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Paralympics helped restoreathletedreamof OlympicsBy JIM MORRISThe Canadian PrerssVANCOUVERWhen the doctor said she’d never walk again, Marni Abbott wanted to die.An aspiring downhill skier, Abbott thought her dream of competing at an Olympics was shattered at 17 when she broke her back in a skiing accident at Vernon, B.C.“It was probably two days after I arrived in intensive care I had this doctor come to me and say ‘you’re never going to walk again,’” Abbott said Tuesday.“I was ready to kill myself. I didn’t image my life being worth anything.Since then Abbott has attended three Summer Paralympic Games, winning three gold medals in wheelchair basketball.“I dreamed of skiing at the Olympics when I was a little girl, Abbott, 36, said during a press briefing to outline plans for the Paralympic Games should Vancouver win the 2010 Winter Olympics.“My dream was modified a little bit but it’s still rewarding to be able to represent Canada and compete at the highest level possible.”It was when she met Rick Hansen, who rolled his wheelchair through 34 countries to raise awareness of the disabled, that Abbott first realized she could still compete at an Olympics.“He told me, ‘Get your head out of your butt because there’s still all theseopportunities available to you,’ ” Abbott said with a smile.“He told me about the Paralympics and opportunities in sport. He really opened my eyes to what was still available to me and helped me realize my life was still worth living.”Should Vancouver win the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Paralympics will be held in Whistler, B.C., beginning 12 days after the Games end.Dena Coward, the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corp.’s Paralympics spokesman, said the event would operate on a $40-millionbudget, which is included in the Games’ proposed $2-billion operating budget.The 10-day competition would attract 700 athletes from 40 countries, along with 800 team officials and guides.Athletes would use the same facilities being used for the Games to compete in Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and biathlon and wheelchair curling. A $20-million rink would be built for sledge hockey.Abbott said the Paralympics play a huge role in raising awareness of the disabled.“Here (in Canada) people with disabilities have great jobs and careers and opportunities in sports,” she said.“A lot of other countries just don’t have the same awareness so people with disabilities don’t have any value in their society. I think the Paralympics and events like that help raise the awareness and education level.”
Newspaper Details
Medicine Hat News
Medicine Hat, Alberta, CA
Wed, Oct 16, 2002
Page 13
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