London 2012 OIympics: Tanni Grey-Thompson: Excitement for London 2012 Paralympics is building with just 100 days to go The British public are used to watching Paralympic sport on TV, but for the Games this year, it is important that they watch in real life. Not just for the TV shots, but to get behind the team. Perhaps one of the most important things it gives is the chance to give exposure to younger British talent, letting them compete against some of the best in the world, possibly before their world ranking would allow it. The London Games has definitely encouraged more young people to stay in sport and one thing that has always been important to me and my husband, Ian (who coached me), was to try to give young athletes a chance to try the sport. At entry point, wheelchair racing is not a cheap sport and it is hard to begin. It was easy enough with all the equipment we had through the years to lend it to some young athletes to help them see if this was what they wanted to do. Hannah Cockcroft started her career in one of Ian's chairs and has made rapid progress, and is one of many who started in this way. For me this year's event will also be one of the last chances I will have to see a large number of the team competing together, to see how they interact and spark off each other. The next time I will see them will be at Games time when I am going to be working for BBC Radio 5, a whole new experience. While the team has been working on home advantage for several years, there are some things that will be hard to prepare for. Those who competed in Beijing may have been blown away by the size of some of the crowds, but many will never have competed in front of such a large British contingent. The feeling of coming out from underneath the stadium and pushing on the track will be far away from what they will have experienced. I competed in the stadium in Sydney in a demonstration event on the same night that Cathy Freeman won her gold medal, and to this day I have not experienced anything like the reaction that she received. I don't want to wish the Games away, but athletes need to think about what they are going to do after the Games. Even if it is just to have a date for starting back training. For the gold medallists the opportunities will be significant but for many who will not have had a break for months, it is important to reconnect with family, and experience something that is not connected with the Games. Athletes should not to make any rash decisions. With all the emotion that has been building over the past seven years, the immediate aftermath of such a major event is not the time to make life-changing decisions. There is plenty of time for that once the dust has settled.