Paralympic Legos

From the BBC:

"Singapore Paralympians immortalised as Lego figurines"

 It is the ultimate Lego dream: two of Singapore's Paralympic medal winners have been immortalised as toy figurines. Swimmers Yip Pin Xiu, a double gold medal-holder, and Theresa Goh, who won her first medal in Rio this week after attending four Paralympics, come complete with their own swimsuits and medals. In a post on its official page that drew more than 3,000 reactions, Lego praised the women's achievements in Rio.  "Congratulations to Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh for bringing pride to Singapore!" the company said. "Your accomplishments have inspired us all."  Many Singaporeans, including Goh herself, have also shared the post and expressed delight at the "adorable" figurines.  "Thank you for giving them their well-deserved recognition," wrote Sylvia Heng on Facebook.  "Hope there will be more companies following your lead," said Alderline Wong, referring to recent public pressure on Singaporean brands and firms to offer its Paralympians the same treatment that swimmer Joseph Schooling received. In August, the city-state went into celebratory overdrive when Joseph Schooling beat his childhood hero Michael Phelps to bring home Singapore's first ever Olympic gold medal. Celebrations for Yip and Goh have so far paled in comparison.  Others suggested Lego sell the figurines to raise money and drum up support for other disabled athletes.  However, the company told the BBC there were no plans to make the figurines available for sale.   Lego has previously created mini-figurines of Paralympians to "celebrate sporting achievement and overcome adversity".  The company also launched a five-piece set to "teach children about the Paralympics and help increase support for such an under supported area of sport".

Those sentiments were expressed in a personal Instagram post by Yip earlier this week, celebrating her and Goh's achievements and highlighting the struggles they had faced to get there.

"Nobody knows our journey like us," Yip wrote.

^ It's great to see an international company like Lego bring recognition to both the disabled as well as the Paralympics. It doesn't matter which country the athletes are from since the recognition carries through national borders. More and more companies around the world need to step-up and show their support for both the Paralympics and the disabled in general. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37358326