Golden Paralympian enters Big Conversation about a fairer Olympic system

Paralympics gold medal winner and sporting hero, Lee Pearson CBE, spoke about his wishes for a fairer Olympic and Paralympic games structure yesterday, during a rare public appearance at Staffordshire University.

The North Staffordshire equestrian – who is an Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University - was responding to a question at the ‘Big Conversation with Lee Pearson’ event.

Lee responded by saying he thought the profile of the Paralympics needed to be raised. He suggested that the games should be scheduled on an alternating basis, with the Olympics running first one year, and the Paralympics preceding the Olympics in the following games four years later.

He said: “The Paralympics are often seen as a tag-on to the Olympics, and by the time the Paralympics come on to people’s TV screens, they often have sport fatigue and do not want to watch.”

“By alternating the order of the games, it would raise the profile of the Paralympics, showing the participants as the accomplished sportsmen they are in their own right.”

Lee then outlined the potential problems that might be encountered if the two events were ever combined, saying that there would be a danger of ‘only the pretty sports’ making it onto our screens without a fair representation of all disabilities and sporting disciplines.

During the Big Conversation event, he revealed that his greatest personal achievement was becoming the first ever disabled person to win the British Dressage National Championships held at Hickstead.  He also hinted that he could be tempted into entering other well known able bodied events in the future and how he might consider motor racing as an alternative sport.

Lee spent the afternoon inspiring his audience made up of school children, university students, and professionals from the worlds of equestrianism, sport and health, entertaining them with stories of his rise to fame and his many successes both in life and in competitive dressage. 

He then took part in an extensive Q&A session, answering many questions about his love for horses and his methods for dealing with his disabilities on a daily basis.