After the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 there were only one-and-a-half hours' TV broadcasting about the Paralympic Games. In 2012, there will be more than 150 hours of coverage, which is amazing. This year has seen a huge spike in interest: more enquiries, more interview requests and a genuine media interest for the right reasons in the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and our London 2012 athletes.
The BPA's priority is to have everything in place
to support our athletes to help them to achieve optimum performance and personal bests. We
also want to ensure that we use the momentum from the Olympic and Paralympic Games to inspire future generations of young disabled athletes to take part in sport, and to drive lasting change
to people's perceptions and attitudes.
Changing perceptions will change practices, such as sports clubs becoming more proactive about providing opportunities for young disabled people. Making sure everything is ready for our teams prior to going into the Paralympic Village is key. It could be anything from ensuring that every athlete has
a bespoke kit that fits them to organising multi-sport camps to bring team leaders, support staff and athletes together before the Games. Meeting with our sponsors is another important job both before and during Games time. Deloitte Ride Across Britain, for example — where people cycle around 1,000 miles over nine days — continues to raise tremendous funds for the BPA.
Hearing the roar of the crowd after walking out
at the Opening Ceremony at my first Paralympic Games in Barcelona is my favourite Paralympic memory. There were goose bumps and tears.
It's a pretty indescribable feeling.
Tim Reddish is a supporter of Deloitte Ride Across Britain, which has pledged to raise £1m for the BPA
by 2013. Visit rideacrossbritain.com.
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