The Games Come Home: Tracing the Paralympics’ British Roots
How an archery tournament for disabled World War II veterans in the British town of Stoke Mandeville grew into the second-largest sporting event on earth
Articles from Contributor
How the Paralympics Is Welcoming Back Intellectually Impaired Athletes 12 Years After Cheating Scandal
For the first time in 12 years, the intellectually impaired will be allowed to compete at the Paralympics. But thanks to the brazen cheating scandal that halted their participation, the athletes will have to work harder to prove …
Britain Battles Post-Olympic Withdrawal
Now that the country has experienced two weeks of nonstop effervescence, it wants to figure out how to bottle it for an inevitable rainy day
For Olympic Women, the Pressure to Look Perfect Lingers
The elite athletes at the London Games give women a positive body-image message, experts say. But the Olympics are certainly not free from superficiality
London in Full Bloom: Wildflowers Are Breakout Stars at Olympic Park
Olympic spectators can’t stop taking pictures of them. Passersby point when they see them. They’ve even generated fan mail. They’re British wildflowers, and they are earning golden reviews at Olympic Park.
London Statues Wear Couture Hats for Olympics
In London‘s famed Trafalgar Square, the pigeons are pecking, tourists are clicking, and atop Nelson’s column, the Admiral is wearing a couture hat. Lord Nelson’s new accessory — a 5-foot Union Jack-themed bicorn — is just one …
Royal Zara Phillips and British Eventing Team Just Miss Gold at Equestrian Eventing
As a nation of animal lovers, it would have been fitting for Great Britain to win its first gold medal in equestrian eventing. But it was not to be. The 5-member British team, of which the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips
…
The Quirky Art of Britain’s Cultural Olympiad
In order to showcase Britain’s arts and heritage during the Olympic Games, the U.K. government has bestowed $150 million on the Cultural Olympiad and its accompanying London 2012 Festival, which runs from June 21 to September 9. …
Do the Olympics Need Fast-Food Sponsors?
Since fast food is off the training menu for most Olympians, some critics are asking whether the London Games should accept backing from Big Food.
Q&A: Olympic Equestrian Mary King
British equestrian Mary King, one of the top-ranked event riders in the world, will make her sixth Olympic appearance for Great Britain in London. Her sport, eventing, includes three disciplines: dressage, show jumping and …