Prepping for the Paralympics!🏅
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Episode 124 Description
🏅Get ready for the Paralympics Games kicking off on August 24th. 🌏 Correspondent Kenny Curtis takes us back to Tokyo for an overview of the games and its history. 🚴 Listen to which athletes to watch and the importance of this two-week-long event. 📰 From the headlines: New Covid restrictions and beating heat records. 🔥 And test your mascot knowledge in today’s Trivia on the Ten! 🧐
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TRANSCRIPT:
Various Voices 0:00
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Bethany Van Delft 0:06
I'm Bethany Van Delft. And this is The Ten News where we get the lowdown on what's up in the world. August 24th marks the start of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, and today's episode is here to get you ready for this incredible event. Let's go! If you watched this year's Olympic Games, you may have noticed a number of ads for the parallel events of the Paralympics, this event showcases differently-abled athletes from all over the globe. All Paralympic athletes have a physical, vision, or intellectual impairments. They may compete in a wheelchair, or with a prosthetic limb, or run a race with the help of a guide. But one thing they all have in common, they are the best of the best in their respective sports. The first official Paralympics was held in 1960 in Rome and has grown to rival the size and reach of its Olympic twin. Here to tell us more about the history of the event, and which competitors to watch this year is our sports correspondent Kenny Curtis.
Kenny Curtis 1:19
U.S.A, U.S.A., Oh, are we recording? Oh, sorry. Sorry about that. I've just been so caught up with cheering for the Olympics that it's been hard to focus on anything else and even though the games are over, I've got a great excuse to keep on cheering. Because while the Olympics may be winding down a new international sporting event is just getting started, the Paralympics. Now the Paralympics are very similar to the Olympics. They feature a variety of sports, they're held every four years and they have an opening ceremony. The only difference is that the Paralympics are designed for athletes with physical, visual, or intellectual impairments. Everything else about the international event is more or less the same. In fact, the name Paralympics stems from the Greek word para, which means alongside with the intention of highlighting it as a parallel program to the Olympics. The Paralympics are a major event with 22 sports and more than 4,000 athletes competing. They're held every four years in the same location as the Olympic Games, so this year's Paralympics are being held in Tokyo now that the Olympics are officially over. But, just because they come second doesn't mean they're not equally as entertaining. The 2016 Paralympics and Rio had record TV audiences and reach more than 2.1 million spectators. Wow, that's quite a crowd. So how did all this get started? Well, the idea of the Paralympics can be traced all the way back to 1948 when a small archery competition was held for World War II veterans suffering from spinal injuries. The event was created by Dr. Ludwig Guttman, head of the Stoke Mandeville hospital's spinal injuries unit. It was a low-key affair with just 16 participants and it was held right there on the hospital grounds. But Guttman was onto something. He realized that inactivity and inertia were hurting his patients in both physical and mental ways, and he encouraged them to get moving and push themselves as far as possible. He figured that there was no better way to do this than through competition. On your marks get set... Guttman’s idea began to spread. Athletes with physical disabilities wanted to compete and by 1954, fourteen nations were represented at the Stoke Mandeville hospital's game. That's incredible. At this point, they figured they might need to upgrade to a bigger venue. So in 1960, the competitors gathered outside the Olympic Stadium in Rome. When the Olympics were officially over, they got their chance to compete in their own international event. The group was composed of 23 countries and more than 400 athletes, and it left a lasting effect on the spectators. This was considered to be the first official event of the Paralympics. Since then, it has taken place every four years in the same location as the Olympic Games. Excellent. This year's Paralympics will feature 22 Sports including the addition of badminton and Taekwondo, but some of the more popular sports include archery, swimming, table tennis powerlifting, and the Triathalon. Get ready to cheer on top USA swimmers Mallory Weggemann and Mackenzie Cohen, who will both be competing in several events. And don't forget to keep an eye out for American, Alyssa Seeley who's looking to defend her gold medal in the triathlon. The games also have wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair fencing, and wheelchair tennis. Wow. Sitting volleyball is another interesting sport with several teams lined up to compete including China, Canada, and the USA. Keep an eye out for American, Kaleo Kanahele Maclay, a talented setter on the US sitting volleyball team. Now the 2016 Paralympics featured 528 medal events, and China was the country to receive the most medals. Great Britain, the USA, Ukraine, and Australia were also in the top five. Since its debut, the Paralympics have proven that physical and intellectual impairments can't stop the heart of a true athlete. They are just as strong, just as tough, and just as brave as the Olympic athletes who competed earlier this summer. That's how winning is done. The opening ceremony for the Paralympics will be held on August 24th and the games will last until September 5th. Make sure you tune in and support some of these incredible athletes and if you need me, I'll be over here practicing my cheers, U S A. U S A. U S A.
Bethany Van Delft 6:11
Thanks, Kenny. I will definitely be tuning in to see these incredible athletes go for the gold. Now let's check-in and see what else is up.
Bethany Van Delft 6:29
With more and more students heading back to school, California became the first state to require that all teachers receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Teachers who decide not to get vaccinated will have to be tested for COVID once a week to help keep students safe. And that wasn't the only big vaccine news last week. The Food and Drug Administration also recommended that people who have certain medical conditions that weaken their immune systems can now get a third dose of the Pfizer and Maderna vaccines. The hope is that these booster shots will better protect them against COVID-19. Yes! The full results of the 2020 census are in and the fastest growing city is... Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix's population grew from 1.4 million people in 2010 to 1.6 million in 2020. Phoenix is now the fifth-largest city in the country, surpassing Philadelphia. No way. And, we've got some climate change news for you. July was Earth's hottest month on record since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association began keeping track of global temperatures all the way back in 1880. July is always the hottest month of the year, but this year, it was sizzling. All right it's time for...
Various Voices 7:58
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 8:01
Trivia on The Ten. All great sporting events have mascots. Both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics each have their own. What are the names of the mascot duo of the 2020 Tokyo games? a) Pikachu and Bulbasaur b) Miraitowa and Someity or c) Inky and Clyde?
Bethany Van Delft 8:30
Did you guess it? The answer is b) Miraitowa is the mascot of the Olympic Games. While Someity is the mascot of the Paralympic Games. These are no ordinary mascots. The cartoon-y spirits are purposefully named with Miraitowa meaning future and eternity. And Someity, coming from the Japanese word for cherry blossoms, Japan's national flower. That's great. The best part is that the mascots also have superpowers. What? Miraitowa can teleport. While Someity has telepathic powers and can fly. Sounds like some pretty cool mascots.
Bethany Van Delft 9:16
Times up! But, before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcast and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is trying to fly and includes Tracy Crookes, Pete Musto, and Andrew Hall. Kenny Curtis contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft and thanks for listening to The Ten News. And now, I'm going to go practice my teleportation and telepathic skills, wait for me Miraitowa, and Someity!
