[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 17 (Friday, January 27, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1725-S1726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ATLANTA PARALYMPIC GAMES

  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I rise today to call attention to the 1996 
Atlanta Paralympic games which are to be held following the 1996 
Olympic games in Atlanta. Most people who follow sports realize that 
the Olympic games will begin in Atlanta on July 19 and conclude on 
August 4, next year, 1996.

[[Page S1726]]

  During those 16 days, over 10,000 athletes will compete in 26 sports 
and 37 disciplines. Many people are unaware, however, that just 12 days 
after the conclusion of the 1996 Summer Olympics, a sporting event of 
similar magnitude will begin. The Paralympic opening ceremony will be 
held August 16 and over the next 12 days of competition more than 4,000 
athletes from 102 nations will compete in 19 different sports.
  The origin of the Paralympic movement dates back to 1946 when Sir 
Ludwig Guttman organized the International Wheelchair Games to coincide 
with the 1948 London Olympics. Since that time, the official Paralympic 
organization was established and Paralympic games have been held nine 
times in nine countries across the globe. The 1996 Atlanta Paralympics 
will mark the 10th and largest gathering with an expected 1.5 million 
spectators. Very large number of people coming to Atlanta from all over 
the world. Over the years those competing in the Paralympics have 
expanded from wheelchair athletes to include amputees, the blind, those 
with cerebral palsy, dwarfs, and those with a variety of other physical 
limitations. While the disabilities of the athletes range across a wide 
spectrum, they are united in their dedication to perfection and their 
quest for excellence.
  Many of us, myself included, were not aware of the levels at which 
these athletes compete. It is truly marvelous. Their times and scores 
in sports ranging from cycling to powerlifting, judo to swimming, are 
world class by any standards. The Paralympic world records for various 
events are, in some cases, just shy of the Olympic world records which 
is truly amazing. Tony Volpentest, born without hands and feet, ran the 
100 meter event in 11.63 seconds--within 2 seconds of the Olympic 
record held by Carl Lewis. Kim Brownfield, a paraplegic, bench pressed 
602 pounds--at that rate he will soon be moving mountains. Without a 
doubt, the men and women who will be competing in the Atlantic 
Paralympics are elite athletes, training and performing at the highest 
levels of their sports.
  While their scores and records are awe inspiring, perhaps the 
greatest accomplishment of the athletes who qualify for the Paralympics 
is their seemingly impossible achievement of conquering their physical 
impairments. The Paralympic motto is ``The triumph of the human 
spirit.'' Indeed it is this spirit, above all else, that invites us to 
share in their victories and revel in their accomplishments. Gathered 
amongst us in Atlanta in 1996 will be men and women more physically 
challenged than most of us, yet they will attain levels of excellence 
far higher than most of us will ever dream of. Through incredible 
dedication and perseverance and despite every pressure to the contrary, 
these men and women have accomplished extraordinary feats.
  As you can well imagine, each of these athletes has a
   tremendous success story behind their achievements, a success story 
behind their achievements. One that particularly struck me is that of 
Al Mead, an above-the-knee amputee, who captured the silver medal in 
the long jump in the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona with a jump of 
4.62 meters.

  Like many of these athletes, Al was not born with his disability. He 
was an active 9-year-old, when one day at school he took a hard fall. 
Afterwards, his left leg was numb and circulation eventually stopped. 
He faced three operations as doctors tried to correct the problem. 
First, his foot was amputated; then, his leg just below the knee; and 
finally, just above the knee. He still remembers when he was having 
that ordeal wondering why everyone was so upset. The way Al figured it, 
his leg would grow back as soon as he got out of the hospital.
  Al, relying heavily on his family's religious faith, remained 
optimistic during this hospitalization and recovery. Once he returned 
home from the hospital, he decided to continue doing all the things he 
had done prior to the operation--despite his doctor's advise to ``take 
it easy.'' Anyone who knows 9-year-old boys ought to know better than 
to expect them to sit sill for any length of time. Indeed, while 
waiting for his prothesis to arrive, Al taught himself how to ride his 
bike with only one leg. Then, once his leg arrived, Al became more 
active, playing baseball, hockey, and basketball with community and 
school teams. Al recalls playing alley football one day when he caught 
a pass and was running towards the goal line only to have his leg fall 
off in midstride. While his opponents and teammates were rubbing their 
eyes in disbelief, Al was laughing at the happenings.
  Al attended Morehouse College in Atlanta where he now lives with his 
wife and two children. He is the vice-president of an executive search 
firm and the music director at his local church. Al has competed in 
numerous National Handicapped Sports' competitions where he has broken 
national and world records in the 100- 200- and 400-meter events and 
the high jump and long jump. He is currently training for the 
Paralympic Games, and I particularly look forward to watching Al 
perform in 1996 in his home State and his home town. I also look 
forward to watching thousands of his fellow athletes who may not have 
100-percent bodies but who have 100-percent hearts and give 100 percent 
of their efforts to their stunning athletic achievements.
  Mr. President, I will be speaking on this subject several times in 
the next several months, all the way to the Olympic Games in 1996 
because I think it is very important for those of us in this body, 
those of us who watch this body on television and those people who 
follow this body throughout the country to understand what a remarkable 
event is going to take place after the regular Olympic Games in the 
Paralympic Games in 1996.
  I believe that all of us will be very interested and fascinated to 
watch remarkable athletes such as Al Mead who will be competing in 
1996. I believe that my colleagues and the American people will be both 
awed and inspired by what we discover.
  I thank the Chair.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair, in his capacity as a Senator from 
the State of Missouri, directs the order for the quorum call be 
rescinded.

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