Whatever flag or allegiance the athletes competed under was of no consequence at a joyful and inspiring celebration
“IT’S SUCH a perfect day,” the Ulster Youth Choir belted out last night in the great hall of Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
And indeed it seemed the perfect song because it was so in tune with the happy, positive and inspiring mood of the Ireland and Team GB Paralympians and Olympians who gathered in the building for their official reception home.
Ireland, Britain, Northern Ireland – whatever flag or allegiance the athletes competed under in recent months was of no consequence at this celebration, as Ireland’s double gold-medallist Michael McKillop from Newtownabbey on the outskirts of north Belfast made clear.
“Bringing politics into sport gets you nowhere,” he said. “We are all residents of Northern Ireland. It does not matter who you represent,” added the athlete who took Paralympic gold in the 800 metres and 1,500 metres.
“It’s about being Olympians, and doing your family proud, your country proud . . . bringing all that rubbish into it does not make sense, it’s all about the sport,” said McKillop.
The Paralympic and Olympic competitors from Northern Ireland, whether they competed for Ireland or Team GB, cheerfully mingled at Stormont with their fellow athletes, their families and Ministers and Assembly members from all the Northern Ireland parties.
Bethany Firth from Seaforde, Co Down, who won a swimming gold in the Paralympics, was thrilled with the reception and meeting all her friends again. “It’s a great idea to have all the athletes together because we mix so well; it just works together so well. It’s like nobody has a disability here, it’s great,” she said.
She was doubly delighted because shortly before the reception the Royal Mail caved in to pressure led by Derry SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey. The Royal Mail painted post boxes gold in the home towns of Team GB gold medal winners but did not include three Northern Ireland gold winning Paralympians because they represented Ireland.
Yesterday Royal Mail decided that Bethany, Michael McKillop and the fastest Paralympian on the planet, Jason Smyth from Eglinton, Co Derry, shall also have gold post boxes in their home towns.
Jason Smyth was at Stormont with his fiancee Elise Jordan from Utah in the United States. “The best is yet to come,” he said, planning not only to make the Paralympic team for Rio de Janeiro in four years but the Olympic team – from which he narrowly missed out this year – as well.
The couple will get married in Utah on December 29th. “2012 is a big year for Jason,” said Elise. And . . .? “And for me, absolutely.”
“No, no, no,” said Jason when asked was he worried about stage-fright on the next big day in his life. “If I don’t get nervous about running, I could not get nervous about getting married, could I?”
