"It is easy to forget about the Paralympics," Coe wrote in an article published in The Sun today.

 

"But for the organising committee of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, of which I am chairman, they are NOT an added extra — they are an essential part of our plans. "

 

The roots of the Paralympic movement are in Stoke Mandeville where the pioneering neuro-surgeon Sir Ludwig Guttman came up with the idea of sport as a path to rehabilitation. He organised a wheelchair competition involving 16 injured Second World War veterans.

 

"Sport can be crucial to help them on the road to rehabilitation — and this is how the Paralympics began," Coe wrote.

 

"And statistics from the British Paralympic Association should give us all pause for thought.

 

"Between three and four per cent of the British Paralympic squad for 2012 are likely to have sustained their injuries between now and then.

 

"Some will be injured in accidents — and some serving their country in conflict.

 

"It is a sad fact that some of our Armed Forces’ brave men and women have come back, and will come back, with serious injuries.

 

"They will need help and new direction in their lives.

 

"Today, the world has moved on in so many ways and the Paralympics are unrecognisable from that first event at Stoke Mandevile.

 

"They bring together elite athletes who have disabilities and put a spotlight on the athletes’ abilities, not disabilities.

 

 

 

"They educate the world about how Paralympians can achieve sporting excellence, inspire us all and contribute to a better world for all people with disabilities.

 

 

 

"Our challenge over the next few years is to make sure that everyone understands the Paralympic Games.

 

 

 

"For example, the 'para' part of the word paralympics means 'parallel'— as in parallel to the Olympic Games.

 

 

 

"We must educate people about the Paralympics, and how they can usher in a new era for disability sport in the UK and change attitudes toward disability in general.

 

 

 

"That’s why the British Paralympic squad’s organisers are doing all they can do to help athletes or potential athletes from wherever they may come from, including the military."

 

The full article can be read at http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article666139.ece.