By Jim Coggins

ONE participant in the 2010 Winter Paralympics is a world-class Canadian athlete with 19 podium finishes in major competitions.

Lilo Ljubisic

Ljubisic is a Paralympian, a competitor in the parallel Olympic Games for athletes with disabilities. She is also a committed Christian.

She was a member of Canada's 1984 Paralympic silver medal goalball team. She continued competing internationally until the 2002 IPC Athletic World Championships. She was a member of the governing board of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) 2001-2009, during the time it was preparing for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler. The Paralympics will run March12-21, coming shortly after the February 12-28 Winter Olympics.

For the past two decades, the Paralympics have been held in the same city as the Olympic Games. This can lead to a sense of anticlimax, Ljubisic admitted, as local volunteers and fans are feeling exhausted after hosting the Olympics. This is always the case, she said, but they usually get their second wind -- and by the end of the Paralympics "they are flying." Volunteers, she added, typically say, "I am so glad I hung on. These are the best games."

This is partly because the example of Paralympians who have overcome adversity to excel is inspiring. It is also because the Paralympics are "more family oriented, more relaxed and more intimate," Ljubisic said. Paralympic athletes are also more accessible than Olympic athletes.

The Paralympics are still the second largest sporting event in the world, after the Olympics. Some 1,350 athletes from 40 countries are expected to take part in the 2010 Paralympics (compared to about 5500 athletes from 80 countries at the 2010 Winter Olympics).

There has been "dramatic change" in the Paralympic Games in the last two decades, Ljubisic says, "and I like to think I had something to do with that." The first Paralympic-type games were held in Rome in 1960, but the IPC was only formed in 1989. Canada has been "at the forefront" of the movement, she said.

Ljubisic was born in Yugoslavia. A misdiagnosed childhood illness when she was 16 months old led to a gradual loss of her sight over the next 25 years. She immigrated to Canada with her parents and brother when she was eight years old.

As her athletic career was winding down, Ljubisic moved into a new career as an international speaker. Between her volunteer involvements (she has been on numerous boards and committees) and her speaking engagements, she travels 200,000 miles a year, usually on her own.

"I am a keynote speaker. I speak at workshops, lunches and breakfasts. I wrap up conferences and kick off conventions," Ljubisic said. The venues include corporate retreats, colleges and universities, public events, sports events, non-profit organizations' meetings and church events.

Her speeches focus on topics such as living life to its fullest potential, living with the challenge of change, keys to success, the place of marginalized groups in society - all largely based on what she has learned in her own life.

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Ljubivic credited her mother's strong Christian faith for bringing stability to her family. (Her father became a Christian later in life.)

The consistent message she has heard from God, she said, is that if she leans on him, he will bring her to "clear waters" and peace. "Sometimes our spiritual walk meanders, but we need to keep going back to God -- because we're the ones who chose to walk away."

Her Christian life is often evident in her public presentations, Ljubisic said. "When I can, I bring something of faith and God into my presentations, gently and subtly." In our very secular society, "you can't be too preachy or you won't be invited back." But she drops a 'pearl' when she can, and adds another next time.

Looking forward to the Paralympic Games in Vancouver, Ljubisic said she hopes Christian efforts continue at the same pace as for the Olympic Games. The crowds will be smaller; but because of the more relaxed atmosphere, where people have more time to talk, outreach efforts "could be more effective."

Bob Kraemer, director of operations for More Than Gold (MTG), the joint Christian outreach at the Olympic Games, told CC.com that MTG is encouraging a two-pronged approach to the Paralympics.

First, these Games can be used as an opportunity for the church to become more aware of people with disabilities and how they should be treated. MTG is suggesting that churches use one of the two Sundays during the Paralympics to focus on disability issues, perhaps by inviting someone with a disability to speak.

Second, MTG is encouraging churches to use the Paralympics to reach out just as they did with the Olympics. For instance, churches could invite their neighbours in to watch the gold medal sledge hockey game, which is already sold out.

The chaplaincy service to athletes in the Paralympic village, which is under the jurisdiction of the IPC, will continue.

MTG itself will continue doing many of the same things at the Paralympic Games that it did at the Olympic Games, but on a reduced scale.

There are only two Paralympic events in Vancouver itself, and the rest are at Whistler. MTG will not be providing its coffee and refreshment services at SkyTrain stations and transportation hubs - there are no such hubs in Vancouver for these Games. However, the hospitality outreach at Regent College/University of British Columbia, where the men's sledge hockey games will be played, will continue.

The prayer centre which operated on Keats Island is no longer in operation, but many prayer networks around the world will continue to provide a "prayer covering" for the Paralympics, Kraemer said.

MTG's 'way of life' witnessing will also continue, using New Testaments, Gospels and pocket guides. Some of the teams who were ministering in Vancouver will now work in Whistler. With fewer security restrictions and the more laid-back atmosphere of the Paralympics, Kraemer expects people will be more open to talking of spiritual matters.

March 11/2010