Gareth Davies

A column with royal flavour. Good to hear that Oscar Pistorius is out of hospital in South Africa after being airlifted following a boating accident late in February. The doctors said he was lucky to escape without serious head injuries.

He had some facial surgery, but ‘the fastest man on no legs’ is one of the crown jewels of the Paralympic movement, and a pioneering groundbreaker. We wish him well in his recovery, as he strives to compete it both Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012.

Another shining beacon of note, Peter Norfolk, defeated David Wagner, of the United States, 7-6, 6-1 in Melbourne last month to capture his third Australian Open quad singles title. It took Norfolk back to the very summit of the world rankings.
While major media attention in Britain had been on Andy Murray, Norfolk, the double Paralympic gold medalist, was going about his business, strapping his racket to the right hand he has little mobility with, and defeating all-comers.

Norfolk had only taken a break from the tennis circuit after his wife Linda gave birth to a son in November. In reality, media folk should take note. Norfolk's tennis career eclipses that of Andy Murray, Tim Henman or even Laura Robson, the able-bodied junior just making huge strides on the world scene.

A more telling analogy would be the legendary Fred Perry. He has already won the equivalent of 14 Grand Slams, and prior to an injury in 2007, had been unbeaten for four years. For me, though, Norfolk, who was paralysed after a motorcycle accident as a teenager, is a spit and sawdust player, not unlike Ivan Lendl in style, and John McEnroe for aggression.

Norfolk's four years towards 2012 are geared towards winning a third successive gold at the London 2012 Paralympics. The wheelchair tennis event in 2012 will be played on hard courts at Eaton Manor in Waltham Forest near the Olympic Village. Wheelchair tennis will not be played at Wimbledon, as grass courts are not conducive to sports chairs. There will be no holding Norfolk back.

Good to see members of the ParalympicsGB team in Beijing being feted at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Her Majesty the Queen.

Not a small offering, either, with 380 athletes and staff from the British Beijing Paralympic team attending the event, with all the marquee names there, including nine-time Paralympic gold medal equestrian Lee Pearson.

“It’s really nice to be recognized in this way – as athletes you often train hard for 365 days a year and it really does keep your morale up to be able to come and do things like this,” said Pearson.

Double gold medal-winning swimmer Eleanor Simmonds also made the trip to the Palace for the second time in a week – having also met the Queen on February 18 to collect her MBE. I’d interviewed 14-year-old Eleanor last year and she insisted it was going to be one of her highlights in 2009.

Simmonds loved it. She said: “It’s just as special to go there again and see how lovely it is inside.” Simmonds will be one of the faces of 2012.

Behind the scenes, a great deal of thought and planning is going ahead for these Games, with International Paralympic Committee insiders revealing to me that they are excited at the way London 2012 are planning for the Games. As a participant myself in a working party of representatives from LOCOG, the media – tv, radio and print – tourism transport and other areas, every step is being thought of to make the Paralympics in London 2012 a great event for athletes, spectators, the nation, and ultimately, viewers all over the world.

For once – and unlike the crass football anthem it is actually true – as the Paralympics are coming home. They began in Stoke Mandeville in 1948. We owe it to everyone to make these Games very special indeed.