International sports events bring nations closer together. This also applies to the return flight - especially in economy class. Mathias Mester was just quoted by the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper, saying he had no problems with leg room. It looks like the athletes as well as the media are in a good mood. Of course as we were standing in the aisles of the jumbo stretching our legs, we didn't know that our flight - unlike the one three hours later (see news for September 19) - would have the big advantage of arriving at its destination on time. Luckily the crew was also caught up in the enthusiasm of the Paralympics: Stewardesses collected autographs from medal winners and the pilot said farewell with best wishes for the preparations for London 2012.

It was an enjoyable, entertaining 10-hour flight on which half the passengers were Chinese in addition to athletes from Germany, Croatia, Poland and other countries as well as part of the Otto Bock team. You can never tell for sure though, since the passenger wearing the Canadian outfit seemed rather Austrian to me. But what does it matter anyway? In a way this was a continuation of the closing ceremonies in the "Bird's Nest", where athletes from all over the world got together as a colorful throng in a stadium where Paralympics history was made.

The closing ceremonies were broadcast on television in so many countries, and even rescheduled as a synopsis during broadcast times with higher audience ratings in Germany, that I don't need to describe them here. Maybe it would be more interesting to see what is being discussed on the sidelines and printed in many daily newspapers today. Tenor: "London will have to work hard if it wants to top these Beijing events."

This is probably mainly intended as a well-deserved compliment for China. To the joy of the audience, IPC president Sir Philip Craven commenced his expression of gratitude in Chinese and addressed each of the venues Hong Kong, Qingdao and Beijing in turn before ending with a "Thank you China". But surely it cannot be the purpose of the best games ever to cast doubt on the future? London was allowed eight minutes to present itself at the closing ceremonies. However, the British organization committee was permitted to spend a lot more time gathering useful information behind the scenes during the Paralympics - in close cooperation with, for example, the management of the Paralympic Village. The Chinese had a similar presence in Athens, allowing them to avoid mistakes by getting a first-hand perspective. The Paralympics have reached a new level and attained a hitherto unequalled measure of public attention around the world. Surely this can only elate the English as they make their plans, rather than worrying them. The hundreds of performers who formed the image of a giant envelope carried a message of good tidings. A key symbol of this message is the Paralympic flame, which was now passed from Beijing's mayor Guo Jinlong to Sir Craven and from him to London's mayor Boris Johnson.