Paralympics – Day Two

Today was very interesting. We first went to the official opening of the Snow Dome at Whistler. The Snow Dome was created by prosthetics company Otto Bock, and is a fabulous exhibition with interactive displays promoting awareness of Paralympics and Paralympians. The slogan of the Snow Dome is “Spirit in Motion – Discover What Moves Us”.

From the outside the dome lights up at night and images and quotes are projected onto it.

Inside there are images of great athletes, with their stories of courage, determination and drive. It’s very inspiring.

The story of these legs is amazing. Apparently the one on the left is the one the athlete arrived at the Games with – it is partially home-made and is worn and broken. The one on the right is the one Otto Bock made for him instead of repairing his old one. He went on to win a gold medal.

This amazing wheelchair has track tires like a tank, lights, and can travel 6km/hr.

Visitors to the Dome can try out an ice hockey sledge for themselves.

The Snow Dome is definitely worth a visit – both educational and fun.

Day Two we also started our coverage of the Whistler medal ceremonies.

This is Sir Philip Craven and Minister of Sport, Gary Lunn were among the group of medal presenters…..

…as was Princess Margriet of the Netherlands.

We finished up the night at an Otto Bock function with athletes, sponsors and organisers, before heading back to Vancouver.