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Foreign and Commonwealth Office , UK
Oct 6 2011
SCALING ARAGATS WITH PARALYMPIANS: GUEST BLOG BY DEPUTY HEAD OF
MISSION GARETH WYNN OWEN
On Thursday 29 September I had an extraordinary opportunity to scale
Mount Aragats. Under any circumstances, walking up Armenia's highest
mountain is a thrill in itself. But I was given the extra bonus of
scaling these heights with a truly inspirational group of people -
Armenia's Paralympians. In countdown to the opening of the London 2012
Paralympics (http://www.london2012.com/paralympic-sport) the Embassy,
along with the British Council and Armenian Paralympic Committee,
organised a very special celebration of the Games.
We started to climb from the reservoir around 11am. It was a
spectacular September day, with piercing blue skies and sunlight that
streamed through the snow laced mountains. We were a group of 35, led
by Alexan Bayanduryan, a wheelchair athlete, who lost his leg in the
Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict and was walking up Aragats for the
14th time (last year he also scaled Mount Ararat). We were joined by
other athletes with both physical and intellectual disabilities. At
1330 we scaled the summit at 3900 metres.
What an expanse of lofty beauty to justify the arduous trek! We all
sat together and munched on sandwiches, admiring the scenery below.
When the cold become too biting, we started the descent and by 1600 we
reached the reservoir again, where we collapsed into the comfort of a
car ride home.
These are the sort of days where I feel elevated, and humbled, by
those around me. What a privilege to walk side by side with such
outstanding athletes. What an honour to climb to such heights with
those who have mastered the most grueling of personal challenges. What
an exceptional delight to share the beauty of Armenia with those who
are an exemplary model of determination and fortitude.
I arrived home utterly exhausted; red from the sun, whipped from the
wind and battered by the altitude. But I will remain, for a long time,
inspired by these paralympians.
Here's to the London 2012 Paralympics.
From: A. Papazian
Oct 6 2011
SCALING ARAGATS WITH PARALYMPIANS: GUEST BLOG BY DEPUTY HEAD OF
MISSION GARETH WYNN OWEN
On Thursday 29 September I had an extraordinary opportunity to scale
Mount Aragats. Under any circumstances, walking up Armenia's highest
mountain is a thrill in itself. But I was given the extra bonus of
scaling these heights with a truly inspirational group of people -
Armenia's Paralympians. In countdown to the opening of the London 2012
Paralympics (http://www.london2012.com/paralympic-sport) the Embassy,
along with the British Council and Armenian Paralympic Committee,
organised a very special celebration of the Games.
We started to climb from the reservoir around 11am. It was a
spectacular September day, with piercing blue skies and sunlight that
streamed through the snow laced mountains. We were a group of 35, led
by Alexan Bayanduryan, a wheelchair athlete, who lost his leg in the
Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict and was walking up Aragats for the
14th time (last year he also scaled Mount Ararat). We were joined by
other athletes with both physical and intellectual disabilities. At
1330 we scaled the summit at 3900 metres.
What an expanse of lofty beauty to justify the arduous trek! We all
sat together and munched on sandwiches, admiring the scenery below.
When the cold become too biting, we started the descent and by 1600 we
reached the reservoir again, where we collapsed into the comfort of a
car ride home.
These are the sort of days where I feel elevated, and humbled, by
those around me. What a privilege to walk side by side with such
outstanding athletes. What an honour to climb to such heights with
those who have mastered the most grueling of personal challenges. What
an exceptional delight to share the beauty of Armenia with those who
are an exemplary model of determination and fortitude.
I arrived home utterly exhausted; red from the sun, whipped from the
wind and battered by the altitude. But I will remain, for a long time,
inspired by these paralympians.
Here's to the London 2012 Paralympics.
From: A. Papazian