Paralympic Games promoted by Olympic Stadium stunt
A disabled climber who lost both hands and feet in a mountaineering accident has become the first man to scale the outside of the Olympic Stadium to promote the Paralympic Games.
Jamie Andrew, 43, used a ‘jumar’ rope climbing system to ascend the outside structure of the main Stadium from the concourse level in just over ten minutes, reaching a height of more than 160 feet, before abseiling down.
The climb promotes the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony which will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Wednesday August 29th from 8pm. It aimed to highlight the extraordinary abilities of disabled athletes ahead of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Jamie said: “The Stadium will be the centre-piece for the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Wednesday and I wanted to highlight the tremendous strength and ability of the disabled athletes we will all be watching from next week. Returning to climbing following the accident has been my greatest challenge, and it has been such an honour to be the first person to ascend the Stadium to promote the Paralympic Games.”
Scottish mountaineer Jamie lost both hands and feet to severe frostbite after becoming trapped on the north face of Les Droites in the Mont Blanc massif in January 1999. He was finally airlifted to safety after four nights in temperatures of -30°C, although amputation of all four limbs was required to save his life from septic shock.
Since the accident, Andrew has climbed Kilimanjaro, run the London Marathon and walked up Ben Nevis to raise money for charity, and continues to fulfil his love for extreme sports such as paragliding and caving. He was also a Torchbearer in Edinburgh for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.
To climb with his prosthetic limbs, he traditionally uses the jumar system, which is a common mechanical device used for ascending a fixed rope instead of climbing directly on the surface, and allowed Jamie to pull himself up the rope which was attached to the Stadium itself.
The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be the biggest event in Channel 4’s history. Close to 500 hours of live coverage will be broadcast during the twelve days of the Games, marking the most extensive Paralympic Games coverage ever broadcast in the UK.
“The live sport will be broadcast across Channel 4, More4 and online at Channel4.com. Three further live streams will feature uninterrupted live coverage of events from across the Paralympic Games, broadcast on Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media. The coverage will be hosted by a ground-breaking team. Half of the presenters and reporters in the Channel 4 line-up will be disabled – including eight new faces drawn from a nationwide talent search.” Channel 4 state.
