The lure of 2012, and the development and legacy potential that it could bring to change the face of disability sport, still felt a long way off and it should be recognised that the World Cup as an event has delivered many positive things in the interim.
Because of the media profile and the sponsors, it continues to attract athletes like Oscar Pistorius who benefit from strong British support. And let’s face it, the media and public love him.
It has also given a number of up-and-coming athletes the chance to compete against the world’s best. Young athlete Jonny Peacock competed at the PWC as he built his career and he has been fast tracked to GB representation.
It was also the event that I chose to retire at.
In terms of audiences the event has worked hard to generate a wider base of spectators who were willing to do more than switch over on their TV remote control, but who would come out and watch the event in real life. This has become even more important as we move towards 2012 and want people to turn out and watch Paralympic events.
But after seven years, the question has to be: does the Paralympic World Cup still have any relevance to the athletes? The timing of the event has always been an acknowledged challenge for the organisers. Trying to get the best athletes in a variety of sports, who all have different competition calendars has not been easy.
Generally most athletes and sports have tried to work around it for the greater good of the movement. Athletics, whose event programme is busy at this time of the year, has found it hard though.
This year is the first time that there won’t be any wheelchair racing at the event due to a clash on the calendar. There are two major track meets and a marathon in Switzerland this week (all on lightning fast tracks) and virtually all of the world’s best have chosen to go there.
For those with 2012 at the back of their minds, they have little choice as the qualifying marks they need to achieve are tough and they can’t afford to not reach them. Although I am a little disappointed, you can't argue with athletes choosing other events.
It is also a shame that we aren’t going to see a head- to-head just yet with Pistorius and Jerome Singleton, after blistering races at the World Championships earlier this year.
But as with all sprinters, there will probably be a fair amount of avoiding each other as much as they can this year. What would be exciting is if the event could attract the likes of Jason Smith (the visually impaired Irish runner) who like Pistorius has aspirations, and not a little chance, of qualifying for the Olympics next year.
One thing that was talked about in earlier years was the possibility of the Paralympic World Cup becoming part of a world wide series.
This has not happened yet, and to be honest, in this format seems unlikely, as coordinating the calendar across a number of countries would be impossible. Far better to work on a series of integrated events on the mainstream calendar, which will do more to develop the sports around the world.
What has been great to see is the rotation of sports introducing boccia and sitting volleyball for the first time. Boccia, despite previous strong Paralympic successes, has struggled to get the media attention that it deserves. Inclusion should help provide that, giving the athletes access to wider spectators.
Sitting volleyball, as a sport, has been developed from virtually scratch in the last couple of years and this has been brought about because of 2012. While, historically, standing volleyball (for amputees) has been successful, having a games on home soil has forced this development.
It has been strongly supported by the mainstream governing body who want to build a reputable team and it also seems to have caught the imagination of the public.
One or two years ago I thought that the PWC might struggle to sustain itself through to the Paralympics. If it continues to look at putting on the best sporting competition though, then 2012 might be a catalyst for greater success.
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