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Outrage as Paralympian gets disqualified for "unfair" reason

Elena Congost, had just finished the T12/B2 run in third place, but was disqualified and had the bronze medal taken from her, for this one simple move. The 36-year-old was running in the vision-impaired category with guide Mia Carol Bruguera. When her guide faltered with a cramp in the final metres before the finish line, Congost instinctively helped him from falling over and let go of the rope that binds them together. This is not allowed within Paralympic rules as all runners must be connected to their guide via a tether. As a result, Japan’s Misato Michishita was elevated to the bronze medal after finishing fourth. In a heartbreaking interview after the race, a devastated Congost said: “It’s unfair, surreal.” “The next athlete was three minutes behind me. It was just a reflex action that any human being would have done – holding on to someone who is falling.” “But that doesn’t mean that there is any kind of benefit or help. In fact, it is clear that I stop dead. “I can’t find any explanation for this. It’s sad because, in addition, I had just been without a scholarship. And I’m not going to get one now. They will leave me out of everything again when I have shown everything I can do. “I have not been disqualified for cheating, but for being a person, for helping someone.” In a separate interview with Spanish outlet Marca, she said that despite being disqualified, she is proud of her actions. “I would like everyone to know that I have not been disqualified for cheating, but rather I have been disqualified for being a person and for an instinct that comes to you when someone is falling and is to help or support them,” she said. “I’m devastated, to be honest, because I had the medal. I’m super proud of everything I’ve done and in the end they disqualify me because 10 metres from the finish line I let go of the rope for a second because a person next to me fell face first to the ground and I grabbed the rope again and we crossed the finish line. “The next athlete is three minutes away from me, so it was a reflex action of any human being to hold on to a person who is falling next to you.” Fans around the world were outraged at the disqualification verdict and have called for officials to overturn it. “Shame on you. Give the medal back to Elena Congost,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Where is the Olympic spirit? Elena Congost was disqualified after running 42km and helping her guide not to fall to the ground. She has lost the bronze medal and her sports scholarship. Disgusting," another wrote. "Give the medal to Elena Congost. This decision ruins the paralympics. How can you be called inclusive if you can’t help a person from falling?” a third added. Image: X

Caring

Why aren’t the Olympics and Paralympics combined into one Games? The reasoning goes beyond logistics

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-misener-992664">Laura Misener</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> As the lights go out on an outstanding Olympic Games in Paris, with <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/7-in-10-canadians-tune-in-for-paris-2024">record-breaking media attention</a> and <a href="https://olympic.ca/press/paris-2024-team-canada-brings-home-historic-medal-haul/">excellent medal results for Team Canada</a>, it’s important to remember the Games aren’t over — it’s just the halfway mark. While the closing ceremonies on Aug. 11 seemed like the end of the event with the <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/as-the-olympic-flame-heads-for-los-angeles-what-can-we-expect-from-the-2028-games-1.6997247">official handover to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Games</a>, the 2024 Games are really just on pause. This two-week break between Olympic and Paralympic Games isn’t a respite at all. Paris is now getting ready to host the Paralympic Games, which will <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/information/competition-schedule-for-the-paralympic-games">begin on Aug. 28 with the opening ceremony</a>. In two weeks, a whole new set of elite international athletes will descend on Paris for the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/sports/paralympic/">third largest sporting event</a> in the world. Canada will be sending <a href="https://paralympic.ca/news/team-of-126-canadian-athletes-set-to-compete-at-paris-2024-paralympic-games/">126 athletes to the Paris Paralympics</a> to compete in 18 sports. Staff will be working hard to set up venues for the Paralympic sports. This means tearing down some temporary venues and putting up others that facilitate accessibility for Paralympic sports, athletes and their entourage. Transforming <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/the-games/village">the village</a>, which housed just over 14,000 athletes and team personnel for the Olympics, to get it ready for the 8,000 para athletes and staff for the Paralympic Games is no simple feat. <h2>A logistical nightmare</h2> At this juncture, the question often arises as to why the Olympics and Paralympics aren’t combined together into one Games. The reasoning behind the decision is more complicated than it might appear. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee signed the <a href="https://www.paralympic.org/feature/2-historic-one-bid-one-city-agreement">One Bid, One City</a> agreement to protect the interests of the Paralympic Games. The agreement requires host cities to stage both the Olympic and Paralympic Games using the same venues, facilities and infrastructure. This also unites the two sporting movements. The sheer size of such an event would make it impossible for almost any city to host a single combined Olympic and Paralympic Games. Consider the logistics of an event that would include approximately 15,000 athletes over 50 sporting disciplines. In the current iteration, there are already 15 cities outside of Paris playing host to events. For instance, sailing was <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/marseille-marina">held in Marseille</a>, shooting was <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/chateauroux-shooting-centre">held in Châteauroux</a> and the rowing and canoe-kayak events were <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/venues/vaires-sur-marne-nautical-stadium">held in Vaires-sur-Marne</a>. Even a city with the resources and infrastructure of Paris could not, and would not, host an event of that size. Combining the games would necessitate a change in structure, and inevitably sports — likely Paralympic sports — would be dropped. Hence the two-week break between Games. <h2>Paralympics deserve their own spotlight</h2> The discussion about the separation of the two events goes much deeper than logistical concerns. Some supporters of the Paralympic Games see the need and value for a <a href="https://time.com/7004176/olympic-paralympic-games-separate/">separate event</a> that showcases and highlights elite athletes with disabilities. IPC President Andrew Parsons, for example, argues that hosting the Paralympic Games separately <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147694/merging-olympic-and-paralympic-games">focuses on their broader mission</a> of drawing attention to “issues of disability rights, accessibility, and broader areas of inclusion for the legacy of the event.” The distinct Paralympic event showcases the elite performances of Para athletes, giving them the attention and celebration deserved. All too often, Para athletes’ successes are overshadowed by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795221103410">tendency of media to prioritize non-disabled athletes</a>, often marginalizing or overlooking the achievements of athletes with disabilities. The challenge, then, is for the host city to maintain the momentum from the Olympics and ensure Paralympic athletes receive the recognition they deserve for their sporting successes. The Canadian Paralympic Committee launched their <a href="https://paralympic.ca/games/paris-2024/">Greatness Moves Us</a> campaign recently to highlight the stories of excellence of Paralympic athletes and galvanize support and viewership. <h2>A lasting legacy</h2> Ultimately, the Paralympic Games showcase elite sporting excellence in a way that no other event does. But the Games are about so much more — championing inclusion, disability rights and a lasting legacy of social change. Paris is an example of a city that has stepped up to the challenge. It put <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/travel/paris-olympics-accessibility-disabled.html">accessibility at the centre of its bid</a>, knowing full well the challenge ahead of them in the historic city. Leading into the Games, the city has made good on <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1147595/paris-accessibility-paralympics-games">many promises around accessibility</a> and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities. The city upgraded the overground transportation network by adding fully accessible bus and tram lines, and introduced 1,000 accessible taxis. They also tackled some challenging tasks, such as upgrading historic venues into accessible sporting spaces. More than €10 million was allocated to improve the accessibility of six major sports facilities, including the <a href="https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/georges-vallerey-swimming-pool-reopens-after-renovation-work-27046">Georges Vallerey swimming pool</a> and the <a href="https://www.paris.fr/en/pages/the-pierre-de-coubertin-stadium-has-been-renovated-for-the-olympic-games-27211">Pierre de Coubertin stadium</a>. The aim is to sustain the momentum, not only between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but long after they conclude, with the goal of creating a more <a href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/our-commitments/promoting-the-role-of-sports/more-inclusive-society">inclusive society</a> in France. Leading up to the start of the Paralympics, there is some concern about whether the momentum will be there from a viewership perspective and spectators in the stands. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games set records for viewership in a Games that was largely devoid of spectators in the stand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. American <a href="https://www.wkar.org/wkar-news/2022-01-17/opinion-sports-are-a-shared-human-experience-bringing-us-joy-and-drama-so-it-is-time-to-appreciate-the-paralympics-on-par-with-the-olympics">television network NBC</a> reported 15.5 million viewers per night for the 2020 Olympic Games, in contrast to 14 million viewers in total for the 2020 Paralympic Games. But many of us will be looking more at the momentum of the event to be a catalyst for inclusion, access and opportunity beyond the events. Once all the lights go out on the Games, it is the lasting legacy of social change that will be the ultimate judge of the success of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236670/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-misener-992664">Laura Misener</a>, Professor & Director, School of Kinesiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-university-882">Western University</a> Image credits: ALI HAIDER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-arent-the-olympics-and-paralympics-combined-into-one-games-the-reasoning-goes-beyond-logistics-236670">original article</a>.

International Travel

"You are terrible": Brutal comment that drove Paralympian to greatness

From a young age, Paralympian Madison de Rozario knew that people treated her differently. "There's an enormous lack of expectation in what we [people with disabilities] are able to do in sport, in workplaces, in school," she told 9honey. "It can be the death of potential … I didn't recognise that's what I was experiencing as a young kid." Born in Perth, Western Australia, De Rozario developed a neurological disease at just four-years-old and has used a wheelchair ever since. It didn't hold her back from playing sports with her two sisters, and now she is a Paralympic champion with six medals to her name - two golds, three silvers, and a bronze medal. De Rozario recalled how Frank Ponta – a silver medallist at the first ever Paralympics in 1960, an inaugural Australian Paralympic Hall of Famer, and coach to several Paralympic icons – helped her overcome her early doubts. "There was a lot of sympathy, a lot of pity, which I didn't recognise as pity at the time," she said. "And then there was Frank, and he had none of it." Ponta was part of a generation of para athletes that fought for recognition and support back when most Australia treated them as if they were invisible. She recalled how the first time Ponta saw her try to play basketball at just 12-years-old, he told her, "you are terrible at this sport". While it's not exactly what a young athlete would expect to hear, she acknowledged that she was terrible, but Ponta saw her potential. He dug an old racing wheelchair out of a storage cupboard, strapped her in and told her to go for a spin around the carpark. "It was way too big for me and I absolutely fell in love with it," she recalled. Not long after, Ponta was training her multiple times a week even in the toughest conditions. Not only did he believe in her, he expected her to achieve great things and that expectation changed everything. "I think he was the first person that didn't treat me carefully," she said. "He just treated me like an athlete." A year later, one of Ponta's protegees, Sauvage, took over De Rozario's coaching and helped her nab a last-minute spot at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. De Rozario debuted 48 years after Ponta and brought home the silver medal, the same medal he won at his debut. Ponta sadly died in 2011, a year before De Rozario competed in London, leaving behind a legacy for all para athletes to come. "I feel so just incredibly lucky that I had one of them in my corner. I didn't even realise it until he was gone," she said. "I feel so lucky that that's how my career started, with someone who just embodied all of those things that now as a 30-year-old, I hold very, very close." These memories help fuel her as she prepares for her fifth Paralympics in Paris this month. This year she hopes to make Ponta proud and be the inspiration to the next generation of para athletes. "That part still sits so restlessly in me," she said. Image: DARREN ENGLAND/EPA-EFE/ Shutterstock Editorial

International Travel

Hard to watch! Paralympic champion given the worst gifts ever

A Spanish Paralympic cyclist has been given the worst trophy gifts in history, with his calm and collected reaction making waves online. Ricardo Ten Argiles was last week crowned world champion in three separate events at the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. During the post race ceremonies, he was presented with two gold medals, along with two very surprising gifts from the event's major sponsor: international watch company Tissot. The 47-year-old was gifted not one, but TWO watches in a fancy display case, despite having both his arms amputated at the forearm. A video of Ten keeping a straight face while being handed one of the watches has started to spread across the internet with more than 800,000 views. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Not a very well thought gift. <a href="https://t.co/hRhaTfnGsE">pic.twitter.com/hRhaTfnGsE</a> — Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) <a href="https://twitter.com/OutOfCycling/status/1691136594747469836?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2023</a></blockquote> One video shows Ten standing on the podium and exchanging some friendly words with an official as he holds the watch case tightly between his arms. Understandably, the mortifying moment has been met with outrage and black humour. The athlete himself has been laughing off the incident and has embraced the way his social media pages have exploded with comments. Many of the comments suggested that Ten regift the expensive watches at Christmas, while others wondered how officials at the event could've let the awkward gifts happen. Despite the outrage from fans, Ten responded to one news story about the “tactless blunder” by writing on Twitter, “I am very happy to have won two TISSOTs, one for each arm, but above all for what it means for Paralympic cycling, total inclusion of the sport at the highest level”. Image credits: Twitter

Body

World’s tallest athlete towering in Tokyo

The world’s tallest athlete Morteza Mehrzad, who competes sitting down, is 246cm tall and he’s part of the Iranian men’s sitting volleyball team which is on track for back-to-back gold medals at the Paralympics. The middle-eastern nation has dominated the sport for decades — winning six of the past eight gold medals in the men’s game — but it’s the addition of Mehrzad which has made the team even more unbeatable. The 33-year-old is the second tallest man alive and the tallest Paralympian in history. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.12648221343875px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843639/tallest-athlete-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3b9a155aa6764bbe9dc77eaf510d451a" /> In a sport where players with a variety of ailments sit down and try to get the ball over the net which is approximately 1.15m off the floor, it’s very easy for Mehrzad. Iran will meet the sport’s other powerhouse Bosnia Herzegovina in the semi-finals on Thursday night in a rematch of the gold medal game in Rio four years ago. On that occasion, Mehrzad made the difference and Iran won the medal. Iran’s coach asked Mehrzad to join Iran’s coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani saw Mehrzad on a TV program about physical disorders and got in contact with him, asking him to join the team. He took up the sport nine years ago and made his international debut in 2016 and immediately started winning awards. He’s only improved, continuing to dominate at the Paralympics. Even sitting down, when Mehrzad raises his right arm, it reaches a height of 1.93 metres. When spiking — the term used to describe a forceful attacking shot to get the ball over the net — he can get his dominant hand up to 2.3m in the air. It’s not all good news for the Iranian sports star While it’s easy to see why Mehrzad would be happy with his progress, it isn’t all good news for the Iranian superstar. He suffers from acromegaly - a medical condition which arises from the brain’s pituitary gland producing too much growth hormone after the body’s growth plates have closed. By the age of 16 he was already over 1.9m tall. Mehrzad rarely stands up though because he seriously injured his pelvis in a bike accident as a teenager, meaning he now spends significant amounts of time either on crutches or in a wheelchair. His right leg has stopped growing and it’s about 15cm shorter than his left. The sad reality is that while he’s helping his teammates to win and bringing recognition to his country in Tokyo at the moment, his condition does not bode well for his long term future. A spokesperson for his team said: “His health is not going well. His health is currently declining because he’s getting taller. I think he’s still growing. The first time we saw him he could walk better but now he has to walk with crutches.” But now is a time for Mehrzad and his team to focus on the positives. Iran has won six gold medals and two silvers across the past eight Paralympics, and with Mehrzad’s help, it looks likely they’ll be heading home from these Games with some more medals as well. Image: Getty Images

Body

Prince Harry refers to "darkest of places" in new Netflix documentary

Prince Harry refers to the "darkest of places" in the latest Netflix documentary Rising Phoenix, which focuses on the creation of the Paralympics and the challenges competitors have faced. To promote the new documentary, Harry appeared via Zoom alongside other athletes. "There isn't anything else in the world that can bring you back from the darkest of places than sport," the Prince explained. Other athletes in the group included Tatyana McFadden and Matt Stutzman from the US, Bebe Vio from Italy, Jean-Baptiste Alaize from France and Ntando Mahlangu from South Africa. "With COVID and everything else that is happening at the moment, your stories and the strength that you guys show, is incredible and that needs to be seen more," the Duke of Sussex says. "It needs to be spoken about more, to try and get rid of the stereotyping to get rid of those preconceptions. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> The Duke of Sussex spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RisingPhoenix?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RisingPhoenix</a> stars <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmlessArcher?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArmlessArcher</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jbalaize?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbalaize</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TatyanaMcFadden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TatyanaMcFadden</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/VioBebe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VioBebe</a> and Ntando Mahlangu about the power of sport to change the world and the way we think. Rising Phoenix – the extraordinary story of the <a href="https://twitter.com/Paralympics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Paralympics</a> - is out now on Netflix. <a href="https://t.co/Kzq0COg6RF">pic.twitter.com/Kzq0COg6RF</a> — HTYT Stories (@HTYTstories) <a href="https://twitter.com/HTYTstories/status/1301523211667099649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2020</a></blockquote> "My biggest hope is that people will watch this film and go, 'No matter how hard my life is, no matter how hard a day or a week can be, this what I aspire to, not just for me but for my family and all the loved ones around me'. "It is that element that I think will end up changing the world, so well done and thank you very much." The Duke of Sussex is a long-time advocate for overcoming adversity as he created the Invictus Games, which gives wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women the chance to compete in sports to assist their recovery and rehabilitation. Rising Phoenix is now available to watch on Netflix.

News

Paralympic gold medallist dies by euthanasia at age 40

Paralympian gold medallist Marieke Vervoort has passed away by euthanasia at the age of 40, 11 years after making a promise to herself. The Belgian Paralympian suffered from an incurable degenerative spinal condition which was diagnosed at the age of 21. The diagnosis followed years of pain, and Vervoort continued to suffer after receiving her diagnosis. "I know how I feel now, but I don't know how I'll feel after half an hour," she says. "It can be that I feel very, very bad, I get an epileptic attack, I cry, I scream because of pain. I need a lot of painkillers, valium, morphine,” she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/50150513" target="_blank">the BBC.</a> "A lot of people ask me how is it possible that you can have such good results and still be smiling with all the pain and medication that eats your muscles. For me, sports, and racing with a wheelchair - it's a kind of medication." Vervoort was a strong advocate for euthanasia, as she first signed the documents necessary back in 2008, just six years after euthanasia was made legal in Belgium. "I was a very depressed person. I was thinking about how I was going to kill myself,” she said. "All those people who get those papers here in Belgium – they have a good feeling. They don't have to die in pain. "They can choose a moment, and be with the people they want to be with. With euthanasia you're sure that you will have a soft, beautiful death." <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3x0kvcH4ud/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3x0kvcH4ud/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Can’t forget the good memories!</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/wielemie.marieke.vervoort/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Marieke Vervoort</a> (@wielemie.marieke.vervoort) on Oct 18, 2019 at 4:45pm PDT </div> </blockquote> A statement from the Belgian Paralympic Committee and IPC called her a “source of inspiration in our society”. "We will not forget Marieke Vervoort's great sporting achievements, as well as her courage in the face of illness," said President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee, Anne d'Ieteren. Marc Vergauwen, Secretary General of the Belgian Paralympic Committee, shared the same sentiment. “Marieke Vervoort brought the disabled into the light with her two medals at the London Paralympic Games. "Her performances as well as her spontaneous interviews after her races generated great media attention for Paralympic sport in Belgium and were a source of inspiration for our society."

Caring

Sophie Delezio is all grown up

Sophie Delezio, 15, has been through more hardship in her short life than most of us deal with in a lifetime. In 2003, the world was rocked by the news that the then two-year-old had been trapped under a burning car, which ploughed into the daycare she attended. Delezio suffered burns to 85 per cent of her body and lost both her feet, one hand and her right ear. However, sadly, the tragedy didn’t end there. Less than three years later, Delezio was involved in another accident, when she was struck by a car while crossing the road in a wheelchair. She was thrown almost 20m, breaking her jaw, collarbone, ribs, two vertebrae, puncturing her lungs and suffering a brain injury. In the face of so much misfortune, Delezio defied the odds and continued fighting. And just look at her now! <img width="500" height="285" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/20691/1_500x285.jpg" alt="1 (127)"/> The now-15-year-old is looking happier and healthier than ever before, and is working towards achieving her goal of participating in the 2020 Paralympics for rowing. “I now only have one operation a year and go to hospital 15-20 times a year, sometimes even less. It is weird to look back when I used to go every second day,” she told <a href="https://au.tv.yahoo.com/the-morning-show/video/watch/31618818/sophie-delezio-carolyn-martin-day-of-difference-foundation/" target="_blank">The Morning Show</a>. <img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/20690/2_497x280.jpg" alt="2 (130)"/> “On one level it’s very normal in terms of living life,” Delezio’s mother Carolyn Martin said. “Sophie just gets on with it just like any other child, she just has more time and planning involved.” To help the 1,000 children who are hospitalised every week in Australia, the Delezio family set up the Day of Difference foundation in 2004. To find out more information about the organisation and their great work, <a href="http://dayofdifference.org.au/" target="_blank">click here</a>. Images: The Morning Show Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/05/89-year-old-abseils-21-storey-building/">89-year-old abseils 21-storey building</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/05/99-year-old-couple-still-volunteering-at-salvation-army/">99-year Brisbane couple still volunteering at the Salvation Army</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/05/the-new-fred-hollows-foundation-ad-will-make-you-cry/">The new Fred Hollows Foundation ad will make you cry</a>

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Outrage as Paralympian gets disqualified for "unfair" reason

Why aren’t the Olympics and Paralympics combined into one Games? The reasoning goes beyond logistics

"You are terrible": Brutal comment that drove Paralympian to greatness

Hard to watch! Paralympic champion given the worst gifts ever

World’s tallest athlete towering in Tokyo

Prince Harry refers to "darkest of places" in new Netflix documentary

Paralympic gold medallist dies by euthanasia at age 40

Sophie Delezio is all grown up