The London 2012 Paralympic Games are over - The memories have begun...

London 2012 Paralympic Games and judo – What was it like?

If you want a throw by throw account with full details of perfect judo, you ain't going to find it here!

I will tell you what it felt like to be in the crowd at the Excel Centre at the judo in the London 2012 Paralympics.

And because we don't live in a bubble, you'll also get an idea of what people thought of paralympic sport as the events kicked off in London and the UK.

Setting the scene

You probably saw a fair amount of TV coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.

It went well. Very well.

When the Paralympics kicked off, it felt like the London 2012 party had re-started and people wanted to get back to it so tickets were selling out. Something that had never happened before!

These games were SO not an afterthought.

And as if to underline that fact the Paralympics even had their own 'What the Flip' (WTF) moment in the Opening Ceremony...

You may have seen James Bond and Her Majesty the Queen chatting together then skydiving into the Olympic Opening Ceremony (as one does).

Well that moment made me say 'WTF' and the Paralympics Opening Ceremony was not to be outdone either.

After some spectacular events revolving around Shakespeare's Tempest and being enlightened through learning, the Ceremony took on the subject of disabled people fighting for their rights in the face of unenlightened people.

The sight of a group of disabled actors singing the protest song 'Spasticus Autisticus' left me stunned.

The song (banned by the BBC for years) and written by the disabled musician Ian Dury, had words which took on the abuse thrown at disabled people and it threw it right back.

This song was about getting 'it'.

And just what was 'it'?

That disabled people are capable of achieving pretty much anything they put their minds to.

Which brings us to Paralympic judo.

As I said, I don't do play by play commentary.

Instead here are some views about going to see the 'gentle way' at the Paralympics.

In no particular order, memories of the day went like this:

* Going into the security line with a disabled family member and being remembered by one of the security people who had frisked us several weeks before at the Olympics!

* Couldn't believe how friendly the security people (civilian and military) and volunteers or 'games makers' were.

* Heading into the Excel Centre and being able to attend other events in the building (powerlifting, table tennis and seated volleyball) – Perhaps a legacy of Paralympics games past where organisers struggled to fill venues?

* No problems of venue filling at London 2012 Paralympics – Table tennis was full to capacity and we only just got into the powerlifting crowd.

* Getting into the judo venue realising that it was exactly the same as for the Olympics but with some major differences.

The crowd were different for a start...

I'm not saying the Paralympics audience were a tough crowd but when British judoka Sam Ingram walked on to fight in the gold medal final, a couple of youngsters were shouting 'Go on Sam, rip his head off'!

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a brutal atmosphere.

Rather, it was good natured and more informal than the Olympics.

Added to this, the crowd got behind all judoka, from Chinese to Cuban and all points in between.

It gave me as much pleasure to see foreign judoka applauded and cheered on as the local athletes.

Imagine row after row of temporary fold up seating and hundreds of people banging their feet to 'We will rock you' by the rock group Queen and that was just when the judoka entered to fight!

This got pumped this up to 11 when the British judoka were introduced.

On the day I was there, the Ingram brothers (Joe and Sam) were fighting for medals and Sam went on to the gold medal final.

Both brothers were born with conal dystrophy. They have monochromatic vision and are officially registered blind.

The sound that greeted them must have been awe inspiring and I read in an interview with Sam that the Union Jack (British flag) is more visible than others with its colour and outline.

Again the quantity and size of flags must have made a great impression on both brothers.

As it transpired, after a very hard fought fight, Sam lost out to the Cuban judoka and it was great to see the Cuban get applauded when he stood on the podium for his gold medal.

The roof was raised however when Sam was presented with his silver!

It's at this point where I have to say I really enjoyed the judo at the Paralympics.

There was hardly any fighting for grip (which I appreciated very much) and a lot more groundwork (ne waza) than the Olympics, it was really enjoyable to watch.

Also appreciated the informality where judoka who had finished in their weight class came up to our section in the stands and greeted each other as friends.

Add to that the informality and roars of support from the crowd, you begin to realise just how special this day had been.

I also got involved in explaining competition rules, referees' signals and the finer points of judo to other crowd members, it all had that level of informality.

So, coming to the end of the day and this article, if I may I would like to finish with two points, one big and one tiny and insignificant.

As for the bigger picture, the Paralympic movement was born out of the games for patients which started after World War II at the Stoke Mandeville spinal injuries hospital in the United Kingdom.

Coming right up to today with sold out events, huge TV coverage and support (certainly in the host nation) one could quite rightly say that the Paralympics at London 2012 had 'come home'.

Seeing disabled athletes doing so well put the focus on the athletes and their performance and not their disability.

It was truly inspiring to witness up close just how remarkable people can be.

So what about the tiny and insignificant point?

After several weeks going to events at London 2012, the Paralympics judo was the last time I would go to see the Games.

Walking past the games makers, the security, the bright pink (yes!) signage, waiting for that iron door to close behind us at the security perimeter exit, I became really sad.

Yet looking back at London 2012 with all the great performances, the wonderful exuberance and support of the crowds, the way that disability would not be seen in precisely the same way ever again and so many other positive things besides, I started to smile.

Then, a few days later, of all things, a cat put it better than I ever could...

Or to be more precise, the creator of 'Cat in the Hat', Dr Seuss wrote the following which summed up, for me, what I felt about London 2012 from that moment on:

'Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.'