It happens every four years—the Olympics, a worldwide extravaganza putting the best athletes from around the world on a global stage to compete for medals in a myriad of sports.
TV viewers know their names, follow their progress, and eagerly keep track of their country’s medal count.
Two weeks after the closing ceremony of the Olympics, is the Paralympics—same venue, many of the same sports, and the best athletes in the world.
The difference? These athletes are disabled.
Aside from inspirational articles appearing in news outlets, these athletes seldom receive the media and public attention showered on their non-disabled counterparts. However, this year was a bit different—at least here in New Zealand. Kiwis were able to follow the Paralympics through real-time news reports and watch live and on demand on TV.
Across the ditch in Australia, viewers had a very different experience.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/pyeongchang-2018-paralympic-winter-games
This article in Stuff from 2016, after the Rio games gives some interesting insight. https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/84298316/are-our-paralympic-athletes-short-of-recognition-or-getting-just-the-right-amount