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	TX: 23.11.09 - Paralympics 2012 PRESENTER: JULIAN WORRICKER

	Downloaded from www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 THE ATTACHED TRANSCRIPT WAS TYPED FROM A RECORDING AND NOT COPIED FROM AN ORIGINAL SCRIPT. BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF MISHEARING AND THE DIFFICULTY IN SOME CASES OF IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS, THE 麻豆约拍 CANNOT VOUCH FOR ITS COMPLETE ACCURACY. WORRICKER Now it's been a tense and in the end triumphant weekend for athletes with learning disabilities and their families who've been anxiously waiting for news about the 2012 Paralympics and whether they'll be allowed to take part. They missed the last two Games in Athens and Beijing, having been banned from competition after a bizarre cheating incident in Sydney. Peter White, something of a veteran when it comes to reporting the Paralympics himself, has been in Kuala Lumpur where the decision was made. First he reminds us of the background to this whole affair. WHITE When the Spanish gold medallists in the learning disabilities basketball tournament in Sydney suddenly announced that some of their squad weren't disabled after all the world didn't quite know what to think. Some gave an embarrassed chuckle, seeing it as a mildly amusing, if rather bad taste, prank. Probably quite unaware of the enormous upset it would cause to a group of athletes in no way responsible. Because the upshot was that learning disabilities athletes were barred from all Paralympic competition. Accurate classification of athletes is seen as central to Paralympic sport's integrity and credibility and an incident like this was regarded as hugely embarrassing. The price of readmission was a tough one. The international organisation, which runs Learning Disability Sport, INAS-FID, was given the job of finding a scientifically robust method of measuring, not only intellectual capacity, but how it would relate to your ability to take part in specific sports. Meanwhile, as the boffins grappled with this task, puzzled athletes, with learning disabilities, had to sit out both the 2004 and 2008 games wondering just what they'd done wrong. But finally a testing system has been devised and delegates at the International Paralympic Committee's general assembly in Kuala Lumpur have been watching film of the result to help them make up their minds. It combines computerised tests to judge intellectual capacity with observation of people playing real sport. Dr Peter Van de Vliet is head of IPC classification. So how exactly does it work, what does the person with learning disabilities have to do? VLIET The athlete participates in an active way in a series of tests and which tests depend on the sport but in the example of athletics the athlete will sit in front of a computer and he will ask to complete a series of pictures - he's shown three boxes and then he has a choice of four opportunities - a square, a dot, a box or a triangle - and then he needs to find out which one of the four options just matches the series to be completed. Another example is the athlete has a picture in front of him that consists of nine squares and then he has an empty box and he has a jigsaw puzzle below him and the athlete needs to replicate the picture using the boxes he has available. The time the athlete needs to make to replicate this picture is an indication on his ability to replicate, to visualise, and then execute that function. And this combination of all these tests allow us to tell something about what we call sport intelligence in relationship to the demands of a particular sport. WHITE The outcome of the vote was uncertain right up to the last minute. Some doubters believe that the Paralympics is not the right place for people with learning disabilities, that to play elite sport understanding and motivation is an important element of the equation. It's been debated hotly in the bars and the restaurants, with many people telling me as they filed into the assembly, from which the press was excluded by the way, that they still hadn't decided how to cast their vote. But in the middle of the afternoon the result finally came through. By a narrow 63 to 53 margin it had been decided that although there were still improvements in the system to be made learning disabilities athletes would be allowed to compete in the 2012 Games in London in four sports - athletics, swimming, table tennis and rowing. Dr Bob Price is chairman of the International Association of the Federations of People with Intellectual Disability and he's overseen the introduction of the testing system. So how did he react to the result? PRICE Obviously the dominant emotion and/or feeling at the moment is one of excitement. I'm hugely relieved that the vote went the way that it went and I recognise that there is an awful lot of hard work ahead. But there will be athletes with intellectual disabilities in London 2012 and that's what it's all been about. WHITE Up until now the athletes have been on hold, they've not known about funding, is there time, at this stage, to get everything right before 2012? PRICE Yes there is. We know what needs to be done. Athletes have already been given opportunities to compete again by IPC, they were in Iceland, they were in Tokyo a few weeks ago, and now that this green light has been given by the general assembly we will be making sure with IPC that every opportunity that is available to them will be taken. So that the athletes can prepare at the appropriate level for the competitions that are likely to await them in London. WHITE So is this now set in stone? Is it a full hearted welcoming of athletes with intellectual disabilities back into the Paralympic fold? I put that to Sir Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee. CRAVEN Depends on how you define full hearted but our hearts are obviously behind the re-admission of athletes with an intellectual disability into competitions of the International Paralympic Committee. And therefore it is a yes, as was stated in the general assembly there is still some development to do on the system but I think the membership showed, by carrying this motion, that they have confidence that that system will be developed. And in fact if it's not developed, either for certain sports or certain elements, disciplines, within a sport or even distances, say in swimming or in athletics, those events won't take place in London. WORRICKER That was Peter White. Well one of the athletes hoping to be part of 2012 is Daniel Pepper, a British swimmer. The decision in Malaysia should mean that he gets access to more funding. Until June this year all his training costs were met by his father and his mother, Julie, who's on the line now. Julie, you must be delighted by this development. JULIE PEPPER Over the moon, it's absolutely fantastic. WORRICKER And how has Daniel reacted? JULIE PEPPER He can't believe it. He's sat through so many - it might happen, it might not kind of meetings that he's just over the moon. WORRICKER How has it felt for him wanting to be at what presumably is the supreme event for him, namely the Paralympics, and simply not being allowed to take part thus far? JULIE PEPPER He's - he's competed at the INAS-FID competitions but has always seen IPC competitions as where he wanted to be. His goal has been about gaining a - earning a Paralympic gold medal and that's all he's interested in. WORRICKER Since the age of four, I'm reading, he's been swimming, is that right, so he's been pretty determined about it for a fair while? JULIE PEPPER Yes, he started swimming lessons at four. He at about eight went to a local swimming club in Marple and then moved on to Stockport Metro local squad club, when he was 12. And his first international meet with INAS-FID was when he was 14. So he's been swimming internationally since he was 14. So yes he's had this goal for a while. WORRICKER He knows one end of the pool from the other is what we mean. JULIE PEPPER He does yeah. WORRICKER I mentioned you've been - you've been having to fund much of his training regime yourself, I mean that must amount to a significant sum of money. JULIE PEPPER Yeah, it has because of course it's not only the training costs, it's the costs of meets and kit and hotels and transport and everything else, so it's a major expense. WORRICKER So some of that might be met in the future, I don't think that's quite clear yet, but if it were what sort of difference might that make to you? JULIE PEPPER It would make a huge difference. It would mean that we could really focus on us being able to go to support Dan rather than having to pay for him to compete and us not be able to go and watch him swim. But the actual training costs at about - well when we were paying at Stockport Metro is about £50 a month, so even that makes a huge difference. WORRICKER So are you already planning your trip to London in the summer of 2012? JULIE PEPPER I am yes. About 1,009 days I think. WORRICKER Oh you are planning it aren't you. Well listen when it happens it goes well and thank you very much for coming on the programme Julie. JULIE PEPPER Thank you very much. WORRICKER Julie Pepper talking about her son Daniel. Back to the Transcripts homepage Back to the You and Yours homepage The 麻豆约拍 is not responsible for external websites

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