I watched the Paralympic Games with pride and amazement. Seeing well-trained athletes performing at such incredible levels despite their disabilities was truly inspiring. The quick and skillful movements, which at times bordered on the dangerous, were exciting to watch and the satisfaction the athletes felt from their achievements was a joy to watch.

The evident delight of the participants at all levels was enormously satisfying and the knowledge that ‘Great Britain’, ‘Big Business’ and ‘The Unions’ were behind the venture, ready to contribute to the training of the athletes and the quality of his team. It must have seemed like the culmination of a wonderful dream. Added to this, they knew that El Público was supporting them along with the Volunteers and the Army. For once I appreciated the oft-repeated phrase: ‘We’re all in this together.’ The unifying force that prevailed throughout the ‘Games’ was simply tremendous and we all knew at the time that Great Britain was truly unique in offering the planning, imagination and care to put together this extravaganza of the Paralympics for for the whole world to see.

I only felt one disappointment for the entire fortnight. It is understandable that the number of events accessible to disabled athletes was limited to certain sports, but I couldn’t understand why the game of ‘Snooker’ had not been included. I know several very good handicapped billiards players who were just as baffled. I think the last time this sport was played at Olympic level was in 1988 in Seoul when it really worked and then there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that ‘Snooker’ was ever listed again on the event table. I ask this question because I know that although ‘Snooker’ requires high levels of skill, dexterity and movement, it is an accessible game for people with disabilities, and without the need or use of specialized equipment.

My father, Ray Harrison, was very successful in playing the sport and also in promoting ‘Snooker’ to many disabled people. He built a team at the old Lodge Moor hospital in Sheffield and spent many hours coaching others while enjoying the game and the atmosphere. Dad was in a wheelchair, a victim of polio, but he had learned to lift and move his body into certain positions that gave him full control of the pool table. A report in the Sheffield Star in 1984 said: “Ray moves fluidly around a table both forwards and backwards at great speed, and it was hard to believe that he was handicapped, having developed his skills to an excellent degree that it had allowed him to overcome the physical restrictions of his disability.’ At that time, Ray had told the reporter that there weren’t many shots that a disabled person couldn’t take.In his opinion, you just had to become adept at positioning the cue ball to make it easier for you, and then you could enjoy the game. Mick Langley (1988 Paralympic Snooker Champion) said: “Ray Harrison was a legend, he was one in a million. He taught me a lot about the game of snooker and I don’t think he would have achieved half of what I have.” If he had never met him. What a great man!”

Using this method allowed Ray to play the sport at a very high level, winning three major medals, silver, bronze and finally the coveted ‘World Champion Snooker Gold Medal for Paraplegics’ in 1985. He was also described as the perfect ambassador for sports for the disabled. and he traveled to Denmark, Iceland and Malta to compete and appear on his television channels. In 1984 he is given the opportunity to travel to America and is greatly disappointed when this competition is canceled due to lack of sponsorship. But that’s when ordinary members of the public didn’t fully understand just how important big sponsors were and when venues, sporting events, special facilities and travel arrangements were harder to get up and running. And this is now 2012 where we value and encourage the determination and spirit that disabled people have in abundance and how important it is when sponsors can be found to help athletes achieve success not only for themselves but also for the country’s reputation. .

Dad was a great inspiration. He taught me the sport and never lost his enthusiasm, ambitions and hopes no matter what setbacks he experienced. He would have loved this period and he would have reveled in the successes of the athletes and I know he would have found a way to get into the thick of it. He would also have encouraged me in the kind of work that he worries me about. I know from my own experience that the game of Snooker is not only accessible to people with physical disabilities, but it is also an excellent sport to help people with weak concentration powers. I coach people who find it incredibly difficult to focus on strategy, learning where to place the balls and which part of the ball to hit with the cue, but I have found that with patience, respect and specialized teaching they can enjoy the sport, follow the rules and learn to improve your standards.

I am very much looking forward to seeing the sport of snooker reinvigorated and reintroduced at the next Paralympic Games to be held in Brazil in 2016. With this in mind, I am asking for general support to support my idea and application. I am planning to write to the Olympic Committee and contact Seb Coe and Mr Deighton to ask their advice and if anyone else knows who else I can contact to try to implement this request I would be grateful to hear from them. I would also be pleased if some of the best players in the country would approach the Olympic committee members with a similar request to be reinstated in the sport, as they would obviously have more influence than me. The more people I can find to support me in this endeavor, the better my chances of success. We all know that achievements are important in the lives of people without disabilities, but they are even more celebrated when we achieve them after a struggle. Therefore, I would like to see this sport included in the table of events of the next games, since it is very accessible to people with abilities and disabilities at all levels.