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.