THE PARALYMPICS

Definitely, the Brazilian Olympiad in Rio is officially over since last Sunday, when the Paralympic Games ended , which has hardly been information and coverage, by the different media, very few and many in deferred.

Really, the issue of the Paralympic competitions , which to “Priori” are an example of many values ​​for the rest of the mortals, or so they make us see through that “wonderful” marketing as with the rest of the news of a different nature. . However, behind a Paralympic Olympiad or any other disability competition, which could rather be called skills, it is not all so beautiful in values ​​or human exemplarity.

From the already known always suspicions, and see that this is brutal, annoying a part of your body or any other type of savagery, to be able to compete, either at the Olympic, National or international level , for the satisfaction or the pride of achieving, What? A piece of metal and a piece of money, while inside it rots and kills you almost without realizing it, I don’t know, I don’t see the point.

Much less do I see sense of it, in you, the Paralympics , because it is understood that you come from such great suffering, from a painful personal improvement, either due to illness, accident or any other reason that has led you to have any of the Disabilities, that at first no human being would like to have, it does not have to be absolutely easy to go through these stages, to live that, my empathy is so great, that the internal pain that had to be suffered in those stages, could not be compare even with the most hideous comparisons of suffering.

Although I am nobody to talk about this, nor do I have any internal knowledge about it, I have hardly been able to see anything of the Parlimpic Games, however, if I can give an example of what I have been able to see in my sport, THE TENNIS , specifically in Wimbledon , in different years in the discipline of Wheelchairs (Wheelchairs), including this year. The tension, the stress, the pressure, at the same levels as the players in daily competition, really allow that situation that one sees and feels live, touch the absurdity and the stupidity that a human being can be.

Let me explain, with all the long road that these athletes have had to live to overcome the consequences of their illness, accident or any other reason that led to that disability, how hard that road has had to be, the level of suffering did not both for yourself but for the people closest to you that you feel have had to suffer more for you than you for yourself, he asked me this year in the middle of a wheelchair game, ask myself the following question and which transfer to you too,How is it possible that at the end of your journey, in that light that becomes for a “disabled” athlete, practicing a sport, which always comforts internally, does not approach it with the mentality of enjoying it, without pressure, that is, of enjoying the gift of the trip, once your stone is no longer stone but foam rubber that within the limitation does not prevent you “in theory” from living with dignity?

I have raised that question, because also a month or so ago, before the Paralympic Games , there was an athlete Marieke Vervoort , with a degenerative disease, who after the Games, clearly planned to undergo euthanasia, leaving this phrase “A Despite my illness, I have lived what others can only dream of “ , finally I don’t know if he will or will carry out his thought, each one is free in his right to decide, in this case more, how to deal with his illness. 

I will end by reflecting that if your whole life, with illness or without illness, is focused on external factors, competing, the medal, money, what they will say by how you dress or do, … etc, when all that disappears , and believe me it will disappear, your life will have lost all meaning, and you will collapse in a way, from which it will be very difficult to get up but not impossible.

Many thanks to all the Paralympic athletes, Spanish and non-Spanish, because all the clean ones and the cheats are great examples, in forgotten values ​​in our day to day, in which they generally go unnoticed, but they are the ones who build. Enjoy the trip that you have deserved, Enjoy the sport without hanging yourself, because the most valuable price, in my opinion you already have it under your arm, Disability changed to ability.

Faithfully with affection,
A lover & respectful of the values ​​and spirits of whatever sport but specially The hidden on tennis .
Remember:

ALWAYS PURE TENNIS !!!