Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony

As the flame is extinguished this afternoon at the Closing Ceremony to mark the end of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games - our ParalympicsGB team will return home with pride having surpassed their medal performance at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. 

  Britain have secured 102 medals at these Games and maintained their 2nd position ranking on the medal league table throughout most of the Games. The team took part in 18 of the 20 sports on the Paralympic programme - Goalball and Sitting Volleyball being the only sports Britain did not participate in.  A total of 80 British athletes will return home with medals including 13 year-old swimmer Eleanor Simmonds, the youngest member of the ParalympicsGB team, who won two gold medals - it's a fantastic achievement! 

I look forward to catching up with Sarah Storey next month following her two times gold medal cycling success at these Games.  The ParalympicsGB cycling team medal haul eclipsed that of the Team GB cycling team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games by the 4th day of competition! On the athletics front Britain's wheelchair racer David Weir did well to win his second gold despite being hit by a virus early in the Games. I know the ParalympicsGB athletics team are disappointed that they did not deliver their medal target at these Games however things are much tougher now with more Chinese athletes competing than there was back at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.   It's great to hear champion swimmer Dave Roberts has the honour of carrying the British flag in the Bird's Nest stadium at the Closing Ceremony today following an exceptional performance at these Games. Roberts won four gold medals and a silver medal taking him to a career total of 11 Paralympic Games medals.    The ParalympicsGB team have delivered an exceptional performance at these Games - it's now up to London 2012 to deliver a great Paralympic Games for our athletes! 



Roger Black MBE
Scottish Widows Ambassador for London 2012