The overwhelming success of the 2012 Paralympics saw all online and social media records smashed as the games proved to be a huge online success.
Between the 29th of August and 9th of September:
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) weren’t the only ones who enjoyed such astronomical figures. National Paralympic Committee and LOCOG also saw a huge boost in fans and followers after the Olympic games.
- Almost 2 million people visited Paralympic.org
- International Paralympic Committees’ official Facebook group saw a 130% growth
- @paralympic saw a 50% increase in followers on Twitter
Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games
Since the success of the Paralympic games, it seems more people than ever made the trip to the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games this weekend. The 3-day event ran over the 24th 25th and 26th of July, which saw the stars of both Para & Olympic athletes striving for gold once again.
A rejuvenated Usain Bolt twice running 100 metres in just 9.87 seconds. After a poor start to the season, Usain silenced doubters as he comfortable beat a qualifying field.
Bolt then went onto win in the finals to take victory in 9.87 seconds. This time he was running into a 1.2m/s headwind.
Athletes Breaking Records Left, Right and Centre
Dina Asher-Smith and Shara Proctor both broke their own British records in 2 minutes. Dina became the fastest British sprinter of all time with a stunning 11.02 second run. Shara beat her own long jump record by 3cm.
Georgina Hermitage, a sprinter in the T37 category, and Sophie Hahn, a sprinter in the T38 category, both broke their own world records in their respective events.
The T37 category is for ambulant athletes with cerebral palsy. These athletes have movement and coordination problems on one half of their body. The T38 category is for athletes with cerebral palsy who have minimal involvement usually in one limb only.
A few years ago any event which had the Paralympic athletes in would have a very poor attendance, but in 2012 this all changed. Now I am glad to say both sets of Olympians enjoy thousands of cheering crowds supporting the courage and dedication that takes these special people to enter any race or event.