Comment by BVAA CEO Rob Bartlett

The BVAA team asked me to write this issue’s Comment shortly after the utterly brilliant Paris Olympics ended, and on the day the awe-inspiring British Paralympic Team secured an amazing 12 gold medals!

The skill and dedication all these athletes have is just astonishing.  How they react to their various levels of success always interests me.  If my journey had involved training for hours every day for 4 years, preparing for the greatest day of my life, only to have it ruined by illness, performance or injury, dodgy tech or indeed someone’s dodgy eyesight or judgement, I know I’d be beside myself with anger and frustration.

Then there’s the courage and determination.  Our own Rose Harvey for example, who in the marathon managed to break her leg, and yet still continued to the finish.  Not only that, within half an hour of the record-breaking winner, despite all her agony!  That’s truly remarkable.

Then there’s the humanity. The emotional intelligence and empathy displayed by the successful athletes, with those who missed out.  It’s rather heartwarming and a welcome change from the arrogance of some in the past.

After some research, I later learned that in addition to a more compassionate cohort, the Olympic motto has changed too.  Many of us remember ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’.  But in 2021 the IOC unanimously agreed to add ‘– Together’ to the end.  IOC President Bach said, ‘Solidarity fuels our mission to make the world a better place through sport.  We can only go faster, we can only aim higher, we can only become stronger by standing together – in solidarity.’

I confess I smiled when I learned too that the IOC also had a global campaign entitled ‘Stronger Together’ – a BVAA strapline for some years now.  The IOC campaign was aimed to showcase that incredible journey I mentioned above, specifically the one that athletes made to the preceding – and Covid-impacted - Tokyo games. 

I particularly loved the message of solidarity.  And also, that in order to move forward, we need to move together.  

‘Stronger Together’

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