Ultimately, full integration of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games would be ideal in promoting the magical talent and remarkable courage of disabled athletes as a signpost for the integration and inclusion of disabled people into society at large. Done properly, it could also deliver maximum functional effectiveness and financial efficiencies at the level of venues, organizing committees, staff, volunteers, broadcasters, media, sponsors and other third-party support networks.
The disadvantage of being lost in the Olympics would be more than made up by the bigger stage and attention from more than 10,000 visiting media and technicians (20 times the size of the media contingent covering this year's Winter Paralympics) and the massive domestic and international television rightsholders and sponsor delegations in tow for the big show.
But if the time for full integration of the Paralympic Winter Games with the Olympic Winter Games has not yet arrived, then surely staging the Paralympics before the Olympics rather than after merits consideration.
Beginning tonight and running for 10 days through March 21st, the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games are still a big event, coming as they do two weeks after the Olympic Winter Games February 12th-28th. They'd be a much bigger event -- and an even more useful event -- the other way around.
Holding the 2,750-athlete Olympics first and the 650-athlete Paralympics second is like U2 opening for the Bare Naked Ladies.
It is much harder to turn the lights back on after U2 and still get people excited about the Ladies than to have the Ladies warm up the audience and take advantage of the concert buzz before the headliners take charge. Yet that's exactly what the current timing asks of host organizing committees, management and staff, volunteers, media, broadcasters, sponsors and, for that matter, the host city and larger community.
There are missed opportunities for the Paralympics happening after the Olympics, even with the supposed advantages of having the floor to themselves for 10 days. Much of it is missing the chance to showcase their extraordinary athletes and inspirational stories in front of media arriving for the Olympics; not as many as who are here for the actual competition dates but still many times more than who are here two weeks after the Olympiad.
Also missed is the political opportunity to showcase these amazing Paralympic athletes before government dignitaries and public policy makers from around the world.
The missed opportunities for the Olympics are equally important, if not more important. Inclusion of the Paralympics in the 10 days before the Winter Games would only add more substance and anticipation to the Olympics; more excitement and spirit in future host cities such as Sochi 2014. It would help the Olympic organizing committee ramp up for the big show, testing venues, transportation, security, media and broadcast facilities and other logistics.
As Vancouver 2010 showed, the Winter Games are a beast of an international event to stage and there is no such thing as too much preparation and practice; no better way to work out kinks and ensure smooth operations than real-time delivery.
Paralympics preceding the Olympics would be more than a valuable and practical rehearsal - it would be an inspirational opening act for the Olympic movement...and the first step towards full integration.
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