Zach Nunn: “this amendment is important in many ways, and I am proud to join my colleague from Georgia in bringing this matter to…”

“this amendment is important in many ways, and I am proud to join my colleague from Georgia in bringing this matter to the attention of the U.S. Senate. As many Americans know, the Centennial Olympic games will begin in Atlanta on July 19, 1996, and conclude on August 4. Many people do not know, however, that just 12 days after the conclusion of the 1996 Summer Olympics, another sporting event of great magnitude will begin. The Paralympic opening ceremony will be held August 16 and over the next 12 days more than 3,500 athletes from 119 nations will compete in 19 different sports. This will be the largest gathering of people with disabilities ever assembled anywhere in the world. The origins of the Paralympic movement goes 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 has been established, and the Paralympic Games have been held nine times in nine countries across the globe. The 1996 Atlanta paralympics will mark the tenth and largest gathering with an expected 1.5 million spectators. Over the years, 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.”