At the same Paralympics, O'Hanlon is leading several other Paralympians in what Fairfax calls "a silent, heartfelt protest.". He has taping over the logos of the multinational sporting companies on his sporting gear that he feels have not helped enough to support athletes with disabilities. In fact the companies being blacked out have never supported the Paralympians.
In the same week that O'Hanlon made his record time in the 100 metres, his request for sponsorship from a sporting goods company got this response ''We are aware of Evan as an outstanding athlete, however we are unable to support him.'' O'Hanlon has never been sponsored by any company although ASICS have paid for his uniform this Games so he is displaying the Asics name. (I wear Asics so that has made me happy about my shoe choice).
Australian Paralympic team officials have advised they will not prevent athletes from covering the brand names of multinational companies that they believed had not helped enough to support athletes with disabilities. These multinational companiues get publicity from their logos on the gear but get this often the Paralympians have paid for their own uniforms.
Not good enough. O'Hanlon said: 'By covering it up, we're proving that we do have worth...It's what any Paralympian deserves.''
It feels to me, we already under resource the Paralympians. They get less media attention. And yet they are as brave and as dedicated as any able bodied athlete. The TV commentary I saw said of O Hanlon that he "owned the stadium" for his race.
How can we change this without being tokenistic? Could we pair up Olympic and Paralympic athletes so that a sponsor has to sponsor both? Could Olympians donate 10 per cent of their sponsorship funds to a Paralympian fund? In Australia, could Sports Australia ensure that all of our athletes (Olympic and Paralympic) are dressed? How can we help those Paralympians from a developing country? Could the world's sporting goods companies create a fund
