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Paralympic ?

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thenry | 19:41 Wed 29th Aug 2012 | Sport
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From the Greek para - beside etc. I hope these games get a good attendance but I think the nations will be Olympiced out !
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I think its a contraction of "Paraplegic Olympics". nothing to do with beside.....
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities, thus only people with lower body impairments would qualify for a paraplegic Olympics.

According to Wikipedia "The present formal explanation for the name is that it derives from the Greek preposition παρά, pará ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games"
paraplegia was originally to do with one side of the body, so there is a roundabout link with "beside".
But didn't it start with the paraplegics at Stoke Mandeville?
Hit submit too soon. It used to be called the Paraplegic Games.
Either way its all sold out and as far a I can tell, people can't get enough of the Olympics.
I heard on the BBC news that they had sold out of tickets.

jem
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I think you will find I am correct - PARA lympics has nohing to do with disability - it is simply alongside the Olympics.

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