International Paralympic chief wants to change perceptions

He believes a wave of change is coming, in sport and society in Britain, with the XIV Paralympic Games in London just 100 days away. Craven, 61, is compelling, and his Bolton burr is imbued with a passion and proselytising zeal on everything from the complexities of grouping athletes by medical impairment to issues around cheating. Then there is the ‘D’ word – disabled – which he hopes to erase from the lexicon. Craven broke his back in the Sixties, falling from a quarry cliff in a mountaineering accident. It has never held him back. In the Seventies, he was known as the ‘Che Guevara of wheelchair basketball’, and was considered the world’s leading player on court, representing Great Britain from 1972-88. Since December 1991, he has been head of the International Paralympic Committee, has become a voting IOC member, and has overseen the development of the first ‘commercial’ Paralympic Games, to spectacular effect. Channel 4 paid almost £10 million for the television rights for the Games and several major corporations have become Paralympic sponsors. It is a fine juggling act, not least because he is also on the board of London 2012. His was a cute appointment, as Craven has always been a doer more than a politician. He insists the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games “has listened and done a fine job”, but still thinks there is more work to be done.“We’ve really only just scratched the surface,” he says. “The IPC was a bit like a tanker [when he took over], and for me it wasn’t moving in the right direction. We had to stop it with the first strategic plan, we turned it around between 2007 and 2010, and now we’re on our third plan. London will really propel us forward. “We wanted to make the Paralympic Games a ‘main event’ with a ‘wow factor’ as a sports event, and get rid of that word ‘disabled’ from everywhere. To do that, we had to strengthen our organisation — not criticising others for the way we were viewed — which we have done, and we are confident it will be an incredible Games in London.” Craven believes the legacy creation for London will be deeper and more far-reaching than people realise. “The legacy from the Paralympics is very, very important,” he adds. “You’ve got the sport legacy, of course, other things will shift, such as accessibility, employment, transport, and even in government. “We’ve often succeeded in getting through to governments around the world once they’ve witnessed the Games. Naming no names, some governments have realised that if you support people who play sport and who may have an impairment – and in some countries at the moment those people are viewed as being on the scrap-heap – you can transform lives and budgets. “For me, it’s always been the case that self-determination of the individual is absolutely crucial. Everything emanates from there. There were big, big changes in perception in China four years ago. "And the same is going to happen in Britain. We’re maybe 10, even 20 years ahead of certain countries but we haven’t cracked it yet. Maybe only 20 per cent of the work’s been done.” Craven believes one of the legacies will be a change in perception. “For us, it’s about exposing anyone who is ignorant to the exploits of paralympians – whether it’s on the television or live in the stadiums. People just get it. They say these people are no different from us. “That happened in Beijing and there was an amazing turnaround in that country which is still happening today. There’s definitely room for a perception change from the Games in London. That’s not a criticism. It’s just our experience of what happens after the Games have come to town. “Our vision is to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire. You can change the world, and we’ve seen it happen with every Games. "Whether it’s the speed of wheelchair basketball, the collisions the rugby, the skills of a blind athlete. The great surprise of the summer will be the Paralympic Games.”