Paralympics

NZ Paralympic coverage 'ridiculous'

You see this empty wheel chair? This is what I want to happen to Takiri Wikitera.  I want him to win the scholarship so that he will have exercises to strengthen his legs, and achieve his dreams to ride a horse and take part in the Equestrian in the paralympics. The votes are not coming in. If you have a Facebook account, will you vote and share?

Here is an easier link for your supporters to follow and it takes them directly to Takiri, http://ampvoting.orcas.co.nz/Applicants/Details/10689

My thing is I most want to be walking and running without my crutches.

I have cerebral palsy, it affects the muscles in my legs which is why I need crutches to help me get around. Horse Riding helps my muscles and balance

The nature of my goal

To achieve my goal I need to excerise alot to strengthen my muscles but it is hard work and I need help everyday to do this. I have horse riding lessons once a week, this is important+ helps me with posture, balance, rhythm and muscle tone, It has been a huge benefit to me, I get a good workout, my body feels better afterwards and I am much more confident in myself. I ride my horse really well and I hope to be in the paralympics one day. I need lots of financial support to make my goal happen.

By Paul Harper
Mark Inglis, who won silver at the Sydney Paralympics, also slated the coverage, telling Radio New Zealand Kiwis do want to watch the Paralympics live and suggested businesses front up and sponsor improved coverage.

"We haven't even had a dedicated camera crew standing on the finish line. I was privileged to have that in 2000, and we certainly saw it in Athens and Beijing, so I'd have to say it is a real pity to catch up with nearly as much [Paralympics coverage] as we have in previous years."

Sky TV spokesperson Kirsty Way defended the level of coverage, saying there would not be enough viewers to justify coverage similar to the Olympics and the pay-to-view channel was screening twice as many highlights packages as TVNZ did four years ago.

"We do support the event, we've upped the coverage, but we just can't be in the business of making programming decisions that don't have some commercial sense to them," Ms Way told Checkpoint.

"At the end of the day it means our viewers miss out on some other content they might like to watch, or the subscription fees need to go up higher."

Labour's broadcasting spokesperson Claire Curran said it was a "disgrace" there was no live Paralympics coverage shown in New Zealand.

"The lack of live coverage of events showcasing the enormous talent of our Paralympians is not only a lost opportunity to provide positive role models for the almost one in five New Zealanders with a disability, but also exposes the glaring gap that public television should be serving."

By Paul Harper | Email Paul