HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Paralympians made us proud – Prime Minister Gordon Brown [23 October 2008]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 23 October 2008.

Gordon Brown has told Great Britain’s Paralympians that their successes in Beijing “filled the nation with so much pride” and that they are an “inspiration to us all”.

Speaking to the athletes at a reception at the British Museum on Wednesday, the PM said that the dedication displayed by team GB augured well for the nation’s prospects in 2012 when the next Olympiad will take place in London.

The PM said:

“You are inspiring young people, many talented young people who previously didn’t know that they could also with their potential succeed in athletics. And your inspiration as role models to young people, not just in your own communities but right round the country, is something that augurs so well for our country in the future.”

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, also at the reception, said that all people knew the athlete’s success did not come about by chance but through their “dedicated determination and talent”.

Great Britain won 102 medals at the Beijing Paralympics, of which 42 were gold, and finished second behind China in the overall medal table.