Jessica Sauer- Disability and Sports Spring 2022

     The Paralympic Games have grown immensely over the years, garnering the attention, support, and involvement of both athletes and spectators worldwide. These Games, just as important as the Olympics, put forth an athletic showcase unlike any other. The International Paralympic Committee prides themselves on the values of courage, determination, inspiration, and of course, equality. In terms of the value of equality, the Committee expresses that Paralympic Sport serves as a direct initiative for change in order to challenge social criticisms of discrimination against those with some form of impairment. These Games act as a celebration of those with differences, by allowing athletes to display their athletic capabilities on a global stage. In order to compete in the Paralympics, athlete must have at least one of the following 10 eligible impairments : impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of motion, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, muscle...

    The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games recently took place from March 4th to the 13th. Athletes, with all different forms of disabilities, from all across the globe, came together to unite through a common love of sport. Over the course of the ten day event, six winter sports were featured, including alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboarding, and wheelchair curling. Each event was packed with action and passionate athletes that helped to shape that unique sport. One event I was able to watch, and was quite fascinated by, was the women’s cross-country skiing event. If I am being completely honest, I have never really watched the Winter Paralympic Games before, so there was not much that I knew about this particular event. So, I took to the official Paralympic website and did some research. Cross-country skiing made its debut in the 1976 Örnsköldsvik Paralympic Games. It is open to male and female athletes with physical and or visual impairme...

     The Olympic Truce was an agreement established way back in ninth century Ancient Greece. The treaty was signed by three kings, who’s domains were almost always at odds. It was enacted in order to allow for safe and fair participation in the Olympic Games for both athletes and spectators. This concept was recently revived in the modern Games with the goal of safeguarding the interests and practices of athletes and sport as a whole, while also utilizing sport as a way to encourage unity, peace, and healthy competition. The truce, with heavy support from the United Nations, is renewed with each Olympic and Paralympic Game, continually promoting a peaceful and cooperative world through sport. It encourages international friendship and for differences such as race, religion, politics, and tensions to be set aside to simply celebrate an international love of sport and competition.  Within the past few weeks, great conflict has arisen between Russia and Ukraine. Issu...

     Sports have become a cornerstone in society, as they play such a large role in daily life. Their influences are countless including those from a financial standpoint, entertainment purposes, community values, and personal health, both physical and mental. Sports have a way of bringing people together by promoting competition but also by developing the union of ideals such as determination, sportsmanship, and fairness. The concept of being fair, or practicing fairness, is an ongoing conversation in many realms of the sports world. It is questioned whether or not rules support sport equity or if they cater to particular athletes and or teams. Doping is yet another hot topic when considering fair play, as well as equal training and practice opportunities. When considering athletes with certain disabilities, many question whether or not the utilization of adaptive technologies counteracts fair practices. The use of adaptive, and or assistive, technologies permits athlete...

     The Olympic Games are undoubtedly the greatest athletic showcase celebrated worldwide. Occurring every two years, as either the summer or winter Games, athletes from all around the globe come together and experience a commonality despite distance, culture, race, religious beliefs, and more. The similarity in mind is sport. Individuals are able to compete not only against one another, but also against themselves on a global stage. True grit, passion, and determination are put on display for all to see, with billions of viewers tuning in to each event. The Olympics appear at the forefront, supported by hours of media coverage, pre-event publicity, countless sponsorships, and an overall grander hype. The Paralympics follow behind, occurring just after the initial Games conclusion. They are similar to the Olympics, but competing athletes have some form of disability of either physical or intellectual nature. Paralympians have to work harder than typical athletes, and not...

In taking time to reflect on the word paralympic, it came to my attention that I never truly considered the true meaning of the word. In the past, I only ever thought of the concept of the word and its relations to the athletes and sports it showcased. Before reviewing this week’s class content, I set aside some time to actually break down the word paralympic, and determine some sort of meaning. In doing so, I thought that “para-” could mean paraplegic to represent a form of disability, but quickly found that to be an inadequate explanation since game participants have countless forms of disability, in which any part of their body could be affected by physical and or intellectual means. I then thought back to my medical terminology days from both freshman years of high school and college, recalling that “para-” means near, alongside of, beside, and even abnormal. From there, I put the word back together in its entirety, continued to reflect upon it and its relation to the Olympics, and...