In the afterglow

The Paralympics in Athens have recently come to an end and Canadian athletes have walked away with...70 Medals?! Did I write that correctly?

Indeed, I did. Our athletes ended fourth overall in the standings (70 medals), with a total of 27 golds, 10 of which are held by TWO athletes (Kirby Cote and Chantal Petitclerc with five each). I congratulate all the athletes there, regardless of where they placed in the standings.

While the scant coverage is regrettable, the IOC could've done a better job of promoting the Paralympics by allowing these athletes to enter the stadium with all the other athletes in the main opening ceremonies. Regardless of disabilities or not, they are athletes and deserve to enter the games cheered on by the thousands of people in the stands and millions watching at home.

While the Canadian public and our talking heads lament our poor medal showing and spend tons of newsprint and TV coverage on how to improve that number, let's not forget those returning home soon who'll be weighing down their flights with a lot of precious metals.

So here's my little bit of recognition to the athletes who are on their way home. Congratulations on a job well done!