Amazing Athletes: An All-Star Look at Canada's Paralympians
Gaining popularity With each competition the Paralympic Games have brought together more and more athletes from all over the world In 1960 there were 400 participants from 23 countries In 2016 there were more than 4,300 from 160 countries and getting more buzz For many years the spotlight was only on the Olympic Games That changed in Sydney in 2000 when the organizers were determined to give the Paralympic Games equal footing The following statistics show how the Paralympic Games have been gaining more attention in recent years The Paralympic Winter Games have often drawn less attention because they include fewer sports However media recognition has increased substantially in recent years In Canada the number of people watching listening to or reading about the Paralympic Games television radio newspapers the web and social media went from three million in 2010 to two billion in 2018 Coverage on the Internet and on social media has boosted the visibility of the Paralympic Games Deservedly so In 2012 Canadian television devoted seven hours of airtime to the summer Paralympic Games in London focusing mainly on Para athletics and Para swimming In 2016 the airtime increased to 300 hours and included a wider variety of sports such as Boccia and Goalball 6
Canada and the Paralympic Games a love story increase in participating countries and Canadians have every reason to be athletes the level of competition has proud of our Paralympic athletes Our become a lot higher As a result Canada country does well in the Paralympic Games with competitors routinely slipped to 14th place in the 2016 Games The athletes and the Canadian qualifying for the majority of summer and Paralympic Committee have redoubled winter sports From 1976 to 2008 Canada placed in the top seven countries in their efforts to once again reach the top Stay tuned numbers of medals However with the Host cities Year Host City Tokyo 2021 Rio de Janeiro 2016 London 2012 2008 Beijing 2004 Athens Sydney 2000 Atlanta 1996 Barcelona 1992 Seoul 1988 Stoke Mandeville New York City Arnhem Toronto 1984 1980 1976 1972 Heidelberg 1968 1964 1960 Tel Aviv Tokyo Rome Summer Games Country Japan Brazil United Kingdom China Greece Australia United States Spain South Korea United Kingdom United States Netherlands Canada Germany Israel Japan Italy Winter Games Year Host City Country 2022 Beijing China 2018 PyeongChang South Korea 2014 Sochi Russia 2010 Vancouver Canada 2006 Turin Italy 2002 Salt Lake City United States 1998 Nagano Japan 1994 Lillehammer Norway 1992 Albertville Tignes France 1988 Innsbruck Austria 1984 Innsbruck Austria 1980 Geilo Norway 1976 Örnsköldsvik Sweden 7
JAMOI ANDERSON Sport Sitting volleyball Date of birth November 13 1985 Birthplace Toronto Ontario Inspired by Kobe Bryant five time NBA National Basketball Association champion As a child Jamoi Anderson enjoyed playing baseball soccer football and especially basketball He joined a basketball team as a teen and became an excellent player But after a serious illness which resulted in him losing part of his leg Jamoi took up Sitting volleyball His progress in the sport was amazing and just a few months after he began playing he was recruited by the national team In 2015 in his first international competition he experienced one of the highlights of his career 8 I was competing in the Parapan American Games in Toronto and I was excited about playing on Canadian soil In the match against Colombia for third place I scored the winning point which earned my team the bronze medal It was great to win that victory in front of my family my friends and the Canadian fans he says
A TOUGH ROAD When he was 23 Jamoi was hospitalized with a viral infection He spent a month unconscious in a coma The medical treatment he received saved his life but his left leg had to be amputated below the knee After the operation he went through a long period of rehabilitation I was very motivated to recover my muscle strength and learn to walk with a prosthesis I wanted to manage on my own in my everyday activities Today I’m very comfortable with my abilities doing things I enjoyed even before my amputation My recreation nowadays is often with able bodied individuals so I can say I’m right back where I was he explains My multi sport prosthetic allows me to run jump and quickly change direction 9
