I move:
That Seanad Éireann extends its congratulations to the Irish Paralympic team on its outstanding performance in the recent Seoul Olympics.
We were more than uplifted by the tremendous performance of our Paralympic team in the special Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, in the month of October. Out of a team of 60 athletes, the Irish team brought back 45 medals, namely 13 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 19 bronze medals, making them the 18th best team to compete in the games. This fact, allied to the four world records which were broken by members of the Irish squad, certainly set us apart as a very exceptional nation at the games.
The competitors, their families and their coaches can feel very proud indeed of the performance they put up on behalf of the Irish nation. All of us praise the dedication shown by athletes who have to undergo difficulties such as the athletes in the special Olympic teams have had to undergo but when a performance like this is seen, it certainly indicated that all the hard work, all the dedication and all the training was well worthwhile. The example shown by the special Olympics team shows that while they may in some sense be suffering from minor disabilities of one form or another, they are more than adequate when it comes to dedication and when it comes to the human spirit. Their performance indicates that the lesson for all of us who would claim to be the able-bodied is that if we could put the same effort and dedication into our lives as those athletes put into their lives and training, then all of us and this nation would be far the better for it.
If there is one note of disappointment I have to sound it is that the coverage of the Paralympic games by our national television station was far from adequate. We are all joining in the praises now when we see the results but I think it would have been very beneficial, not just for the athletes, their families and their friends, but for everybody in this country to see some of the events that took place and to see what the athletes could do and could win. It would have helped to remove another layer of the doubt and misgivings we sometimes have about disabled athletes and their abilities. The point was made by one sports commentator at the events that the standard reached such great heights in one or two of the competitions there that it will not be long until some of the disabled athletes will be able to take on and beat able-bodied athletes in their own sports. This in a sense indicated the training and dedication which has been undertaken by the special Olympic team.
I will leave my comments at that. Again, on behalf of my party I extend our sincere congratulations to the team. They were a credit to themselves, their families, their coaches and friends and to the Irish nation. We can all be very proud of them.