2008 is a huge year for Paralympic sport and the Attitude team are bringing you two special documentaries about our athletes and the struggles they face to get to the top.

The first documentary, Meet the Paralympians, profiles the athletes selected to represent New Zealand at the Paralympics in Beijing this year. Attitude has followed these athletes for the past four years and will give viewers a solid and comprehensive insight into their build-up.

Disability is secondary to the lives of these athletes yet the reality is it is a big element of their world. Meet the Paralympians will give viewers an insight into the challenges our Paralympians face as they strive to qualify for their events - we've seen athletes break world records, we've been there at their lowest moments and we've discovered what drives them.

The programme is fronted by Attitude presenter and Wheel Black and Paralympic Gold Medallist Curtis Palmer, who is competing again this year.

To view our athletes profiles CLICK HERE

The second documentary, The Power of Attitude goes to the heart of the 10 men who form the NZ Wheel Blacks, the New Zealand wheelchair rugby team that won Paralympic gold in Athens and now aims to defend that title in Beijing this year.

These men are elite athletes competing in a brutal game having strived to overcome the considerable burden of their injury.

The documentary combines the explosive power of these men as they battle international competitors on court with the (often) tough realities of life off court.

These men want to be acknowledged, they want the public to look beyond the wheelchairs they must now use every day of their lives, for the rest of their lives. This sport more than anything else offers them the chance to be simply treated and respected as men, as individuals.

For this reason their story is a powerful documentary. Individually the men have much to gain from telling their story as it really is.

Their secret & attitude.

The documentaries will screen on TV ONE at 11pm on August 31 and September 1. They will also be available on TVNZ ondemand.