:00:06. > :00:14.Tonight at Ten: The Paralympics opening ceremony is
:00:14. > :00:20.The show, called "Enlightenment," begins with a bang and a cast of
:00:20. > :00:30.thousands. This is the scene as the eyes of the world are, once again,
:00:30. > :00:35.
:00:35. > :00:39.on London's Olympic Park. It is the games have a possible, what is
:00:39. > :00:42.possible to achieve. The flame to light the Paralympic
:00:42. > :00:43.cauldron nears the end of a 24-hour journey past London's landmarks,
:00:43. > :00:46.attracting thousands along its route.
:00:46. > :00:49.Also tonight: The Chancellor warns against calls
:00:49. > :00:57.from the Liberal Democrat leader for the rich to pay more tax to
:00:57. > :01:00.help Britain's economic recovery. As the conflict rages in Syria,
:01:00. > :01:09.President Assad speaks out and says his forces need more time to win
:01:09. > :01:11.the battle. And "I've run my race" - Andrew
:01:11. > :01:21.Strauss, one of England's most high-profile cricket captains, says
:01:21. > :01:27.
:01:27. > :01:31.In sport, action off the pitch as the transfer window starts to close.
:01:31. > :01:41.Bonnet, Celtic's chance to confirm their place back in the Champions
:01:41. > :01:49.
:01:49. > :01:53.Good evening from the Olympic Park, where the Paralympics Opening
:01:53. > :01:56.Ceremony is under way in the stadium behind me. The show is
:01:56. > :02:00.called "Enlightenment" and opened with a starring role for the
:02:00. > :02:02.scientist Stephen Hawking. Watched by the Queen, a cast of thousands,
:02:02. > :02:07.including local school children and injured soldiers, put on a show
:02:07. > :02:11.designed to change perceptions of disabled people. It signals the
:02:11. > :02:21.start of 11 days of sporting competition. Our sports editor,
:02:21. > :02:23.
:02:23. > :02:26.David Bond, has been watching the Two weeks after the Olympics ended,
:02:26. > :02:33.London's Olympic Park was back at the centre of the sporting world
:02:33. > :02:38.tonight. As with Danny Boyle's Olympic opening extravaganza, of
:02:38. > :02:42.the Paralympics started with their own aerial tribute, a unique fly
:02:42. > :02:51.past by aerobility, a charity which trains disabled people to become
:02:51. > :02:55.Watched by 80,000 people, there was a star role for the eminent
:02:55. > :03:00.physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, chosen as the guide for a ceremony
:03:00. > :03:05.designed to celebrate science and the Enlightenment. Ever since the
:03:05. > :03:08.dawn of civilisation, people have created an understanding of the
:03:08. > :03:13.underlying order of the world. Because while these games are
:03:13. > :03:23.ultimately about world-class sport, they are also end invaluable
:03:23. > :03:25.
:03:25. > :03:29.opportunity to challenge the way Look up! Stretch your wings and fly.
:03:29. > :03:34.It wasn't Kenneth Branagh tonight, but another British acting legend,
:03:34. > :03:37.Sir Ian McKellen assuming the role of Prospero from The Tempest,
:03:37. > :03:46.continuing the Shakespearian theme which has run through the London
:03:46. > :03:52.A more traditional entrance for the Queen this time, accompanied not by
:03:52. > :03:55.James Bond, but Sir Philip Craven, President of the International
:03:55. > :03:59.Paralympic Committee. Other members of the Royal Family were also hit,
:03:59. > :04:09.but not the Duke of Edinburgh who could not attend due to his recent
:04:09. > :04:13.
:04:13. > :04:17.Fenner was over to the athletes, more than 4,000 from 165 countries
:04:18. > :04:26.who will make this the biggest sports event in the world after the
:04:26. > :04:30.Olympics. For London 2012, however, this is part of the same story. And
:04:30. > :04:37.the challenge for these athletes will be to follow on from when
:04:37. > :04:40.their Olympic counterparts left off. Well, with more than 2.4 million
:04:40. > :04:43.tickets sold and teams from 166 countries competing across 20
:04:43. > :04:46.sports, hopes are high that this will turn out to be the most
:04:46. > :04:49.successful Paralympics ever. Our sports correspondent James Pearce
:04:49. > :04:59.has been talking to athletes, organisers and some of the children
:04:59. > :05:02.
:05:02. > :05:04.at the centre of tonight's events. A Games which promise to be
:05:04. > :05:08.inclusive. Trinity school in Dagenham for pupils with learning
:05:08. > :05:12.difficulties is evidence of that. No wonder they were excited after
:05:12. > :05:18.weeks of practice. This afternoon they were heading to the Opening
:05:18. > :05:27.Ceremony to take centre-stage and perform. But what? Sworn to secrecy.
:05:27. > :05:33.I'm doing the Robin Hood story with the books. Most of it was a secret
:05:34. > :05:37.anyway! You are not supposed to tell us. At the Olympic Park, the
:05:37. > :05:42.red, white and blue was back. British spectators made their mark
:05:42. > :05:47.on the Olympics, already doing the same at the Paralympics. 60,000 in
:05:47. > :05:52.the stadium tonight, 2.5 million tickets sold for the whole games.
:05:52. > :05:56.There's never been this kind of interest in a Paralympics before.
:05:56. > :06:02.London 2012 continues to set new standards. This could be very
:06:02. > :06:07.special. 1 Paralympians always bores the crowd and Oscar Pistorius
:06:07. > :06:10.is always -- already singing the praises of these games. It's been
:06:10. > :06:14.amazing. Many Paralympians in the last year have become household
:06:14. > :06:18.names and I'm sure there will be kids around the world shouting
:06:18. > :06:23.their names and rooting for them. That makes me extremely proud.
:06:23. > :06:27.who else should we look Balfour over the next 11 days? Lee Pearson
:06:27. > :06:31.will become Britain's most successful Paralympians if he wins
:06:31. > :06:35.three more gold medals in dressage. Ellie Simmons was only 13 when she
:06:35. > :06:40.made her name in Beijing. She is back for more in London. And you'll
:06:40. > :06:44.see sports you might know less about, like wheelchair rugby. The
:06:44. > :06:49.signs point to the best Paralympics ever. The man in charge is
:06:49. > :06:52.confident. In Beijing, the world awakened to the Paralympic Games
:06:52. > :06:56.and the Paralympic movement, but we are now moving into sustained
:06:56. > :07:00.growth. A premium sports competition with incredible
:07:00. > :07:04.athletes, not just from their performance, but from the type of
:07:04. > :07:09.people they are. If tomorrow the sport begins. Britain is on top of
:07:09. > :07:19.a podium and it is likely to be a common sight. 42 gold medals in
:07:19. > :07:23.
:07:23. > :07:25.Beijing, more to come in London. In the next hour, the Paralympic
:07:26. > :07:28.torch will light the cauldron and symbolise the official opening of
:07:29. > :07:31.the Games. It's spent the last 24 hours being carried from the
:07:31. > :07:34.birthplace of the Paralympics at Stoke Mandeville to the stadium
:07:34. > :07:37.here in east London. Thousands of people braved the rain to welcome
:07:37. > :07:39.the torch bearers, but as Robert Hall now reports, lengthy delays
:07:40. > :07:44.between handovers meant it wasn't an entirely smooth journey. In the
:07:44. > :07:52.heart of London's West End, life paused for a moment to witness the
:07:52. > :07:57.passing of a flame which will draw so many to Stratford once again. A
:07:57. > :08:01.flame which during just 24 hours has created more iconic moments. A
:08:01. > :08:08.swirl of music and bright colours as they climbed high above the
:08:08. > :08:12.Street at the magnificent Hindu temple in Neasden. Unlike its
:08:12. > :08:15.Olympic predecessor, this flame had arrived in London after a night-
:08:15. > :08:20.time journey through the towns and villages of Buckinghamshire and
:08:20. > :08:23.Hertfordshire. Supporters for staking sleep to cheer on torch
:08:23. > :08:27.bearers who had conquered his ability and those who had helped
:08:27. > :08:31.them achieve their goal. This really is a sprint rather than a
:08:31. > :08:36.marathon, but it has thrown up its own problems. Firstly the weather
:08:36. > :08:40.has thinned out the crowds, but most of all the need to travel at a
:08:40. > :08:45.gentler pace, which has caused problems with timekeeping. Over the
:08:45. > :08:48.92 miles, teams of five have pass the flame between themselves and
:08:48. > :08:52.organisers had to modify the process to make up time. With the
:08:52. > :08:57.schedule slipping further, they created a second flame had to act
:08:57. > :09:01.as a back-up for the Opening Ceremony. But none of this
:09:01. > :09:03.distracted from the personal stories at the core of this relay.
:09:03. > :09:09.Accounts of courage and determination which set the scene
:09:09. > :09:16.for what will follow. Boxer Michael Watson, bearing the flame proudly
:09:16. > :09:21.across Trafalgar Square. In life, there's always hope. Nothing is
:09:21. > :09:25.impossible if you believe. A in Whitehall, torch bearers injured
:09:25. > :09:28.whilst serving with the armed forces, nominated by Prince Harry
:09:28. > :09:34.to show the world physical challenges can be faced and
:09:34. > :09:38.overcome. So many stories with one common theme. And every story
:09:38. > :09:43.leading us closer to the athletes gathered to welcome the flame.
:09:43. > :09:47.hope that what people get from the Paralympic torch relay is for the
:09:47. > :09:53.Paralympics to be the games of the possible. It is about what you can
:09:53. > :09:57.do rather than what you can't. symbol created in the birthplace of
:09:57. > :10:07.the Paralympics, heading downstream and lighting the way to another
:10:07. > :10:10.
:10:10. > :10:14.sporting spectacular which will move us all. What is the
:10:14. > :10:19.overarching theme in the ceremony? Faces at the other big opportunity
:10:19. > :10:22.for London and Britain to show case itself to the world. With Danny
:10:22. > :10:27.Boyle's Opening Ceremony, the Isles of Wonder, that was for the
:10:27. > :10:33.Olympics, the focus was on British history through the industrial
:10:33. > :10:35.revolution. This time, the focus is very much on the role that science
:10:35. > :10:39.has played at the age of Enlightenment. Linking that
:10:39. > :10:43.directly to the Paralympic movement. We've already seen a number of
:10:43. > :10:46.people with disabilities in the show and I think the point it is it
:10:46. > :10:50.links to that general FINA about the Games, which is challenging
:10:50. > :10:55.people's perceptions about people with disability. They've never had
:10:55. > :10:59.a captive audience like this. 80,000 people in that stadium, 2.5
:10:59. > :11:09.million tickets sold, millions watching the ceremony around the
:11:09. > :11:14.
:11:14. > :11:17.world. Thank you. I'll be back later in the programme
:11:17. > :11:20.with more. You can follow the opening ceremony on BBC Radio 5
:11:20. > :11:23.Live and BBC online, and you can watch the ceremony live on Channel
:11:23. > :11:26.4, but for now let's get the rest of the day's news with Kate.
:11:26. > :11:29.The Chancellor, George Osborne, has appeared to dismiss a suggestion by
:11:29. > :11:32.the Liberal Democrats that the richest in society should pay more
:11:32. > :11:34.tax for a limited time to help Britain's economic recovery. The
:11:34. > :11:36.Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said those with "very considerable
:11:36. > :11:39.wealth" should make an extra contribution, but the Chancellor
:11:39. > :11:45.warned against driving away the wealth creators and businesses.
:11:45. > :11:50.Here's our deputy political editor, James Landale. Should the rich pay
:11:50. > :11:55.more tax as the rest of us face more cuts? As the years of
:11:55. > :11:59.austerity stretch ahead, Nick Clegg says yes. He told a newspaper today
:11:59. > :12:02.that people of very considerable personal wealth have to make a bit
:12:02. > :12:07.of an extra contribution. In other words, a short-term tax to squeeze
:12:07. > :12:11.the rich. The Deputy Prime Minister chose not to explain his policy on
:12:11. > :12:15.camera today, he was busy at the Paralympic reception, but he sent
:12:15. > :12:20.his party President to spread the word if not the detail.
:12:20. > :12:24.proposal is that we have for some years, a limited time, other taxes
:12:25. > :12:29.that apply to people's wealth and not their income as a way of making
:12:29. > :12:33.sure people who can afford to pay to help us out of the economic mess
:12:33. > :12:36.make a fair contribution. The Lib Dems have long argued for a mansion
:12:36. > :12:40.tax and it was seriously considered at the last Budget, but Mr Clegg
:12:40. > :12:44.wants to go further and tax wealth in other ways, an idea he hopes
:12:44. > :12:48.could help turn his party's fortunes around. Have a policy
:12:48. > :12:53.paper for the Lib Dem autumn conference sets out some options.
:12:53. > :12:58.They could be a new inheritance tax. A new tax on the value of people's
:12:58. > :13:02.land, not just their houses. And a so-called tycoon tax that caps how
:13:02. > :13:06.much money rich people can shelter from the taxman. The government has
:13:07. > :13:10.already admitted it is likely to have to cut welfare by another �10
:13:10. > :13:14.billion after the next election and with cuts like that, the Lib Dems
:13:14. > :13:19.reckon it would only be fair for people who drive cars like this to
:13:19. > :13:25.pay a bit more tax at the same time. But the man who decides tax policy
:13:25. > :13:29.is sceptical. Yes, the rich pay their share, but... For I not going
:13:29. > :13:33.to write my Budget before it is delivered. We mustn't drive away
:13:33. > :13:36.wealth creators and businesses. This country needs to compete in
:13:36. > :13:41.the world and then its weight in the world and that is the way we
:13:41. > :13:45.will create jobs for everyone. Labour says Mr Clegg's motives are
:13:45. > :13:50.as plain as a pikestaff. He is floating an idea, they say, simply
:13:50. > :13:55.to please the crowds at his party conference. He is chasing headlines,
:13:55. > :13:58.trying to placate some very angry Lib Dem supporters and former
:13:58. > :14:01.voters at a time when they are absolutely exasperated with the
:14:01. > :14:06.fact he is doing in government totally the opposite of what he is
:14:06. > :14:10.now saying. So a new debate over tax has begun. A call from Nick
:14:10. > :14:14.Clegg that the poor should not face more austerity alone, but there's
:14:14. > :14:23.no detail and no deal over how much more cash he wants Britain's
:14:23. > :14:25.The Syrian President has given a rare interview in which he said he
:14:25. > :14:28.needs more time to defeat the rebels who've been trying to
:14:28. > :14:30.overthrow him for the last 18 months. Speaking to a pro-
:14:30. > :14:33.government television channel, Bashar Al-Assad also dismissed
:14:33. > :14:43.calls for safe havens to be created for Syrians forced from their homes
:14:43. > :14:50.
:14:51. > :14:55.The fighting in Syria rages on. There is no end in sight to civil
:14:55. > :15:03.war between the regime and the rebels. The daily death toll is
:15:03. > :15:07.regularly over 100. So now, on a pro-government TV
:15:07. > :15:12.station an embattled President Assad is trying to seize back the
:15:12. > :15:16.initiative. In a rare interview, three months since his last, the
:15:16. > :15:22.President makes a point of stressing he is indoms a kus. He
:15:23. > :15:26.calls the civil war a contest of wills. -- he is in Damascus.
:15:26. > :15:30.He insists his forces will win but they need more time. TRANSLATION:
:15:30. > :15:34.can cut short all the explanations with one sentence. We are moving
:15:34. > :15:37.forward. The situation is better. President Assad needs to convince
:15:37. > :15:42.those still loyal that they are winning, not losing Syria's civil
:15:42. > :15:48.war. The situation son the ground is better now, he says, but is it?
:15:48. > :15:52.What started as peaceful protest in a single city 18 months ago was met
:15:52. > :15:57.with overwhelming force and has become an increasingly bloody
:15:57. > :16:00.contest across the country. Another big challenge to the regime is from
:16:00. > :16:03.defectors. President Assad dismiss that is as self-cleansing of the
:16:03. > :16:08.Government. But when the Prime Minister fled three weeks ago, did
:16:08. > :16:10.add to a sense of a regime in trouble. Particularly so soon after
:16:10. > :16:15.Assad's brother-in-law, and others key to fighting the rebels, were
:16:15. > :16:19.killed by a massive bomb. Syria's current Prime Minister flew
:16:19. > :16:24.to Iran today, a nation which is President Assad's critically
:16:24. > :16:34.important ally. But the UN used this summit meeting to urge Iran to
:16:34. > :16:35.
:16:35. > :16:39.help make peace in Syria, not war. Iran has a very important role, a
:16:39. > :16:44.crucially important role to play in the region, particularly when it
:16:44. > :16:48.comes to the Syrian situation. these are some of Syria's most
:16:48. > :16:52.vulnerable, refugees standed in no- man's-land as Turkey struggles to
:16:52. > :16:57.build yet more refugee camps. Amid deep international division, and no
:16:57. > :17:04.end to the fighting, President Assad hopes time may still be on
:17:04. > :17:08.his side. Coming up on tonight's programme:
:17:08. > :17:17.torrential rain and galeforce winds, the full force of Isaac hits New
:17:17. > :17:20.He was one of England's most high- profile captains but in an
:17:20. > :17:23.announcement that surprised many, Andrew Strauss today said he's to
:17:23. > :17:26.retire from professional cricket. He said he'd run his race and that
:17:26. > :17:32.poor form was the main reason, rather than a fall-out with the
:17:32. > :17:39.England batsman, Kevin Pietersen. A word of warning - there is flash
:17:39. > :17:42.photography in his report. If there is a glow to Andrew Strauss's
:17:42. > :17:47.recollections there, should be. He held the Ashes urn, he grabbed
:17:47. > :17:51.every opportunity. Leading from the front was how he
:17:51. > :17:57.often described his role. It is what he often Zsadly, he spent much
:17:57. > :18:00.of this year going backwards. Strauss's form was poor. England
:18:00. > :18:03.lost to South Africa and slipped off top spot in the world rankings.
:18:03. > :18:08.In truth I have not batted well enough for a long period of time
:18:08. > :18:11.now. You know, I think for a captain to perform his role
:18:11. > :18:14.properly, it's important that firstly you are not a passenger in
:18:14. > :18:18.the side but also that people aren't speculating as to whether
:18:18. > :18:23.you should be in the side or not. Despite his recent problems, Andrew
:18:23. > :18:26.Strauss's career as a batsman was excellent. Spanning 100 Test
:18:26. > :18:30.matches he scored over 7,000 runs and made 21 centuries. Just one
:18:31. > :18:36.short of the all-time English record. But his value as a captain
:18:36. > :18:42.was even greater. 24 wins in his 50 matches in charge. Under Strauss,
:18:42. > :18:47.England beat Australia at home and away, to retain the Ashes ashes and
:18:47. > :18:51.they became officially the number one Test team. It is now up to
:18:51. > :18:58.Alistair Cook to try to return engthroond that position of
:18:58. > :19:02.dominance. He is the new Test cap ton. The big challenge is a
:19:02. > :19:06.familiar, thorny one - what to do with Kevin Pietersen? Andrew
:19:06. > :19:10.Strauss's relationship with Pietersen soured dramatically after
:19:10. > :19:14.Pietersen sent text messages to the South African team, seemingly
:19:14. > :19:19.criticising Strauss and others. Strauss insisted that wasn't why he
:19:19. > :19:23.stepped down, but there were still open wounds. Now there is a new man
:19:23. > :19:27.as captain, perhaps they can get heads around the table. Alistair
:19:27. > :19:32.Cook and Andrew Strauss has said nothing has changed. I still think
:19:32. > :19:35.it is a very close decision as to whether or not Pietersen goes on to
:19:35. > :19:39.India this winter. After Strauss, well after his final media
:19:39. > :19:44.conference, he was applauded by journalists. That doesn't happen
:19:44. > :19:47.often. The very least he deserves is a dignified exit.
:19:47. > :19:53.The Serious Fraud Office has begun an investigation into deals between
:19:53. > :19:55.Barclays and Qatari investors in 2008. The probe follows an
:19:55. > :20:03.announcement last month that the Financial Services Authority was
:20:03. > :20:06.looking at whether there had been sufficient disclosure of fees paid.
:20:06. > :20:08.A controversial first-hand account of the death of Osama Bin Laden has
:20:08. > :20:14.apparently contradicted the official version of how the Al-
:20:14. > :20:17.Qaeda leader was killed. The details come in a book by a former
:20:17. > :20:22.member of the Navy SEALs unit which mounted the raid on Bin Laden's
:20:22. > :20:27.Pakistani hideout. Let's go live now and speak to our correspondent
:20:27. > :20:30.Paul Adams who's in Washington. To what extent does this account
:20:30. > :20:34.differ to what was said at the time? I think it is worth reminding
:20:34. > :20:37.people, Kate, that actually at the time the White House's version of
:20:37. > :20:41.events was frankly all over the place and seemed it change by the
:20:41. > :20:45.day. But what we have now -- seemed to change by the day. But what we
:20:45. > :20:49.have now is the first eye witness account, not by someone meerbl
:20:49. > :20:53.there, but by one of the people actually involved in killing Osama
:20:53. > :20:57.Bin Laden. When Mark Bissonnette entered the room at the top of the
:20:57. > :21:00.house in Abbottabad, he and his colleagues found a gravely injured
:21:00. > :21:05.person on the ground. They then proceeded to fire several more
:21:05. > :21:10.shots at that person at point-blank range and only then, do they
:21:10. > :21:14.determine that this was indeed the Al-Qaeda leader. Now some people
:21:14. > :21:19.may raise eyebrows at that last grisly detail and the notion that
:21:19. > :21:23.on the helicopter ride back to base one of the Navy SEALs sat on Osama
:21:23. > :21:26.Bin Laden's body. But I don't think anyone here in the United States is
:21:26. > :21:31.going to worry too much about the details of this. The White House is
:21:31. > :21:35.not being drawn into a discussion about it. Merely thank the Navy
:21:35. > :21:39.SEALs once again for professionalism and patriotism. The
:21:39. > :21:44.Pentagon is looking at the book, because it is interested to know
:21:44. > :21:47.whether any kind of secret operational details have been
:21:47. > :21:50.divulged in the writing of the book, which has in the been owe ferblly
:21:50. > :22:00.sanctioned. But at the end of the day, -- officially.
:22:00. > :22:00.
:22:00. > :22:04.But at the end of the day, this puts some light on this killing of
:22:04. > :22:06.Osama Bin Laden, which was a bloody affair.
:22:07. > :22:12.Hurricane Isaac, which has been lashing New Orleans, has now been
:22:12. > :22:15.downgraded to a Tropical Storm. A dusk-to-dawn curfew remains in
:22:15. > :22:23.place in the city and thousands of people have left. Hundreds of
:22:23. > :22:27.thousands of homes in Louisiana are without power. Seven years to the
:22:27. > :22:32.day since Hurricane Katrina struck. Isaac was bringing back some
:22:32. > :22:39.painful memories. We lost our home, our business,
:22:39. > :22:44.everything. Stkw Rescuers had to battle
:22:44. > :22:51.hurricane-forced winds to reach those trapped in Braithwaite, a
:22:51. > :22:59.neighbourhood just outside of new or lean's new flood defence system.
:22:59. > :23:03.Water flowed over Leaveys. It is not known how many people are
:23:03. > :23:07.trapped. We were trying to drive in the car. You couldn't see in front
:23:08. > :23:13.of your face. The suburbs of New Orleans took a direct hit from the
:23:13. > :23:18.storm gusting at 100 miles per hour. 500,000 people lost power. The
:23:18. > :23:22.city's new flood defence system, which cost billions of dollars,
:23:22. > :23:28.appears to have held back the storm's surge which burst the
:23:28. > :23:34.levies seven years ago but there was still major flding here.
:23:34. > :23:37.Hurricane Isaac hasn't been as strong as Katrina but has moved
:23:37. > :23:41.slowly and dumped a lot of water on this city and the surrounding Gulf
:23:41. > :23:46.Coast. We know areas of New Orleans have been flooded, but until the
:23:46. > :23:52.wind drops and the storm moves on, it's hard to know how disstructive
:23:52. > :23:55.hurricane Isaac has been. Well that's all from me in the
:23:55. > :23:59.newsroom. Let's return to the Olympic Park and George.
:23:59. > :24:02.Thank you very much. Well here at the Olympic Park the Paralympics
:24:02. > :24:08.opening ceremony is continuing behind me, watched by the Queen,
:24:08. > :24:13.and teams from 166 countries are parading through the stadium. Our
:24:13. > :24:18.Sports Editor, David Intelond still with me. Returning to the sports,
:24:18. > :24:21.many of us will see disciplines we will not see before And many of the
:24:21. > :24:25.2.5 million people who have tickets will be seeing Paralympic sport and
:24:25. > :24:28.disability sport for the first time. They may at first be mystified by
:24:29. > :24:33.the number of classifications which are there to rank the different
:24:33. > :24:37.levels of impairment athletes have. They might be slightly perplexed by
:24:37. > :24:43.the fact that there are 29 different 100m finals in athletics.
:24:43. > :24:46.The fact that there are 148 gold medals on offer in swimming,
:24:47. > :24:50.compare that with 34 in the Olympic Games but what is at the
:24:50. > :24:56.Paralympics heart and what is essential and the same of the
:24:56. > :25:00.Olympics, if you like, is the core thing of world class sport. I think,
:25:00. > :25:04.if over nects 11dys, we see the same world class sport. They'll
:25:04. > :25:07.probably be as unforgettable as the Olympics.
:25:07. > :25:12.Well the Paralympics opening ceremony will continue for some
:25:12. > :25:18.time yet. Still to come: the symbolic lighting of the cauldron.