Participation of HALF Paralympics Games

         Started from 2000, to earn a place at Paralympics Games is not an easy task. For me, to fight for this place, I have participated 8 tournaments in 2011 so as to be qualify within the 12 quotas of Wheelchair Table Tennis Women’s Class 5 in 2012 London Paralympic Games. With much efforts made,  I was so grateful that I got the quota at last.

So, it was very disappointed when I was recently informed by my Association that I together with two team-mates could only participate HALF of 2012 London Paralympic Games. We were explained that the places for coach were very limited in the 2012 London Paralympic Games. So far as our table tennis team only took part in the single event, which would be finished by September 2 and the place of our table tennis coach would be transferred to another event’s coach, our whole team needed to leave London on September 4 and return to Hong Kong on September 5. It meant that our participation of 2012 London Paralympic Games would be cut for a HALF. The whole Hong Kong team would then return to Hong Kong on September 11, 2012.

I considered that it was a very bad arrangement because we could not enjoy watching the high standard of table tennis team events after we finished our own single events. It was also very unfair that we could not go through a complete Paralympics Games after we had paid the whole heart in earning a precious quota last year. Such arrangement really neglected our efforts made in earning the place. To the worst, we could not join the 2012 London Paralympic Games’s Closing Ceremony which was very memorizing to give us a very beautiful full-stop at the end.

I am not sure whether 2012 London Paralympic Games would be my last Paralympics Games or not. I only truly know that I shall bring a dangling heart with unfinished business when I am forced to be back to Hong Kong on September 5, 2012.