That’s a lot to ask of a world that hardly knows the Paralympics, so besotted are we with the bigger show. And it is even more presumptuous because there is no such hope the Olympics will engender an altered state of consciousness. But there were more than 160 countries at these Games, and exporting local or even national success here is a massive chore. In turn, and because it’s what they do at Games like these, the Paralympians exceeded expectations and treated Rio to a variety show. Rio’s citizens, the Cariocas, got behind the Games founded almost six decades ago by German Ludwig Guttmann.

Source: National Post September 18, 2016 19:41 UTC