Sam Sullivan: waves the flag for Vancouver and... disability issues

摘要

That election victory counts as one of Sullivan's proudest accomplishments. It also led directly to thrusting him and his wheelchair into an even brighter spotlight. Since Vancouver will host the next Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2010, he played an official role in the Closing Ceremonies of both those events in Torino, Italy. A worldwide audience watched him accept the Olympic flag and a few weeks later the Paralympic flag, both of which fluttered proudly from a specially designed holder on his chair. The Olympics may have had the larger audience, but the Paralympic ceremony held more meaning for Sullivan. "It was quite remarkable," he says. "The Closing Ceremony was very moving for me. They seemed more authentic than the Olympics. Maybe it was my connection as a person with a disability."