.

The next 100 days will be a time to get behind the Paralympic Games, as a spectator, volunteer or supporter. Historically hosting the Paralympics has always had a positive impact on society's attitudes to disability. I've seen that in a number of Games I've been lucky enough to compete in. When we went to South Korea in 1988 for the Seoul Paralympic Games, as soon as we arrived you could sense how the essence of the Paralympic Games and the spirit of the athletes and the Games themselves really started to affect that city and ripple out across the country.

We believe that people's ideas about disability will change through this simple act of coming along to the Paralympic Games, watching Paralympic sport and seeing supreme athletic performances by people like Oscar Pistorius, the 'Blade Runner', or David Weir powering his wheelchair by his hands at 32 miles an hour. Or Wheelchair Rugby, a phenomenal sport which probably a lot of people have never witnessed before. It's such a tough sport - with athletes smashing into each other with such power, they don't just have a physio on the side of the court, they have a welder to fix their wheelchairs. It will show you what athletes can do, not what they can't do.

We have the opportunity with the London 2012 Paralympic Games to really help change how people view disabled people and disability sport. The Paralympic Games are like nothing you will have ever experienced before - they bring their own unique passion, drama and emotion.

So come and see sport like never before, try something new and I guarantee it will be the experience of a lifetime.]]>