Speaker, recently the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee announced a South African team for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Included in the team are athletes such as the 2006 Laureus Sportsperson of the Year and seven times winner of the Boston marathon, Ernst van Dyk; blade runner Oscar Pistorius; and Natalie du Toit who will become the first person to compete in both the Olympics and the Paralympics. The list signifies the great potential athletes with disabilities possess, as well as the will and drive that people with disabilities have to be included in mainstream society.
The ANC congratulates these athletes and wishes them well in the upcoming events as they seek to bring glory to our sporting fraternity and South Africa. The ANC works tirelessly to remove all obstacles that preclude some sections of our communities from participating fully in sport and social life generally.
This effort is consistent with our constitutional imperative to fight against discrimination. The resources that are provided for Paralympians are inadequate to realise the sporting needs of people living with disabilities and the goal of encouraging healthy lifestyles. I thank you. [Applause.]