As I left Whistler, I felt as though I had left behind a wonderful sense of celebration and excitement. The Closing Ceremony for the Paralympic Winter Games was held in Whistler, unlike the Opening Ceremony which was held in the stadium in Vancouver.

The medals plaza where the ceremony was held was relatively small and it was also outside. Despite the best attempts of the persistent rain to dampen the spirits of the audience, everyone remained remarkably upbeat. The ceremony started with all the athletes travelling through the village, which provided a wonderfully colourful and inclusive start to the show.

The ceremony itself was relatively low key, as the emphasis has been on creating a more intimate village feel than that of the Closing Ceremony for the Olympic Winter Games – something they have definitely succeeded in doing.
 
As I reflect back on this amazing experience, there are three things that really stand out for me:
First and foremost is the courage and determination of the athletes. The men and women I've had the privilege of watching are truly awe-inspiring and inspirational. For me, the star has to be Lauren Wollstencroft, the Canadian woman who was born with no limbs below her knees and no left arm. She competed in five events (with prosthetics) and won Gold in every one of them; a couple of them by a significant margin. I read in the papers that she considers herself as lucky to have been born without those limbs, as it has given her a chance to achieve the seemingly impossible.

The second thing that stands out is the myriad of classifications, rules and regulations that apply to Paralympic events. The nature of the events obviously means that steps have to be taken to ensure that athletes are treated fairly against other competitors. However, to me as an uneducated spectator, it sometimes made it hard to understand the points system and how one disability compared to another. I think one of the biggest challenges for the International Paralympic Committee is to create a system that is sufficiently transparent and understandable for the public.

Third and finally, seeing the Canadian people support and encourage their athletes made me really appreciate what a fantastic opportunity London 2012 is to engage Londoners and people from all over Great Britain to support Team GB. I saw this on a small scale with the messages of encouragement and support that Deloitte sent to Team GB for Vancouver 2010, and I think it is so exciting and such a wonderful opportunity for London and Great Britain to host the next Games. I hope that we will all be as proud and patriotic as the Canadians in encouraging Team GB to go for Gold! 

So all in all, one word describes my experience: Wow. I've had an incredible time over the past few days. I've experienced joy and happiness, shed tears of amazement and felt the hairs on the back of my neck tingle many times.

I'm so proud that Deloitte is supporting ParalympicsGB and has helped two thirds of the team get to the Games through TASS. As Phil Lane of Paralympics GB said to us, it's not only about raising money; it’s about the emotional support we can provide to help Team GB reach the podium.

At Deloitte, we're all in a great position to be able to do that and, personally, I can't wait.

Roll on London 2012!


Sarah is a Manager in the Legal team at Deloitte. She was in Vancouver as a VIP guest of the International Paralympic Committee, having won a competition which highlighted how proud she is of Deloitte Disability Sport.