If anyone out there seeks inspiration, exhilaration and enlightenment, Google the words ‘Rising Phoenix’ and be amazed!
On 26th August 2020, Netflix launched a brilliant documentary telling the stories of nine talented young athletes in the context of the history of the Paralympic Games. Watching the film for the first time last night, I was touched on many levels and felt very proud as a former Paralympian myself of the way that the movement has progressed and enhanced positive perceptions that we all have about disability.
Greg Nugent, creator and producer of Rising Phoenix, who has been a board member of The British Paralympic Association for the last eight years, and former head of Brand Marketing and Culture at London 2012, lobbied tirelessly to raise money and generate interest in the film, engaging the talents of people such as Barbara Broccoli and Richard Curtis.
They have created something that is not only beautifully filmed but informative and enlightening. More than that, it validates the idea that anything is possible with the application of focus and determination.
I remember the buzz of London 2012 as if it was yesterday, but the thing that struck me most was the fact that we were seeing athletes primarily for their brilliance as athletes, rather than their disability. Packed stadia at Olympic Park and Channel 4’s brilliant programming up to and throughout that summer helped to educate and challenge perceived responses to disability in all its forms
It’s vital that we continue to grow momentum for both the Paralympic movement and opportunities to raise the visibility of people with disability or ‘difference’ as some like to think of it. Watch the film, be inspired, and see what you can do to promote Paralympic sport in the context of the wider disability awareness agenda and its potential to challenge and inspire.