Paralympic ban “discriminatory,” says Mencap

Mencap has accused the Paralympic Games of “blatant
discrimination”, after athletes with learning difficulties
were banned from the games, writes Paul
Stephenson
.

The ban on the athletes competing in the Athens Paralympics,
which starts on 17 September, followed on from the last games in
Sydney where a small minority of athletes falsely claimed to have a
learning difficulty.

Following the ban, athletes who had trained for years to compete
in the games have had their funding cut.

Mencap chief executive Jo Williams said: “For disabled
people not to be able to participate in the Paralympics is blatant
discrimination. We urge the sports bodies involved to find a
solution.”

Thomas Poulton-White, a 100 metres athlete ranked fourth in the
world said: “It’s like they are saying we don’t
have a disability. They think we’re cheats and we
didn’t cheat.”

The International Paralympic Committee, which is meeting in
November, may consider a permanent ban on athletes with learning
difficulties.

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