Now that the Paralympic in Sochi have been over for more then a Month. The question is, "Was there enough coverage in Canada?". In my opinion there was still not enough coverage, especially on TV. The two-hour daily highlight show on CBC was just not enough to showcase our talented athletes. Being able to watch it online is great, but I would have loved to watch wheelchair curling and sledge hockey in its entirety on the television. I believe the Paralympians work just as hard as the Olympians, and they deserve the same coverage and respect. I know that TV stations probably need sponsors and thinks about TV ratings, but that is just an excuse.
Furthermore, if there was more television coverage, it would inspire children and people with different abilities to believe in themselves that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to. It would also inspire people to go pursue sports that helps them gain confidence in their life.
Even though the Paralympic coverage in Canada has improved over the last three winter games, starting with Turin in 2006, which had terrible coverage with only 5 minute packages on the weekdays and on CBC Sports Saturday on the Weekend. In Vancouver 2010 the coverage drastically improved with 60 hours on CTV with 13.6 million viewers tuning in, but drew criticism when they almost did not broadcast the opening ceremony live throughout Canada. For Sochi this year, CBC provided the most Paralympic coverage ever with 90 hours of TV broadcast and 250 hours online which averaged 8.8 million viewers per day.
Comparing to the Olympics in Turin in 2006 which had 557 hours on CBC (including TSN coverage), Vancouver 2010 had 4,500 hours on CTV where Canadians watched 1.25 billion hours, and Sochi had 1,519 hours of coverage on CBC with 33.35 million viewers. The Olympic broadcast repeats all day long with daytime and prime time coverage, why can't it be the same for the Paralympics?
What would need to happen for the Paralympics to receive more media attention and television coverage?
Merger
There have been talk about the Paralympics merging with the Olympics from the International Paralympic Committee, according to this BBC article. I would support this if it can help provide the Paralympics with more media attention. What do you think? Is it a good idea or not? Read about what retired Paralympic Gold medalist skier Jeff Dickson thinks about the idea in this CBC article.
Call to Action
Are you in favour of bringing back the petition "CTV, CBC Provide Paralympics Now" that was started after the 2012 London Paralympic games to the forefront? Especially with the Pan-American and Para-Pan American Games coming to Toronto in 2015?
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