London 2012 Olympics

[Rainey]

There is very little TV coverage of the Paralympics in the US.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/au ... sfeed=true

[Sunny Saver]

Really? Interesting....
You would have thought they looked after their Paralympians.

Nah, NBC probably can't spell Paralympian.

Not that impressed with Channel 4's coverage, well what I saw of it today. Just talk, talk, talk and the commentator got the sport confused. I know what happens in the Velodrome is confusing, but it's her job.

[Jayman]

This is the first time I've seen blind athletics. I didn't even know such a thing existed - blind athletes running with their guides.
Pretty darn impressive.

[funthing29]

There are different paralympic classifications for blindness, according to whether they are partially sighted or completely blind.

I saw swimming for the visually impaired on Friday, and a guide uses a pole to tap the swimmers on their head just before they reach the end of the pool.

[Sunny Saver]

I was a bit confused last night as I watched a race where some of the runners had guides and one or two did not.

[anakin]

I think they lump some categories in together. So T11 have guides, T12 can choose to have guides and T13 do not have guides. (Might not be T. Might be another letter, I can't remember. Just remember the numbers.) I watched the T11 + T12 race last night too. As ft29 said, the category number depends on the level of vision...

[funthing29]

T refers to track.

So F is for field events; S for swimming; SB for swimming breaststroke; SM for swimming medleys etc.

T11: From no light perception in either eye to light perception, but inability to recognise the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction.
T12: Ability to recognise objects up to a distance of 2 metres i.e. below 2/60 and/or visual field of less than five (5) degrees.
T13: Can recognise contours between 2 and 6 metres away i.e. 2/60 – 6/60 and visual field of more than five (5) degrees and less than twenty (20) degrees.

"Athletes with visual impairment ranging from partial vision, sufficient to be judged legally blind, to total blindness. The sighted guides for athletes with a visual impairment are such a close and essential part of the competition that the athlete with visual impairment and the guide are considered a team, and both athletes are medal candidates."

[anakin]

Ha! I remembered right then! Thanks Not entirely baby brained!

[superhero]

Oooo what an upset just now!

[Rainey]

We saw 2 events with blind players on Friday Goal Ball & Football, in both cases, they had patches over their eyes and dark goggles over them, so none of them could see a thing (apart from the goalies), we couldn't believe how well they played from sound alone, pretty amazing.