Good Afternoon everyone.  Today’s hearing topic is a bit out of the ordinary for us and I am looking forward to some very interesting testimony.

Everyone is aware of the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, China.  What most of us are not aware of is that shortly after the Olympic Games conclude, a very special brand of athlete will compete on the same venues recently used by our Olympic team.  These special athletes are those who have lost limbs or have other disabilities such as spinal cord injuries that qualify them for the United States Paralympic Team. 

The Paralympics originally began as a program to assist wounded veterans in 1948 when German neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttman created an athletic competition in England for World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. By 1960 the Paralympic Games officially began in Rome, providing Olympic-style athletic events for disabled athletes. In 1976, the Paralympic Winter Games were introduced.

Today, the Paralympics are held the same year and in the same location as the Olympic Games and feature elite international competition in 19 different sports. In the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, 3,806 athletes from 136 different countries competed.

Returning to the disabled veteran roots of the Paralympics, the United States Paralympic Committee has formed a Military Program which provides mentoring and support to injured servicemen and women by reintroducing them to sports with adaptive techniques that fit their lifestyle. By the 2012 Paralympic Games, some estimate that veterans from OIF/OEF could comprise up to 15% of the US Paralympic Team.

Our witnesses will raise some interesting points about the role of sports in rehabilitation and I am eager to hear about the progress made to use sports at all levels to advance the rehabilitation of disabled veterans.  I am also concerned about an issue raised by Mr. Ramos that VA is considering revising a regulation to reclassify hand cycles as wheelchairs and hope Dr. Scott from VA will address that issue.