tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/london-paralympics-3667/articlesLondon Paralympics – The Conversation2020-01-28T16:07:42Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1300822020-01-28T16:07:42Z2020-01-28T16:07:42ZThe Paralympic Games fails to increase disabled people’s participation in sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312263/original/file-20200128-81346-qng05b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C14%2C1590%2C1046&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Great Britain's Hannah Cockroft after winning a T34 sprinting heat at the 2012 London Paralympics</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/89654772@N05/8157698583">Richard/Flikr</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tokyo’s 2020 Paralympics promises to be a sporting spectacle that thrills and excites, showcasing the very best in Paralympic sport. However, looking at the legacy of London 2012 it is unlikely to inspire more people to take part in sports. </p>
<p>Mega sporting events do not automatically increase participation in sport. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2014.998695">A systematic review of the evidence</a> found mega sporting events unable to inspire sports participation on their own. Instead, the Paralympic Games and other mega sporting events must be “leveraged”. In other words, organisers and organisations need to strategically supplement the event with planned initiatives encouraging sport participation. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23750472.2015.1010278">The problem is that hosts often assume</a> the event will bring about increased sport participation but <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/MIP-05-2017-0091/full/html">fail to capitalise on the event</a>. </p>
<p>The problem with inspiration is its intangiable quality. How to turn inspiration into habits and concrete change? Trading on inspiration also fails to appreciate <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01490400.2016.1151842">wider obstacles and barriers</a> preventing disabled people participating in sport and society. </p>
<p>The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics represented the first Games to make a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/oct/21/sebastian-coe-london-2012-olympics-legacy">concerted effort to achieve a positive sport participation legacy</a>. This makes the London 2012 Games an ideal test case for exploring the viability of increasing disabled people’s sports participation through mega sporting events. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311004/original/file-20200120-69559-1u8eg5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311004/original/file-20200120-69559-1u8eg5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311004/original/file-20200120-69559-1u8eg5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311004/original/file-20200120-69559-1u8eg5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311004/original/file-20200120-69559-1u8eg5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311004/original/file-20200120-69559-1u8eg5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311004/original/file-20200120-69559-1u8eg5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The London 2012 Games aimed to inspire a generation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">British Rowing</span></span>
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<h2>London 2012 Paralympics</h2>
<p><a href="https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130703134200/http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wor/leg/legacy-full.pdf">One of the main aims of the 2012 Paralympics</a> was to increase the number of disabled people participating in sport. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/20625689">Despite an initial rise</a> in once a week sports participation immediately after the Paralympics (19.1% in 2013), <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/paralympic-sport/2018/08/15/disabled-sport-crisis-numbers-participants-drop-ten-per-cent/">participation subsequently fell back to pre-2012 levels</a> (16.8% in 2016). </p>
<p>My <a href="https://kar.kent.ac.uk/72201/">PhD research</a> found that the 2012 Paralympics made minimal impact on the number of disabled people participating in sport club settings. Of the 538 voluntary sports clubs that completed a questionnaire about the impact of the London 2012 Paralympics, about six in 10 sport clubs saw no noticeable change in their disabled membership five years after the 2012 Paralympics. Furthermore, about six in 10 sports clubs agreed the 2012 Paralympic Games had no impact on the number of disabled adults participating at their club. </p>
<p>Interviews with 30 individuals from sports and non-sports organisations revealed a complex combination of factors explaining the limited impact. One of the main reasons for the decline in sport participation was the lack of strategic activities and initiatives by sports organisations to maximise the hosting of the Paralympics, as well as a failure to embed a culture of inclusion within sports organisations.</p>
<p>Many sports organisations were unprepared for the level of interest from disabled people and were unable to respond accordingly. For some disabled people, Paralympians lacked relevance. Reduced disposable income caused by austerity was also found to have been an important barrier to participation. Due to negative media portrayals disability, some disabled people were <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2017.1381635">fearful of being active</a> in case they were accused of being a “benefit scrounger” and potentially lose some of their benefits. </p>
<p>While these examples expose the folly of investing faith in a two-week sporting event’s ability to increase sport participation, it’s important to highlight there have been positive developments in disability sport since London’s 2012 Paralympics. </p>
<p>There is increased awareness in the sports sector of the need to provide sporting opportunities for disabled people: disability is an important focus in both the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sporting-future-a-new-strategy-for-an-active-nation">government’s sports strategy</a> and <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/active-nation/our-strategy/">Sport England’s strategy</a>. <a href="https://kar.kent.ac.uk/72201/">Funding and research into disability sport</a> has also <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/media/4011/annual-report-2013-14.pdf">grown</a>. In the <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/media/4011/annual-report-2013-14.pdf">2013-17 funding round</a>, Sport England invested about £170 million pounds in disability sport, having previously invested significantly <a href="https://kar.kent.ac.uk/72201/">less than that</a>. </p>
<p>Most national disability sports organisations <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19406940.2017.1381635?scroll=top&needAccess=true">gained funding</a> for the first time after the 2012 Paralympics, while 42 national governing bodies of sport received investment for disability, compared to 11 in 2009-13. In 2016, Sport England released <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/media/3988/mapping-disability-the-facts.pdf">its research into disability in England</a>, providing sports organisations with facts about disability.</p>
<p>Despite the positive developments, there are still mountains to climb. Disabled people are still <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/news-and-features/news/2019/october/17/record-one-million-more-active-people-in-england/">twice as likely to be inactive</a> than non-disabled people. </p>
<p>When you next listen to politicians extolling the benefits of mega sporting events when it comes to boosting participation in sport, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01944363.2015.1038292">be sceptical</a>. It’s likely to be <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2238047">political spin</a> to justify the <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2804554">huge financial investment</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/B2OvUXOFnmt","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>The evidence suggests mega sporting events, on their own, fail to increase sport participation in the long term. Tokyo 2020 hopes to <a href="https://www.paralympic.org/news/tokyo-2020-paralympics-inspiring-change">inspire change</a> for disabled people <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/684/">and to make Japan a more accessible society</a>. However, <a href="http://paralegacy2020.net/2019/08/09/yuta-saito-hokkaido-college-of-sports-and-medicine/">more work needs to be done to make Japan more accessible</a>. If the London 2012 Paralympic Games failed to meaningfully increase sport participation, despite prioritising sport as a legacy goal, what hope is there for Tokyo 2020?</p>
<h2>What is the Paralympic Games good for?</h2>
<p>The Paralympics is, first and foremost, an elite sports event. Elite sport, by its very nature, discriminates on the basis of ability – only the best is acceptable. It’s questionable whether this is the best way to engage people in sport. There’s no doubt the Paralympics can be inspirational for some people, but its appeal and potency is not for everyone. </p>
<p>The Paralympic Games do not represent the diversity of disability and is not a substitute for educating individuals on the lived experience of disabled people. In fact, the Paralympic Games may propagate stereotypical narratives on disability, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2012.748648?src=recsys">causing more harm than good</a>. The Paralympics may shine a spotlight on accessibility and inclusion in the host country, but whether this can lead to lasting change is doubtful. For sport participation, the Paralympic Games is not the solution and should be one component of a wider sport participation strategy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/130082/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Every Paralympics there’s a sense that they will inspire more disabled people’s sport participation. However, eight years since London 2012 and very little has changedChristopher Brown, Lecturer in Sports Development, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/649382016-09-09T13:58:19Z2016-09-09T13:58:19ZDisabled athletes should use Paralympic spotlight to fight discrimination<p>We talk a lot about legacy of sporting events, in terms of increasing participation and improving health, but what about the societal legacy? The London Paralympic Games was heralded as a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/disability-sport/19537593">big step forward</a> for disabled sport, but has the opportunity to address broader social issues been taken? What do the athletes themselves do to address issues facing the disabled when the spotlight is on them?</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029216300838">our recent study</a> with 36 elite disabled athletes who were sampled to ensure a variety of experiences (male and female athletes from different sports, congenital and acquired impairment), all participants identified as being sporting activists. This meant that they challenged what they saw as inequalities in sport. For example, disabled athletes feel that to reach their full potential and win more medals at the Paralympics they need the same access to high-quality coaches that non-disabled athletes have. </p>
<p>Our study also found that only seven of the disabled athletes were politically active outside of sport. They sought to highlight and challenge the difficulties disabled people regularly face in society. This included challenging the <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/disabled-people-hit-by-multiple-benefit-cuts">cuts to disabled people’s living allowance</a> (first mooted in 2013) and negative views some people have about disability.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137225/original/image-20160909-13342-10vzk32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137225/original/image-20160909-13342-10vzk32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137225/original/image-20160909-13342-10vzk32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137225/original/image-20160909-13342-10vzk32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137225/original/image-20160909-13342-10vzk32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137225/original/image-20160909-13342-10vzk32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137225/original/image-20160909-13342-10vzk32.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Fight for better buildings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-129624548/stock-photo-disabled-man-in-wheelchair-looks-for-a-ramp-to-gain-access-to-a-public-building-entrance.html?src=PU2hNoS-AnTOl8A6P7YjKA-1-6">Steven Frame/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>What is stopping more elite disabled athletes from taking the leap from sporting activism to political activism? Our research showed that 25 of the 36 interviewees felt as though there was little need for it – equality is already achieved. Ten felt it would put off sponsors and organisers if they were outspoken and 27 thought the emotional effort of being politically active would distract from their training and performance. But the people who are politically active disputed this. They had not only secured sponsorship, but also won medals at world championships and the Paralympics. They had seen first hand that disabled people faced many problems that were not of their own making but which damaged their quality of life. As one athlete said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When you really look outside sport and the comfortable life it gives you, what you see is unfortunately a lot of misery and difficulties for disabled people. None of it our fault, very little anyway. The problems largely fall at the door of society, for not thinking we can excel at work, for not adapting buildings, people staring at disabled people when they shop in a supermarket, a lack of accessible transport, bad stadiums, welfare cuts, cruel jokes, and even physical violence … People are suffering, that’s the reality of it. And if I can use my identity as an athlete to help change things, I will and do.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>In retrospect</h2>
<p>All athletes retire from elite sport at some stage. What then do the views of retired athletes tell us about how their role is viewed on reflection? The eight athletes who had retired felt that sport kept them in something of a bubble and buffered them from the realities that they would face when they left competitive sport. </p>
<p>When they retired they struggled to get a job, found accessing transport and buildings difficult, experienced insults and hate crime and became depressed. To help with the transition from being an elite athlete to a retired athlete, seven of those eight retired would urge more athletes to become politically active while in the spotlight. As one person said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Retiring from competitive sport hit me psychologically. I was miserable a lot. My impairment was a route into professional sport, but now society treats me like a second-class citizen. I was told, by strangers that I’m a drain on society and would be better off dead. And if I could offer one bit of advice to athletes in sport now it would be: don’t believe all is rosy for disabled people. It isn’t. When you retire, you’ll find this out pretty quickly and retirement will be even more difficult because of the discrimination we face. Start being politically active as an athlete, or at least aware. Use your status as an athlete to bring attention to disability rights if you can.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is no requirement for athletes to adopt a political role; it’s not something all athletes will want to do. But perhaps, with the spotlight being on disabled sport for two weeks during the Paralympics, it’s the right time for athletes, sporting organisations, disability rights groups, the disabled public and researchers to have a debate about what athletes might do to challenge oppression. We also need a debate about how to ensure that the barriers that prevent keen spokespeople in sport from publicly talking about the many difficulties and inequalities disabled face are removed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64938/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What’s holding disabled athletes back from getting more involved in fighting inequality?Brett Smith, Professor, University of BirminghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/530442016-01-14T11:52:35Z2016-01-14T11:52:35ZLessons from London: how hosting the Paralympics can make cities more accessible<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107995/original/image-20160113-8429-11irjua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In September 2016, 4,350 Paralympic athletes will arrive <a href="http://www.rio2016.com/en/paralympics">in Rio de Janeiro</a> to compete for medals across 23 different sports. The games in Rio have a lot to live up to. London’s 2012 Paralympics proved to be a <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703398504576099680221267872">magnet for sponsorship</a>, and <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/35255001">competitors have said</a> that the crowds – and their enthusiasm – were unparalleled. But there’s another respect in which the 2012 games set the standard for future Paralympic tournaments: it made the host city itself more accessible. </p>
<p>In order to secure <a href="http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/Official%20Past%20Games%20Reports/Summer/2012/ENG/2012-RO-S-London_V1_I_eng.pdf">their bid</a> for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, organisers had to make two key promises to do with transport. One was to make public transport a key part of their sustainability agenda. The other was to make London 2012 more accessible than any previous games. London 2012 was planned as a public transport-driven games, and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) took action to maximise its usage.</p>
<h2>The challenges</h2>
<p>To live up to their promises, the committee had to overcome a number of challenges. Parts of London’s transport system had to undergo a radical overhaul. The commitments also had major implications for venue design, equipment and even the workforce of the games. And because the <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-the-olympics-and-paralympics-really-leave-a-social-legacy-9156">idea of “legacy”</a> was central to all of the preparations for the games, the solutions put in place needed to work over the long term – not just the main event. </p>
<p>When LOCOG started its work, disabled people’s confidence in using the public transport network <a href="http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/documents/get_lob?id=3739&field=file">was very low</a>, so there was a need to change people’s perceptions through advertising. The demand from disabled people to attend the Paralympics was higher than expected, but organisers did not know what sort of mix of disabled spectators they needed to plan for. For example, while they knew that many groups of wheelchair users would be arriving, they did not know how many would be using electric wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs or scooters – each of which has different requirements for travel. </p>
<p>Finally, the transport system needed to be flexible enough to accommodate the extra short-term influx and diverse needs of disabled people, and revert back to more “standard” operations after the event. For a transport system first developed in the mid-1800s, these were no small demands. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107994/original/image-20160113-8406-16g0gls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107994/original/image-20160113-8406-16g0gls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107994/original/image-20160113-8406-16g0gls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107994/original/image-20160113-8406-16g0gls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107994/original/image-20160113-8406-16g0gls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107994/original/image-20160113-8406-16g0gls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107994/original/image-20160113-8406-16g0gls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Queensway tube station, circa 1900.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_London_Underground#/media/File:London_Underground_circa_1900.jpg">Pigsonthewing/Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
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<p>The London Underground – commonly known as “the tube” – was the first underground rail network in the world. At some points, the tracks are <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/9789966/London-Underground-150-fascinating-Tube-facts.html">almost 60m</a> below ground. Modernising such a system involves working around complex arrangements of existing infrastructure. For example, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-ouch-29367464">adding a two-lift shaft</a> to Green Park station in central London in time for the games required engineers to build a straight path between pedestrian tunnels, escalators, stairwells and the platforms themselves – not to mention finding the least disruptive times to carry out the developments and space to store the construction equipment. </p>
<p>Such logistics meant that it was impossible for LOCOG to create new accessible entrances into all of the stations. Nevertheless, the organising committee worked with Transport for London, the city’s transport authority, to adapt the public transport system and improve accessibility. </p>
<h2>The changes</h2>
<p>Evidence such as wheelchair ticket sales, pre-booked journeys and increased lift usage <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmtran/116/116.pdf">suggests that</a> many more people with disabilities were using public transport throughout the games. Tactile paving and protective walls at the platform edges made the system safer for the visually impaired. And 66 of London’s 270 functioning tube stations were fitted with <a href="http://content.tfl.gov.uk/Part-1-Item06-TfL-Games-performance-Final-corrected.pdf">step-free access</a>, while the overground DLR system was fully accessible. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107996/original/image-20160113-14613-1q0j0c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107996/original/image-20160113-14613-1q0j0c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107996/original/image-20160113-14613-1q0j0c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107996/original/image-20160113-14613-1q0j0c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107996/original/image-20160113-14613-1q0j0c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107996/original/image-20160113-14613-1q0j0c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/107996/original/image-20160113-14613-1q0j0c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wheely inaccessible.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In many stations – particularly on the Piccadilly line – the issue was the height difference or the gap between the platform and the carriage floor. Changing the position of the platforms would have been disruptive and costly. So instead, platform ramps were installed across four stops on the Piccadilly line, while manual ramps <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2012/september/manual-boarding-ramps-to-be-retained-at-key-tube-stations-after-the-games">were provided</a> at 16 strategic stations, to make it easier for wheelchair users to get on and off the train. </p>
<p>These ramps not only benefited disabled people but could be used by the wider community, including parents with pushchairs and tourists with suitcases. They were <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2012/september/manual-boarding-ramps-to-be-retained-at-key-tube-stations-after-the-games">left in place</a> after the games as part of LOCOG’s legacy commitment. And since then, they have been added to <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/may/lu-stations-with-manual-boarding-ramps-up-by-">28 more stations</a>. </p>
<p>Of course, there’s still much to be done before London can be a truly accessible city – a fact highlighted by Paralympian Hannah Cockroft, <a href="http://www.itv.com/news/london/2014-10-03/paralympic-champion-challenges-boris-johnson-to-spend-a-day-in-a-wheelchair/">who challenged</a> London Mayor Boris Johnson to spend a day navigating the tube in a wheelchair (he declined). And <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/transport-committee/news/disabled-report--substantive/">there are concerns</a> that the momentum toward further improvements is waning. </p>
<p>But London 2012 still marked a major leap forward in disabled access to public transport. Through a combination of controlled traffic management, communication with Londoners and collaboration with industry partners, LOCOG was able to develop practical and efficient transport solutions. These did more than fulfil the transport requirements for the Olympic and Paralympic Games: they also left a legacy value for Londoners to enjoy, and set a new standard in games-time transport. </p>
<p>Now, Rio is taking the challenge to heart, by <a href="http://www.rio2016.com/en/news/rio-mayor-launches-project-to-improve-accessibility-in-city-ahead-of-2016-olympic-and-paralympi">launching projects</a> to improve accessibility in the city ahead of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Indeed, British experts have <a href="http://www.rio2016.com/en/news/british-experts-to-help-improve-accessibility-in-brazilian-cultural-spaces-through-rio-2016-gam">been actively involved</a> in helping to transfer the learning from London 2012 to improve accessibility for Rio 2016. Rio has a golden opportunity to seize this legacy opportunity and set even better standards. Let the games begin.</p>
<p><em>This article is part of a series on the outlook for <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/rio-2016">Rio 2016</a>. You can also find out why <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-reasons-why-your-city-wont-want-to-host-the-olympic-games-52289">your city won’t want to</a> host the next Olympics, and discover the story of <a href="https://theconversation.com/vila-autodromo-the-favela-fighting-back-against-rios-olympic-development-52393">the favela fighting back</a> against Olympic developments.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/53044/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Bamford does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Navigating a major metropolis with a disability is tough, but the Paralympics give us the chance to make it work.David Bamford, Professor of Operations Management, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/298612014-08-05T05:06:19Z2014-08-05T05:06:19ZGlasgow’s para-sport legacy must change behaviour as well as attitudes<p>The 2014 Commonwealth Games have been praised for integrating the para-sports programme into the main schedule and including the medals in the tally of each nation. The London Olympics in 2012 told a similar story of success, with the president of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Philip Craven describing it as “<a href="http://www.paralympic.org/london-2012-overview">the greatest Paralympic Games ever</a>”.</p>
<p>But, the impact of the Olympics for promoting para-sport participation has since been questioned, which is concerning for the health of people with disabilities. It is important that more is done to encourage the broader uptake of sport and promotion of physical activity for people with disabilities. </p>
<h2>The 2012 Paralympic legacy</h2>
<p>The record crowds and unprecedented media coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games positively transformed the way people with impairments were viewed by the public. As a result, UK Sport <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/creating-a-lasting-legacy-from-the-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-games/supporting-pages/paralympic-legacy">increased funding for Paralympics GB through to Rio 2016 and transport operators have worked to improve accessibility in the transport system.</a> </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.efds.co.uk/news/1208_efds_legacy_survey_reveals_disabled_people_want_to_watch_and_try_more_inclusive_sport">English Federation of Disability Sport</a>, thanks to a £2m investment from Sport England, has also been working tirelessly to increase the number of disabled people participating in sport. They found eight out of ten disabled people considered taking part in more sport or exercise following London 2012. </p>
<p>While these early signs were encouraging, a Sport and Recreation Alliance Survey <a href="http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/sites/sportandrecreation.org.uk/files/web/images/Olympic%20and%20Paralympic%20legacy%20survey_1.pdf">raised questions over the impact of the Paralympic legacy</a>. This was particularly regarding its effectiveness at translating Paralympic success into sport participation at a grassroots level. Nine out of ten clubs reported no change in the number of disabled people joining their club. Almost the same number (86%) noticed no change in the number of enquiries they received from disabled people wanting to take part.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28397795">recent survey</a> has also questioned the physical education provision for children with disabilities in mainstream schools. This not only limits the potential to develop future Paralympian prospects but more importantly future active generations.</p>
<h2>What the guidelines say</h2>
<p>For the past ten years at least, the UK <a href="http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-state-public-health-15-march-2010">Chief Medical Officer’s Report</a> has made the same statement regarding the lack of evidence to inform policy on the recommended levels of physical activity for disabled people:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A good understanding of the health and functional benefits derived from physical activity by persons with disabilities is still limited due to a lack of research.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It has been suggested that individuals with disabilities should strive to meet the American College of Sports Medicine physical activity guidelines of <a href="http://acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/news-releases/2011/08/01/acsm-issues-new-recommendations-on-quantity-and-quality-of-exercise">150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week</a>. There is a degree of uncertainty as to whether these able-bodied guidelines are realistically achievable. </p>
<p>This is mainly due to altered physical function in individuals with a disability and the numerous challenges that they face when trying to be more physically active. There is also a distinct lack of evidence as to whether individuals with a disability even accrue the same health benefits from meeting these guidelines.</p>
<h2>Physical inactivity</h2>
<p>The World Health Organisation has addressed physical inactivity as a global public health concern. Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US suggest that adults with a disability who do not perform any physical activity are 50% more likely than their active peers to <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0506-disability-activity.html">report at least one chronic disease</a> (cancer, diabetes, stroke or heart disease). </p>
<p>Worryingly the same report states that one in two disabled adults gets no aerobic physical activity. By getting volunteers to transition from high to low levels of physical activity over a 14 day period, researchers have associated reduced physical activity with <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21636564">impaired metabolic function</a>. Even as little as <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21716152">three days</a> of reduced physical activity can negatively affect the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels.</p>
<p>The reduced level of physical activity in people with disabilities is a result of <a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/9/168">numerous psychosocial and environmental barriers to exercise</a>. These include reduced self-esteem, a lack of accessible facilities, unaffordable equipment, fear of injury and parental or medical over protection. </p>
<p>Secondary complications such as pressure sores, common in individuals who are wheelchair dependent, require bed rest and further compound the issue of physical inactivity.</p>
<h2>Moving forward</h2>
<p>People with disabilities should be a high priority for research support. There are now over 11m people living in the UK (750m worldwide) with long-term illness or disability. Within the <a href="http://www.bath.ac.uk/health/research/sport-health-exercise-science/disability-sport-health/">Centre for DisAbility Sport and Health</a> at the University of Bath we are interested in the benefit of physical activity on the health of individuals across a range of disabling conditions that lead to mobility impairments. </p>
<p>Tanni Grey-Thompson, one of the UK’s most successful Paralymic athletes, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/commonwealth-games/28317057">said</a>, “The Commonwealth Games is the one event that does integration properly.” So it is important that we capitalise on this legacy. In light of the negative consequences that being sedentary can have on health and well-being, it is crucial that efforts are made to help people with a disability overcome the barriers to engage in physical activity. Developing achievable physical activity guidelines that can enhance people’s lives is one place to start.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29861/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tom E Nightingale does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The 2014 Commonwealth Games have been praised for integrating the para-sports programme into the main schedule and including the medals in the tally of each nation. The London Olympics in 2012 told a similar…Tom E Nightingale, PhD Candidate in Health and Exercise Science, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/94832012-09-11T02:51:31Z2012-09-11T02:51:31ZCome together: the Olympics and Paralympics should unite<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15318/original/xxqcmyv2-1347328935.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's time for athletes of all abilities to compete in one event.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Andy Rain</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It was painful to see the Olympic rings taken down from London Bridge after the Olympics only to be replaced by the Paralympics emblem (the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paralympic_symbols">three agitos</a>).</p>
<p>Aside from the fact this emblem was not chosen by a consensus of athletes self-identified as “disabled” or differently abled, it is a mark of separation that insults the humanistic ethos of the Olympics.</p>
<p>In short: all Olympic athletes should compete together in one Olympic Games. </p>
<p>This realisation came to me during a recent conversation with my father-in-law. He asked why differently abled people were made to be so separate from other athletes. As I began investigating this important question, I realised this separation is possibly the last discriminatory hurdle for the Olympics to clear.</p>
<p>Some might argue that a separate games for “disabled” people highlights their personal needs – but this form of attention can be generated better when it is sewn into the fabric of what many individuals consider to be “the main event”.</p>
<p>Only one woman is known to have competed during the ancient (Greek) Olympics, at least based on the patchwork evidence still available to us. Her name was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilistiche">Belistiche</a> and she competed some 2,276 years ago as a chariot racer, winning an event.</p>
<p>The ancient Games were, for the most part, only for free Greek-speaking men – probably only those that met standard citizenship requirements for the different polities in the region (i.e. those city-states or oligarchic republics that sent participants to compete for imperial glory).</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Olympics">“modern” Olympics</a> men and women, big and tall, short and lean have all competed. Such athletes are, for the most part, individuals self-identifying as having no major physical, emotional or mental disadvantages. But now, thankfully, this is not always the case.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/oscar-pistorius">Oscar Pistorius</a>, a double below-the-knee amputee known as “the blade runner”, is a primary and wonderful example. He competed in the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay at the London Olympics, although in the latter he was not able to run due to a teammate falling down on the track. Pistorius is one of the first amputees ever to compete in the Olympic Games. (The first was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Eyser">George Eyser</a> who competed in gymnastics in 1904 with a wooden leg).</p>
<p>The point here is simple: people who are said to have a disability, or who say they have a disability, are actual human beings and should be treated with the same collegiality as more able (is anyone ever fully able?) men and women.</p>
<p>This includes people that define their own gender – although that important topic needs <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-men-and-women-the-fraught-issue-of-olympic-gender-testing-8585">its own separate discussion</a> from this one. That is why I think the Paralympics should be dissolved and that all Olympians should compete in one singular, human, Olympics.</p>
<p>That way we can have women and men (and intersex and transgendered individuals) with different abilities, compete in their own trials and, where possible, together. If the attractively named “blade-runners” are able to compete with “non-blade runners” – as with Pistorius in the London Olympics – then why not have relays with people in wheelchairs? Or include blind runners and their running-mates in marathons or other longer-distance competitions?</p>
<p>Combining all Olympians is a necessary statement for the Games to make as this guarantees certain minimal equal treatment for every individual. Naturally, consensus between athletes, coaches, federations and so forth on greater equality between competitors before, during, or after the Games is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-olympics-are-illegitimate-a-call-for-democracy-in-sport-8475">also needed</a>.</p>
<p>Adding athletes that are now labelled as “Paralympians” into the Olympics would probably require an additional week or two of competition. This may provide greater cultural and economic returns to the host than are currently possible. After all, why invest all of that public money for two short weeks? I think it would be better to integrate all events and stretch the event out.</p>
<p>The pathos, or emotion, for a move to a unified Olympics was expressed in the opening ceremony to the Paralympic Games. Therein we saw powerful themes including:</p>
<ul>
<li>the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a></li>
<li>the <a href="https://theconversation.com/paralympics-opening-ceremony-a-tour-de-force-for-humanity-9184">freeing effects of scientific discovery</a> and the beautiful hope it gives to all humans</li>
<li>the giant <a href="http://www.artlyst.com/articles/marc-quinn-alison-lapper-sculpture-thrills-paralympic-spectators">sculpture of Alison Lapper</a> who was the subject that inspired such great art</li>
<li>the <a href="https://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150">United Conventions on the Rights of Disabled Persons</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>These are calls for persons that are differently abled to be treated as actual equal human beings. The emotion and logic behind this emancipation is no different to the historic and ongoing struggles of women, indigenous peoples, minorities, <a href="http://www.lgbthealth.org.au/LGBTI">LGBTI</a>, “black” or darker-toned individuals, young adults or teenagers, and the elderly.</p>
<p>It took more than 2,000 years for people other than adult men to compete in the Olympics. Even children today are competing against adult men and women – see, for instance, impressive young talents such as Togolese swimmer <a href="http://www.london2012.com/athlete/kpossi-adzo-259469/">Adzo Kpossi</a> (13 years old), Malawian swimmer <a href="http://www.london2012.com/athlete/tafatatha-joyce-1058251/">Joyce Tafatatha</a> (14 years old) and US swimmer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Ledecky">Kathleen Ledecky</a> (15 years old).</p>
<p>We are now on the cusp of a great victory for human emancipation. It has been staring us in the face in the past but the London Paralympics has brought the issue to the fore.</p>
<p>Let us compete together as one collective humanity. There is no such thing as a disabled person. There are only people with different abilities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9483/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jean-Paul Gagnon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It was painful to see the Olympic rings taken down from London Bridge after the Olympics only to be replaced by the Paralympics emblem (the three agitos). Aside from the fact this emblem was not chosen…Jean-Paul Gagnon, Honorary Research Fellow, POLSIS and SMP, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/94572012-09-10T06:05:57Z2012-09-10T06:05:57ZThe Great Haul of China: Paralympic success by the numbers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15272/original/kgdqy8b7-1347252932.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A gold medal in women's goalball was one of China's 231 medals in just 11 days of competition.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Gerry Penny</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>China dominated the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/medals/medal-count/">medal table</a> at the London Paralympic Games, cementing its position as the world’s leading Paralympics nation. In fact, China has topped the medal table at each of the past three Paralympic Games (Athens, Beijing and London).</p>
<p>Interestingly, China’s total medal tally in London exceeded its performance in its 2008 home Paralympics (with 231 medals compared to 211) and there was a similar trend with the number of gold medals (95 medals compared to 89).</p>
<p>In London, <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/country/china/medals/index.html">China won medals in 14 Paralympic sports</a> and gold in 12 of them. Athletics (86 medals) and swimming (58 medals) contributed more than half of all China’s medals.</p>
<p>In the past 12 years China has increased its total medals won at the Paralympic Games in comparison to its major competitors. Indeed at London, China’s 231 medals saw it more than double it’s nearest rival (Russia, with 102).</p>
<p>Russia too has managed an increase in the number of total medals won in the past 12 years, while Australia and Great Britain have seen their numbers decline.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=761&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=761&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15270/original/q29b54p5-1347252199.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=761&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keith Lyons</span></span>
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<p>China’s gold medal trend has followed the total medal trend. In London, China won 95 gold medals in comparison to Great Britain’s 34. The impact of China’s growing performance profile is that Great Britain won more gold medals in Beijing than London.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15268/original/95fdrd3w-1347251954.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keith Lyons</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>One measure of a nation’s performance is the proportion of gold medals they win in relation to the total number of medals they win.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=760&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=760&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15269/original/cmhnrt9j-1347251970.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=760&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Keith Lyons</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>These trend data indicate Australia and Russia have become more efficient at translating performances in 2012. China is experiencing the impact of success in winning medals.</p>
<p>However, its proportion is still greater than its four major competitors in Paralympic sport. Only Australia (Sydney) and Great Britain (Beijing) have managed a gold-to-overall-medals percentage of 40% or above. China has achieved this feat at each Paralympic Games since 2000.</p>
<p>Awarding the 2008 Games to Beijing transformed Paralympic sport, leading to a new hierarchy of medal winning post-Sydney. Traditionally strong Paralympic nations such at Germany, France and Spain have been displaced in this period by China, Ukraine and Brazil.</p>
<p>It will be interesting in four years’ time to contemplate how stable these changes in the world order are.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9457/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Lyons does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>China dominated the medal table at the London Paralympic Games, cementing its position as the world’s leading Paralympics nation. In fact, China has topped the medal table at each of the past three Paralympic…Keith Lyons, Professor of Sport Studies, National Institute of Sports Studies, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/94392012-09-10T04:00:59Z2012-09-10T04:00:59ZBeyond the Paralympics: where to for disability sport in Australia?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15224/original/rfcvrfpq-1347236528.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Australian Steelers celebrate a gold medal after beating Canada in the men's wheelchair rugby final.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kerim Okten/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the bright lights of the London 2012 Paralympic Games begin to dim, and as the media focus diverts back to everyday life, we’re left with a pertinent question: where to now for disability sport in Australia? </p>
<p>The Australian team performed brilliantly, coming fifth internationally, with a total of 85 medals on the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/medals/medal-count/">official medal count</a>, behind the world sporting powerhouses of China (231), Great Britain (120), the Russian Federation (102) and the Ukraine (84, but with one more silver than Australia).</p>
<p>Individually there were a number of standout performances, with <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/jacqueline-freney">Jacqueline Freney</a> bringing her eight gold medals in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S7_%28classification%29">S7 swimming</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15227/original/hjxmffkf-1347236975.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Evan O'Hanlon celebrates winning gold following the men’s 200m - T38 final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Tal Cohen</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Who would have thought somebody would have equalled or outshone Matthew Cowdrey’s five gold medals and two silver medals, that gave him a total of 22 Paralympic medals for three Paralympic games.</p>
<p>The men’s and women’s <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/sports/wheelchair-basketball">wheelchair basketball teams</a>, (two silver) together with the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/sports/wheelchair-rugby">wheelchair rugby team</a> (one gold) <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/country/australia/medals/index.html">received well-deserved medals</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, how does this elite performance translate to grassroots participation of people with disability in sport in Australia?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15231/original/2b4f43g9-1347237133.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Madison De Rozario prepares to compete in the women’s 400m-T53 final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Kerim Okten</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Representatives from the <a href="http://www.olympic.org/ioc">International Olympic Committee</a> (IOC) and the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/TheIPC">International Paralympic Committee</a> (IPC) will tell you that elite sporting success acts as inspiration for ordinary people to get motivated to participate in sport, in what is known as the “trickle-down effect”.</p>
<h2>Participation</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19407963.2012.662619">Research</a> carried out by the <a href="http://www.olympic.uts.edu.au/">Australian Centre for Olympic Studies</a> at UTS by Tony Veal (UTS), Kristine Toohey (Griffith University) and Stephen Frawley (UTS), including an examination of participation rates of Australians in sport, refutes this assertion – at least for Olympic sports.</p>
<p>The research took data from the Exercise Recreation and <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/information/casro/ERASS">Sport Survey</a> (the study was a joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission and State and Territory Departments of Sport and Recreation) on the frequency, duration, nature and type of recreation and sports activities participated in by persons 15 years and older annually between 2001 and 2010, and tracked participation rates. </p>
<p>No increase of participation in Olympic sports was found.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15226/original/cwhxvqmy-1347236962.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">(L-R) Annabelle Williams, Jacqueline Freney, Katherine Downie and Ellie Cole celebrate gold in the women’s 4x100m medley relay.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Jeff Crowe</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Similar work cannot be carried out for Paralympic sports – simply because the data does not exist, as the research funded by the Commonwealth and State departments of sport never included a disability module.</p>
<p>The Australian Bureau of Statistics <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4159.0">general social survey</a> identifies that people with disability participate in sport significantly less than other Australians.</p>
<p>These participation rates are even lower depending on the type of disability and the higher the level of support needs an individual requires.</p>
<p>On a closer examination, two recent research reports critically examine the participation of people with disability in sport.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15229/original/pr8tqvqr-1347237000.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Matthew Cowdrey celebrates his gold medal win in the Men’s 400m Free S9 event.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Jeff Crow</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first, released on the day of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, <a href="http://www.disabilityrightsnow.org.au/node/15">Disability Rights Now</a> evaluates Australia’s performance against the <a href="http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml">UN Convention</a> on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. </p>
<p>It documents the marginalised position of people with disability within Australian society and in reference to other nations in the OECD and reports by the United Nations. That includes those living in poverty, with relatively low levels of employment and a high degree of unmet needs to address basic living conditions.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=186&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=234&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=234&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15230/original/nf3kwskn-1347237124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=234&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Australian Gliders celebrate their silver medal in the women’s wheelchair basketball competition.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Daniel Karmann</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With regards to sport, the assessment of Article 30 of the <a href="http://www.disabilityrightsnow.org.au/node/15">Disability Rights Now</a> report on sport and recreation participation of people with disability states: “Support for grassroots participation and pathways to elite level competition are lacking …” </p>
<p>Instead, there is a reliance on the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its very successful Paralympic <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/talentsearch">Talent Search</a> program to identify potential Paralympians ahead of implementing a broader process of grassroots participation in disability sport.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15236/original/kt2spnwc-1347237960.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kurt Fearnley won a bronze medal in the men’s T54 marathon on the final day of competition.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The emphasis on elite development ahead of grassroots participation is compounded as it was <a href="http://www.wallawallapress.com/benchmark_paralympics.php">estimated in 2008</a> that 85% of disability sport funding at the Commonwealth level went to the Australian Paralympic Committee and Paralympic sport.</p>
<p>Of course, sport funding goes beyond the Commonwealth but the 2009 Crawford Report called <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/1DDA76A44E5F4DD4CA257671000E4C45/$File/Crawford_Report.pdf">The Future of Australian Sport</a> identified a series of deficiencies in the current system and called for more funding for “sporting and other organisations that provide services and support to athletes with disabilities at both the elite and community level”.</p>
<p>The reasons for lower levels of participation are complex. <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/disability/resources/research_and_reports/disability_participation_research">A report</a> by myself and UTS researchers Tracy Taylor, Aron Murphy (now University of New England) and Daniel Lock (now Griffith University) documents the complex set of intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural constraints people with disabilities face in trying to participate.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15238/original/jppk4w82-1347237980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch win the gold medal in the Sailing Two-Person Keelboat (Skud 18)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Gerry Penny</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The right fit</h2>
<p>Unlike previous studies, our report examined the constraints through looking at ten separate disability groups and five levels of support needs. It showed for the matrix of each disability type and support need there were a significantly different mix of constraints that needed to be negotiated in order to participate in sport.</p>
<p>For one of the most marginalised groups – people with intellectual disabilities with high support needs – parents with children who enjoyed sporting activities could see the benefits that sport and physical activity brought their children.</p>
<p>But those same parents were continually frustrated in their attempts to find their children appropriate support and activities in their local areas. </p>
<p>Opportunities to participate are great for the individual and also for the family as <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2012.714258#preview">one sibling stated</a>, when the desire to participate and the means to do so come together:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s incredible […]. He [the brother] is like a flower that has opened up since he started. He is toned, more coordinated, starting to do the routines more clearly […] He runs into the class on Saturday morning. The other members of the class say they like having him there. A few of them are on his Facebook, others want to be, but he is picky!!. </p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=914&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1148&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1148&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15239/original/2cyrmdfq-1347237984.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1148&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Todd Hodgetts celebrates breaking the world record in the men’s shot put-F20 final.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Gerry Penny</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the Federal and State government levels, hope is on the horizon. The <a href="http://www.disabilityrightsnow.org.au/node/79">National Disability Insurance Scheme</a> is being piloted. This includes individualised funding packages providing opportunities for people with disabilities and their families to not only get the care that they need but also broker their own sporting futures.</p>
<p>And that, is has to be said, is a goal worth cheering for. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9439/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Darcy has received funding from the Australian Sports Committee and the Australian Paralympic Committee for disability sport related grants.</span></em></p>As the bright lights of the London 2012 Paralympic Games begin to dim, and as the media focus diverts back to everyday life, we’re left with a pertinent question: where to now for disability sport in Australia…Simon Darcy, Professor & Co-Director Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre - UTS Business School, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/88522012-09-07T07:06:33Z2012-09-07T07:06:33ZAn uncomfortable legacy: to be or not to be a British Australian?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15165/original/kxh9g37h-1346980725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Who's your sports minister? Australian Kate Ellis and Britain's Sport Minister Gerry Sutcliffe at the Paralympics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Australian Paralympic Committee/Roger Bool</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It happens at every Olympics (or Paralympics) and Ashes series - the Hamlet-like behaviour that comes with having two passports. </p>
<p>It’s not enough to sit on the fence at times of hysterical national fervour and it’s not good enough to just say they are useful for avoiding queues at airports. But severing one in favour of the other would be as painful as having one’s daemon cut from the body and soul. Is it time that the British-born citizens of Australia nailed their true colours to the mast?</p>
<p>We get along OK most of the time, keeping our heads low like secret agents operating behind enemy lines. But, just like Bartlett “Big X” in The Great Escape who, while on the run, said “thank you” in English to a German officer, sometimes we slip up to betray ourselves with devastating consequences. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15119/original/9chykntp-1346903971.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15119/original/9chykntp-1346903971.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15119/original/9chykntp-1346903971.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15119/original/9chykntp-1346903971.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15119/original/9chykntp-1346903971.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15119/original/9chykntp-1346903971.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15119/original/9chykntp-1346903971.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How could you possibly choose?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kimb0lene</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Let’s face it, being born in a country that at one time painted a good part of the world red, be it with blood or map-printer’s ink, does create a fair spattering of guilt, pride, arrogance and whatever else the psychiatrists can dream up to describe bemused bellicosity.</p>
<p>And there it is to remind us every day at the top left corner of one of the two Australian flags - a Union Jack flying in the face of one of the most multicultural nations on earth, reminding us of our “mother” country as if we are grown up kids, still living at home, opening our lunch boxes to find a tasteless and fossil-hard rock bun specially made by mum.</p>
<p>Of course, it’s food that really brings out the true nature of the beast. We can happily devour trays of meat and prawns at barbies but at the same time we crave curry and chips (hot that is) in cold and relentless rain. </p>
<p>We watch British celebrity chef cooking programmes, comedy shows and documentaries and fill our shelves with popular histories that dissect and digest the standard stories of our childhood.</p>
<p>But it’s what stirs the heart that matters and rock buns no longer do it. So what does? Maybe the final phrase of Advance Australia Fair as it soars into the roar of the crowd at a Grand Final. Maybe descending steps onto a beach deserted for as far as the eye can sea against an azure sea. Maybe traversing a fallen tree that lies across a path weaving between trunks that seem to have withstood time for thousands of years. Watching children run, and run, and run.</p>
<p>These are things that do not need nationality, culture or history. They are simply human experiences in a natural world.</p>
<p>That is the point. It does not matter that we are British and have no right to play upon that top left hand corner of one of the two flags of Australia. To be a truly British Australian we must accept that Chinese and Indian now rank as the top two immigrant nationalities in Australia, that there are many, many other people who can lay claim to be the bedrock of the Australian culture, not least those who fly the other flag of black, red and yellow.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15166/original/h3xpmndt-1346981380.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Britain painted the world red, and must live with the consequences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cambridge University Library</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I started this article thinking what fun it would be to have a jibe at those of us who “live Australia and love England” as we make excuses for our eccentricities, our table habits and peculiar behaviour at sporting events. But in the course of it I’ve seen reports of people dying, literally, to get here, drowning in our seas. It all seems to be so pointless to poke fun when so many refugees from lands that were once and still are red with the blood of empire and tyranny seek and do not find asylum in a country that flies a flag for democracy.</p>
<p>I would so love to play upon irony, dry wit, acerbic wisdom and all those British idiosyncracies to illustrate a dissonant life in a distant land. But I recoil from the injustice of British-supervised, arbitrarily drawn borders and the inhumanity of British-educated (if that is the right word) corrupt regimes that have driven desperate people to what is effectively a British-governed landscape.</p>
<p>Yes, I would love to see Australia remove the Union Jack from the ensign that purports to be a national flag. I would love to see Australia stand up to be the adult that has left home and makes its own packed lunch. I would love to see Australia call people home to a safe and liberated country.</p>
<p>We British in Australia have had it so good for so long. But we are no longer kings of the jungle in the Great Southern Land. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8852/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Kit Andrews, PhD does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It happens at every Olympics (or Paralympics) and Ashes series - the Hamlet-like behaviour that comes with having two passports. It’s not enough to sit on the fence at times of hysterical national fervour…Dr. Kit Andrews, PhD, PhD Researcher, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/94072012-09-07T05:39:25Z2012-09-07T05:39:25ZCrossing the line: are Richard Whitehead’s moves illegal?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15175/original/4kjmv7sf-1346983271.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A lack of knee joints in his prosthetic legs means Whitehead runs with a swinging gait.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Kerim Okten</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The participation of Oscar Pistorius at both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics has been, at times, controversial. Yet technology used by above-the-knee amputees is also causing a stir at London 2012.</p>
<p>Britain has its own double-amputee track star Richard Whitehead who won gold and broke the world record in the 200m class T42 event in London last Saturday night.</p>
<p>After the event, Owen Gibson <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/sep/01/paralympics-richard-whitehead-200m-glory">wrote in The Guardian</a> that Whitehead was:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>powered to victory with a stunning second half of the race as he stormed through the field with his prosthetic legs swinging from one side to the other.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Close examination of the race video (see below) shows how Whitehead is breaking the plane of the lane line with every stride, particularly early in the race. The <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/">International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)</a>, whose rules with minor amendments govern Paralympic Athletics, state in rule 163.3a (see <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/AboutIAAF/publications/05/47/80/20091027085725_httppostedfile_CompRules-BAT_17164.pdf">page 141</a>) relating to lane infringement:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In all races run in lanes, each athlete shall keep within his allocated lane from start to finish. This shall also apply to any portion of a race run in lanes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the race video you can clearly see that Whitehead’s right prosthesis is close to the outside lane line while his left is swinging over about 25% of the lane on his inside.</p>
<p>While there was no danger to another athlete in the 200m on Saturday night, because he got a poor start, there will always be a danger that Whitehead will collide with another competitor once he builds up momentum. Any such contact is against the rules.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/df67gHjSNnE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Herein lies another potential problem for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics Classification team. Whitehead is a class T41 athlete, which means he is a double amputee above the knees. He ran on Saturday in an event where the other competitors were T42 single above-the-knee amputees.</p>
<p>The T42 runners have a mechanical knee on their prosthesis leg whereas Whitehead’s prosthesises are more like stilts without knees. As a result Whitehead runs in a “cyclonic” manner which invades territory on the track reserved for other competitors.</p>
<p>Whitehead stands very tall and while his fellow competitors have not publicly complained, IPC athletics will need to look at the combination of T41/42 just as they should in T43/44 because of <a href="https://theconversation.com/pistorius-shouldnt-be-allowed-to-compete-at-the-paralympics-9278">the Oscar case</a>.</p>
<p>Whether Whitehead breaking the plane of the lines on the track give him an advantage also needs to be debated. Perhaps there needs to be an amendment to IAAF rule 163 which is currently explicit regarding breaking the plane of the line.</p>
<p>For athletes with two human legs it is clear they cannot go out of their lanes. And to date we have seen very few athletes on the track that swing their legs in the cyclonic, some might say dangerous fashion of Richard Whitehead.</p>
<p>But what is certain is that I wouldn’t want to be a slow starter lining up beside Whitehead in the 100m T42 heats tonight (AEST), worrying about whether I would be tripped up by his running action.</p>
<p>I look forward with interest to see how the IPC Athletics Committee deals with this and other controversial cases that events in London have brought to our attention.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9407/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>P. David Howe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The participation of Oscar Pistorius at both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics has been, at times, controversial. Yet technology used by above-the-knee amputees is also causing a stir at London 2012…P. David Howe, Senior Lecturer, Anthropology of Sport, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/88942012-09-07T02:20:17Z2012-09-07T02:20:17ZThe Paralympics and Olympics are better linked than ever … but why?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15105/original/rnb4nn3w-1346895562.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It might be time for the Paralympics movement to strike out on its own.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Andy Rain</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the 64 years since the Paralympics was born, the relationship between this event and the Olympics has grown and evolved. And now, with both events returning to London in 2012, the Olympics and Paralympics are better linked than ever before.</p>
<p>But should they be?</p>
<h2>History of the Paralympics</h2>
<p>The Paralympic Games were founded (albeit with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoke_Mandeville_Games">a different name</a>) after World War II when English war veterans returned home and found themselves under the care of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Guttmann">Dr. Ludwig Guttmann</a> at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital.</p>
<p>Life expectancies for patients with spinal injuries had improved dramatically in the years leading up to that point – survivors who had previously only lived for a few years after their injury were now living to the same age as their able-bodied peers.</p>
<p>Perhaps because of this, a new interest in rehabilitation was born and Guttmann decided he would focus on sport. In 1948, 13 patients participated in an archery competition referred to as the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games. They were held the same day as the Olympic Games opening ceremony in London.</p>
<p>In the lead-up to the 1960 Rome Olympics, Dr Guttmann contacted the International Olympic Committee (IOC), requesting that the Paralympics be held in the same city as the able-bodied Games. The IOC consented and while the Olympics governing body had no role in hosting the event, the first official Paralympic Games was born.</p>
<h2>Together, at last</h2>
<p>In Seoul (1988) the practice of hosting the Paralympic Games after the Olympic Games, using many of the same facilities, was initiated. But it wasn’t until 2000 that an official agreement was reached between the <a href="http://www.olympic.org/">IOC</a> and the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/">International Paralympic Committee</a>.</p>
<p>According to this agreement, a city bidding for the Olympics had to agree to host the Paralympics as well. The timing of this agreement meant Beijing was the first Summer Games to be required to host both Games.</p>
<p>(The Winter Paralympic Games began in 1976, adopting a similar pattern to that seen with Summer Games. Albertville, France was the first city to host both the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in the same year – 1992).</p>
<p>In the past decade or so, the hosting of the Games has evolved with host cities typically having one host organising committee to organise both Games. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games saw a number of changes including:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>“Paralympic” being included in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Organising_Committee_of_the_Olympic_and_Paralympic_Games">official name</a> of the host organising committee (e.g. <a href="http://www.london2012.com/about-us/the-people-delivering-the-games/locog/">LOCOG</a>: London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games)</p></li>
<li><p>the creation of a joint marketing agreement with the host nation’s Paralympic committee</p></li>
<li><p>the addition of a member from the National Paralympic Committee to the host committee’s board of directors</p></li>
<li><p>the creation of a separate countdown clock</p></li>
<li><p>the flying of both Olympic and Paralympic flags side by side.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Two years later further changes have taken place. In London the logos for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/LOCOG.png">essentially the same</a> with the only difference being the <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b1/Olympic_Rings.svg">five rings</a> of the Olympics and the <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/IPC_logo_%282004%29.svg">three agetos</a> of the Paralympics.</p>
<h2>A continuing connection</h2>
<p>The relationship between Games will continue into the future thanks to a co-operation agreement <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/news/ioc-and-ipc-sign-co-operation-agreement-until-2020">signed by the IOC and IPC</a> in the lead-up to the Paralympics. This agreement will ensure that, until 2020, the Paralympic Games will be held in the same city as the Olympic Games.</p>
<p>It’s an agreement that extends the practice of “one bid, one city” to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Winter_Olympics">PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games</a> and 2020 Summer Games, which will be held in either Istanbul, Madrid or Tokyo.</p>
<p>An additional element to this agreement is that the IPC may be able to participate in IOC programs such as <a href="http://www.olympic.org/olympic-solidarity-commission">Olympic Solidarity, International Federation</a> development and the Games <a href="http://www.blooloop.com/Article/World-Expos-From-One-Expo-to-the-Next-Transfer-of-Knowledge-is-Tricky-to-Achieve/141">Transfer of Knowledge program</a>. Finally, the new agreement includes an increase in funding from the IOC to the IPC.</p>
<p>The Paralympics have thus evolved dramatically in a relatively short period of time. The question is: what will happen next?</p>
<p>Calls for the Games to be even more integrated are being proposed and the IPC President Sir Phillip Craven <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18174501">has publicly not ruled anything out post-2020</a>. But at this stage it’s unclear who would benefit from a greater integration of the two Games.</p>
<h2>When the Games unite, who wins?</h2>
<p><a href="http://brown.academia.edu/EliWolff/Papers">Some argue</a> the Olympics and Paralympics could be hosted as one festival with all athletes referred to as Olympians. A human rights and social justice argument would suggest people with disabilities shouldn’t be excluded from referring to themselves as Olympians – just as those of different genders, sexual orientation or ethnicity aren’t.</p>
<p>But why hasn’t the opposite occurred? Is it an “able-ist” perspective that purports the minority wants to become part of the majority? What is wrong with being proud of being called a Paralympian? </p>
<p>From a practical perspective there are concerns that a further merger of the two Games would lead to a decrease in competitive opportunities for athletes with a disability within an already complicated, competitive and busy sport schedule.</p>
<p>Would Paralympic athletes be more or less recognised by media if events were held at the same time as their able-bodied peers?</p>
<p>A final question is whether the Paralympics should instead make a move towards greater autonomy. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for the world’s second-largest multi-sport event to solicit bids from cities that cannot or choose not to bid for the Olympic Games. Cities wanting to capitalise on unique legacies of hosting Paralympic Games may see this as worthwhile.</p>
<p>With the London 2012 Paralympic Games selling roughly 2.5m tickets, this may be a tipping point – the point at which cities see the economic “Handicapitalism” benefits of hosting a Paralympic Games.</p>
<p>The Paralympic movement is still in its relative infancy and may only now be realising its latent power and value. Does the Paralympic movement really need the Olympic Games movement?</p>
<p>Time will tell.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8894/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Legg is the volunteer President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and volunteer board member of the Toronto 2015 Pan Parapan American Games Organizing Committee.</span></em></p>In the 64 years since the Paralympics was born, the relationship between this event and the Olympics has grown and evolved. And now, with both events returning to London in 2012, the Olympics and Paralympics…David Legg, Professor of Physical Education & Recreation Studies, Mount Royal UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/93662012-09-06T20:23:20Z2012-09-06T20:23:20ZThe military and the modern Paralympic movement<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15096/original/9qt9zm3f-1346892294.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The links between the military and disability sport are being cast anew.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Corporal Jamie Osborne, Department of Defence</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the past five or six years there has been a marked increase in the overt use of disability sport in the rehabilitation of soldiers injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – which, in a sense, is returning the Paralympics to its roots.</p>
<p>The Paralympic Games and its forebears – the <a href="http://www.buckssport.org/en/twentytwelve/olympic_paralympic_history/">Stoke Mandeville Games</a> – grew out of the rehabilitation of spinally injured military personnel at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and is now the second-largest elite multi-sport event in the world after the Olympic Games.</p>
<p>In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of programs such as the <a href="http://www.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics/Military.aspx">Paralympic Military Program</a> and <a href="http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/">Wounded Warriors</a> (USA), <a href="https://public.cfpsa.com/en/SupportOurTroops/OurFunds/Pages/Soldier-On.aspx">Soldiering On</a> (Canada) and <a href="http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/WhatWeDo/TrainingandExercises/BattleBack/">Battle Back</a> (UK). This has recently been followed by the <a href="http://www.army.gov.au/Army-life/Wounded-Injured-and-Ill-Digger/Sport/ADF-Paralympic-Sports-Program">introduction of a program</a> organised jointly by the Australian Paralympic Committee and the Australian Defence Force. </p>
<p>In some cases these soldiers are fast-tracked into that nation’s Paralympic training programs. </p>
<p>The proliferation of these programs appears to have come about due to a number of factors. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li>a rise in the number of soldiers not killed in action, but wounded to such an extent as to make <a href="http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/canadian_review_of_american_studies/v039/39.3.chivers.html">returning to active duty impossible</a></li>
<li>the media and political visibility of these wars and the veterans disabled by them, which means the military and their governments have to be visibly seen to be taking care of their needs</li>
<li>the <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=GjzSxVknv9oC&lpg=PA158&ots=MSeR9yhBiA&dq=Britain%20IN%20(2009)%20The%20Paralympic%20Games%20Explained.%20Routledge%2C%20Abingdon%2C%20UK&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=Britain%20IN%20(2009)%20The%20Paralympic%20Games%20Explained.%20Routledge,%20Abingdon,%20UK&f=false">global rise in popularity and importance of disability sport</a> in general and the Paralympic Games in particular.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15095/original/3w6brf4j-1346892286.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A medic from the US 1st Battalion,15th Infantry attends a wounded soldier in Iraq, 2007.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">US Military/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Below are some of the possible reasons why the military and national paralympic committees might have decided to re-engage the link between military rehabilitation and the Paralympic movement that began nearly 70 years ago with the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Guttmann">Dr Ludwig Guttmann</a> at Stoke Mandeville.</p>
<h2>Military motives</h2>
<p>In 2008 Israeli researcher <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18570066">Michael Gross claimed</a> the main role of military medicine is “to provide the means to ‘salvage’ significant numbers of troops and return them to duty”. </p>
<p>The increasing number of soldiers so seriously injured that they are unable to return to active duty, therefore, causes problems not only for the military medical system but also for the military itself. </p>
<p>In addition to improvements in medical knowledge issues such as the human rights agenda, disability activism, the close relationship between the military and the state they represent, the almost-saturated and immediate media coverage of conflicts and wars has forced both the military and the governments they represent to ensure individuals who are seen to have made sacrifices for their nation are well treated and looked after.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15092/original/xmrmv5vn-1346891951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15092/original/xmrmv5vn-1346891951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15092/original/xmrmv5vn-1346891951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15092/original/xmrmv5vn-1346891951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15092/original/xmrmv5vn-1346891951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15092/original/xmrmv5vn-1346891951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15092/original/xmrmv5vn-1346891951.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Team GB’s Jon-Allan Butterworth lost his left arm in an insurgent rocket attack while serving as a senior aircraftman at Basra airbase in Iraq, in 2007.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Andy Rain</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2159676X.2012.685100">According to Coventry University researcher</a> Sarah Green and myself, some of the possible reasons for the military to collaborate in these kinds of joint programs with their respective national Paralympic committees include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>providing a rehabilitation method that has reasonably well documented impacts upon the psychological and physical wellbeing of people with disabilities, which may in some cases lead to a soldier being able to return to active duty</p></li>
<li><p>the current program may provide an engaging rehabilitation method and route for injured veterans that present a challenging environment, with the potential to once more represent their nation on the world stage, albeit in the arena of sports rather than combat</p></li>
<li><p>to assist in keeping up morale among new recruits or those who are about to go on their first tour of duty by demonstrating that disability is not a barrier to leading a full and active life</p></li>
<li><p>the potential positive PR that might be accrued from demonstrating that positive steps are being taken to do all that is possible for the care and welfare of injured military veterans.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>National Paralympic committee motives</h2>
<p>According to our research, in the case of all four of the countries mentioned as having programs linking wounded veterans to disability and Paralympic sport, it appears that in every case the relevant national Paralympic committee has played a very active role in getting the program off the ground and promoting it. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15097/original/dqc23qvb-1346892570.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">32nd Battalion (Australia), 1945.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Possible reasons for this include the fact these programs are a potential source of new athletes who, other than their newly acquired injuries, have strong, physically-fit bodies that are already used to enduring hours of hard training. </p>
<p>As with Olympic Sports in most countries, government funding for Paralympic sport in future years is often dependent upon medal success and so every national Paralympic committee in this situation is, therefore, always on the lookout for the next Paralympic star or at least a new method of finding them in order to secure the future funding upon which everyone’s livelihoods depends. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=634&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=634&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=634&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=796&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=796&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/15098/original/zwbfpyvd-1346892619.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=796&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wounded soldiers from the Australian 55th/53rd Battalion, 1942.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">asFZSFD</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, media interest in the military is usually quite high, so programs such as these provide an excellent opportunity to promote and raise awareness of disability and Paralympic sport within a particular country.</p>
<p>The historical link between military casualties and the development of disability and Paralympic sport has become somewhat lost in the mists of time as the Paralympic Games have developed and broadened to include civilians with disabilities. </p>
<p>But the growing acknowledgement of the impact of sports participation upon the psychological and physical wellbeing of people with disabilities and the increasing number of soldiers severely injured in battle have conspired to renew this link. </p>
<p>It is possibly somewhat ironic then that the Paralympic movement and its athlete pool is being partly refreshed from the ranks of the military to whom it owes its very existence.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9366/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Stuart Brittain does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the past five or six years there has been a marked increase in the overt use of disability sport in the rehabilitation of soldiers injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – which, in a sense, is…Ian Stuart Brittain, Research Fellow, Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies, Coventry UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92782012-09-06T02:58:05Z2012-09-06T02:58:05ZPistorius shouldn’t be allowed to compete at the Paralympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15081/original/txym8g3s-1346826932.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sometimes having no legs is better than having one.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Jonathan Brady</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There has been a considerable amount of media coverage surrounding South African amputee sprinter <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/oscar-pistorius">Oscar Pistorius</a> who competed at the London Olympics and is now competing at the London Paralympics.</p>
<p>The coverage continued when, on August 2, Pistorius started the men’s 200m-T44 as favourite – having <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Pistorius#Disability_sports_events">dominated the event</a> since 2004 – only to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/beaten-by-a-length-pistorius-oliveira-and-paralympic-fairness-9251">beaten to the line</a> by Brazilian Alan Oliveira.</p>
<p>The result sparked <a href="https://theconversation.com/pistorius-loss-to-oliveira-fuels-the-disruptive-technology-debate-9250">a stunned and unsporting reaction</a> from Pistorius who suggested Oliveira had broken the rules by wearing prosthetic legs that were too long, giving him an unfair advantage.</p>
<h2>Overreaction or fair point?</h2>
<p>Response to this outburst generally fell into two camps: those who saw Oscar’s outburst as unsporting and those who sided with Oscar and questioned the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) rules and regulations on the use of prostheses.</p>
<p>In the following days, <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/other-sports/paralympics/paralympian-oscar-pistorius-apologises-for-the-timing-of-his-outburst-after-losing-t44-200m-title/story-fnff2dww-1226464721046">Pistorius apologised</a> for the timing of his outburst but did not retract his concern. He said he had contacted the IPC before the London Paralympics raising concerns about prosthesis lengths. I am certain the IPC would have looked into these allegations but it is not in their mandate to report directly to individual athlete concerns.</p>
<p>Because he did not get the response he wanted, Pistorius took his complaints directly to the media who have helped him develop the Oscar brand so successfully over the last five years.</p>
<p>The debate as to whether or not Oscar was cheated out of a gold medal in the 200m-T44 event is interesting for sports fans and the media has been all over the story.</p>
<p>But I want to take a step back and explore the rise of the Oscar phenomenon and suggest that, for far too long, Pistorius has been cheating the classification system that is central to the ethos of Paralympic sport.</p>
<h2>Banned before, banned again?</h2>
<p>In 2007 the <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/">International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)</a> attempted to ban the type of prosthesis Pistorius uses to run. This push was seen by many as an infringement on the rights of the disabled.</p>
<p>Pistorius himself was vitriolic when the <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=101/newsid=42896.html">IAAF ban was announced</a>, saying that such a stance would be counterproductive to the advancement of Paralympic sport. It certainly could have negatively impacted upon the Oscar brand, but would it really have been bad for the Paralympic movement?</p>
<p>It could be argued that Pistorius – and those impaired in a similar manner such as Oliveira – should not be competing in the London Paralympic Games because to do so is unfair on the majority of athletes in their events.</p>
<p>The simple fact is that double below-the-knee amputees – such as Pistorius – have an unfair advantage over single below-the-knee amputees – the majority of Oscar’s competitors.</p>
<h2>An artificial advantage</h2>
<p>The outburst that started this recent debate was about the length of Oliveria’s blades. The IPC says that these blades are legal but to my mind the issue is all about balance.</p>
<p>According to the IPC, Pistorius is a class T43 athlete (T stands for track, the 4 represents the athletes impairment category – amputee – and the 3 is the athletes specific class – double below-the-knee) which, according to the Athletics Classification Handbook includes:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Double below-the-knee amputees and other athletes that are equivalent to a double below-the-knee amputation.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Many of the athletes that Oscar competes against in Paralympic competitions are single below-the-knee amputees (T44) and as such have difficulty balancing the uneven ground forces between their human leg and the lower-leg prosthesis during running.</p>
<p>T44 athletes generally have better starts than T43 but once underway, the inertia of the balanced blades give the likes of Pistorius and Oliveira a huge advantage over 200m and 400m as the uneven forces of T44 athletes makes them more impaired.</p>
<p>IPC rules state that a less-impaired athlete cannot compete in a class with more impaired athletes because this makes the context inequitable. As counter-intuitive as it might sound, modern technology makes having no lower legs an advantage over having one.</p>
<p>Since there are not enough class T43 athletes running at an elite level (IPC rules state the ranking lists must be ten athletes deep from at least four nations) Pistorius should not be eligible to compete in the Paralympics.</p>
<h2>Pistorius isn’t alone …</h2>
<p>Many will think this is harsh but there are countless elite athletes with impairments who are not eligible to compete in the Paralympic Games for the same reason - a lack of numbers to produce exciting yet equitable competition.</p>
<p>Since the formation of the Paralympic Games in 1948, athletes with Pistorius’ impairment have competed using wheelchairs. This is partly because the technology available for walking and running was very uncomfortable during training and competition.</p>
<p>There will come a time when there are enough athletes for Pistorius to compete with on a level playing field but that time isn’t now.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9278/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>P. David Howe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There has been a considerable amount of media coverage surrounding South African amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius who competed at the London Olympics and is now competing at the London Paralympics. The…P. David Howe, Senior Lecturer, Anthropology of Sport, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/82032012-09-05T05:37:47Z2012-09-05T05:37:47ZSuccess in Paralympic archery is a matter of millimetres<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14990/original/vjc7rbr9-1346721832.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Matt Stutzman from the USA won silver in the men's individual compound open at the London Paralympics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Facundo Arrizabalaga</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The accuracy obtained by top-level archers – at both the Olympics and Paralympics – using modern archery equipment would astonish most non-archers. Archers <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/archery/classification/">stand or sit</a> 70m away from a target which has a centre scoring ring (the “ten ring”) just 12.2cm wide.</p>
<p>In a major competition such as the Paralympics, the Olympics or the <a href="http://www.archery.org/">World Championships</a>, an archer using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_shape#The_modern_recurve_bow">recurve bow</a> needs to hit that ten ring roughly once every two shots in order to be competitive. </p>
<p>With the more technically sophisticated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_bow">compound bow</a> (using <a href="http://www.google.com/patents/US5211155">eccentric pulleys</a> to modify the bow’s draw force) an archer needs to hit the centre ring at least twice out of every three shots. And, they need to do so even when it is windy and the arrows are being blown around.</p>
<p>Most non-archers will not be able to keep a pointer at arm’s length aligned with the centre ring of that target at that distance, let alone having to do so when holding the substantial draw force and mass weight of the bow. It’s hard work!</p>
<p>Major archery competitions are decided by very small margins. Often it is only a single point in several hundred points that matters. If we can cleverly select and optimise the archer’s equipment, we can obtain a small score advantage which might provide a considerable competitive bonus. </p>
<p>We could do this through trial and error. But it’s far more effective and satisfying to use mathematical models of the equipment. Developing and testing those models has been the subject of research carried out in the <a href="http://eng.monash.edu.au/news/shownews.php?year=2012&nid=32">Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering</a> at <a href="http://www.monash.edu.au/">Monash University</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/13525/original/qwgnmvdq-1343370247.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/13525/original/qwgnmvdq-1343370247.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13525/original/qwgnmvdq-1343370247.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13525/original/qwgnmvdq-1343370247.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13525/original/qwgnmvdq-1343370247.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13525/original/qwgnmvdq-1343370247.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13525/original/qwgnmvdq-1343370247.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Gatsby's List</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Blowin’ in the wind</h2>
<p>The thing that messes most with an outdoor archer’s score is wind drift. If an archer is 70m from the target, a moderate breeze can easily move the arrow by several target rings. </p>
<p>Where possible the archer tries to shoot between wind gusts. But because there is a time limit for each group of six shots, it is inevitable that the archer will need to sometimes shoot in strong wind.</p>
<p>The archer usually sets the bow’s sight for the average wind drift and then aims off the centre of the target for each shot. They judge the offset depending on the wind strength and direction before the shot, and using knowledge from the movement seen for past shots. It’s an error-prone approach.</p>
<p>But if the effect of wind on the arrow can be reduced, it also reduces the error.</p>
<p>The wind drift is directly related to the <a href="http://pip.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/08/13/1754337111407124">aerodynamic drag of the arrow</a>. Understanding the various components of the drag and minimising each of them will help. Drag affects the arrow point, the arrow shaft, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletching">arrow’s fletches</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow#Nocks">arrow’s nock</a> (which attaches the arrow to the bow string). Of those, for a typical arrow, the shaft drag dominates - it contributes approximately 74%. The fletches contribute 13%, the nock 9% and the point 4%.</p>
<h2>Don’t be a drag</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.flexfletch.com/interactive/articles/the-mechanics-of-arrow-flight/">shaft drag</a> is primarily due to the shaft’s comparatively large surface area. It can be minimised by using a shaft of small diameter. Most competition arrows are constructed from carbon fibre composite material with a minimum diameter of approximately 5mm.</p>
<p>The fletch drag is due to both their surface area and to their projected edge frontal area. The fletch area needs to be big enough to stabilise the arrow (stability is primarily obtained through the lift from the fletches rather than drag). Given a certain fletch area it is then best to use a low profile in order to minimise the pressure drag from the edge projected area.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/13526/original/c4xgctyd-1343370892.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/13526/original/c4xgctyd-1343370892.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13526/original/c4xgctyd-1343370892.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13526/original/c4xgctyd-1343370892.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13526/original/c4xgctyd-1343370892.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13526/original/c4xgctyd-1343370892.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/13526/original/c4xgctyd-1343370892.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wind drift is the outdoor archer’s greatest enemy. Reducing it by even a tiny fraction can make all the difference.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">IntelGuy/Flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In order to overcome small imperfections in the arrow (such as an arrow that’s not quite straight) it is best to angle the fletches to spin the arrow about its longitudinal (length-ways) axis. This costs a small amount of drag while the arrows gets up to its full spin rate. Once spinning, the fletches are effectively edged on to the wind. To further minimise the pressure drag it is desirable to use a very thin fletch.</p>
<p>Drag from the arrow’s nock is primarily due to pressure drag from the wake – the area of turbulence left behind as the arrow speeds through the air. It is best to select a nock with a small diameter. The nock has to fit on the string, which means the choice of shape is a bit limited, but it should have at least some degree of <a href="http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6997827.html">aerodynamic shaping</a> to reduce its drag.</p>
<p>In most cases the arrow’s point is only a small contributor to the drag. A typical “bullet shaped” point is pretty streamlined. </p>
<p>By carefully optimising each of the portions of the arrow, we think we can give an archer a 5% wind drift advantage over their competitors. It’s little, but it goes a long way.</p>
<p>But even the best technology won’t save a bad shot. We can help, but the archer still needs to shoot well and to deal with the considerable pressures of top-level competition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8203/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James L. Park does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations. James has been the coach of the Australian Archery Team since 2005.</span></em></p>The accuracy obtained by top-level archers – at both the Olympics and Paralympics – using modern archery equipment would astonish most non-archers. Archers stand or sit 70m away from a target which has…James L. Park, Mechanical Engineering, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/86822012-09-05T04:40:18Z2012-09-05T04:40:18ZWhy would you DO that? Faking disability at the Paralympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14149/original/453nmrx2-1344731272.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">British Prime Minister David Cameron with a Paralympic athlete in London this year.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Andy Rain</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>People pretending to be disabled in order to compete in the Paralympics or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Olympics">Special Olympics</a> is the fodder of many a bad-taste joke. There have even been movies such as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267891/">The Ringer</a> and an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_the_Down_Steroid">episode of South Park</a> that pivot on this very notion.</p>
<p>But the sad reality is that such deception has taken place - and possibly continues now at the London 2012 Paralympics. It is also something I have witnessed first-hand.</p>
<p>Many will remember the great fiasco when it was found that the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1039129.stm">Spanish Paralympic Basketball</a> team playing in the “Classification 11: Athletes with intellectual impairment” category had ten players with no mental disability and only two with a mental disability. </p>
<p>This made front page news in the Spanish press, led to a number of <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2000/11/30/para001130.html">Spanish sport officials resigning</a> and the Spanish players having to return to Spain in disguises. The ensuing disgrace not only affected basketball but all sports with this category of player. </p>
<p>The response by the Paralympic governing body was quick. Definitions were tightened, categories reduced and many potential competitors found they could not meet the revised definitions at later games. All this was a consequence of officialdom’s fear of losing future government funding by not getting the required success.</p>
<h2>How can it happen?</h2>
<p>I was a naïve new international table tennis umpire at the 2000 Paralympics. I was given clear instructions on how to deal with athletes with an intellectual impairment. </p>
<p>It was made clear to me that players underwent rigorous assessments in their home countries to ensure they were categorised correctly based on their level of impairment. </p>
<p>Certificates from qualified specialists were supplied assuring us athletes were correctly graded. Therefore it came as a shock when the following series of events occurred. </p>
<p>We were housed in the Olympic village both before and during the Games. One day I boarded a bus heading out to the venues to umpire and sat behind two table tennis players. </p>
<p>They spoke both in Spanish and English during the trip and talked about their time in Sydney and how well they were going. One pulled out a calculator and did an analysis of his games to date and strategies for dealing with upcoming competitors and future travel plans. They then noticed my presence and stopped talking. </p>
<p>When I arrived at the venue I was told I would be umpiring players with relatively severe intellectual handicaps. It was a shock to me when one of two Spanish players I had sat behind walked up to the table and began to hit up. It appeared that between his time on the bus and the venue he had undergone a severe transformation. </p>
<p>No longer the bright, alert player I had seen earlier, I was now faced with someone struggling to put words together and who had difficulty following instructions. After winning his match the Spanish player went off to find his friend. I spoke to another Australian umpire who remarked that he also had a funny feeling something was not right when he umpired the other Spanish player.</p>
<h2>Taking action?</h2>
<p>We raised our concerns to a leading table tennis official. We were painstakingly reacquainted with the rigorous assessments those with intellectual impairment went through. We felt it unwise to push our concerns further and never umpired another match involving these players. </p>
<p>I must confess that after the basketball fiasco was uncovered I did regret not pushing my concerns a lot harder. But then I was new to such major international events and felt that I had done all I could.</p>
<p>Cheating has consequences – in this case I wonder which deserving athletes missed out on the opportunity to represent their country. I also wonder how many officials, acting in good faith, have also been exploited by this drive by cheats for recognition and greater government funding. </p>
<p>The lure of significant government funding can make sporting bodies behave badly. The question is why does this happen and what should be done about it? Rewards for success such as receiving an Olympic gold medal can be huge, both for the athletes and their sporting bodies.</p>
<h2>The need to secure funding?</h2>
<p>It should be no surprise that government money flows to those sports bodies that achieve high-profile success. On the surface this appears to be a reasonable position because sports funding is always tight and has to be used to achieve the best returns. </p>
<p>But is this really the best way to promote participation in sport? </p>
<p>The incentive to cheat to receive more government funding is great enough for major sports but it does not stop at able athletes. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8682/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Max Coulthard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People pretending to be disabled in order to compete in the Paralympics or Special Olympics is the fodder of many a bad-taste joke. There have even been movies such as The Ringer and an episode of South…Max Coulthard, Senior Lecturer, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/90492012-09-04T20:43:35Z2012-09-04T20:43:35ZMedia blitz: marketing is the next front for the Paralympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14991/original/pdvygxyr-1346722065.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Athletes competing in the Paralympics don't have a level playing field.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julian Stratenschulte/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Have you detected the not-so-subtle difference in the coverage afforded to our Paralympic and Olympic athletes? A sense that the marketing budgets are worlds apart for the two sporting events? It wouldn’t be hard, of course – the imbalance is glaringly (one might even say shamefully) patent. </p>
<p>To state the obvious, Paralympians represent our nation at the pinnacle of international competition. Yet despite this, most people <a href="https://theconversation.com/prowess-and-poise-paralympians-should-be-household-names-9230">cannot name</a> many Paralympic competitors, as compared to our Olympians, who are overly exposed in the media. Even basic visual recognition of <em>one</em> of our Paralympic athletes would be beyond many of us. </p>
<p>Why is this? We could attribute it to a number of factors largely surrounding the marketing of the Games – of which the following are a few key examples:</p>
<p>1) the secondary timing of the Paralympics (after the Olympics, and therefore often perceived to be peripheral to the Olympics).</p>
<p>2) the lack of Paralympic advertisements in the general media.</p>
<p>3) the lack of newspaper coverage. There is no front page news afforded to our <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/medals/">triumphant medal winners</a>; no special Paralympic news wrapped around the paper; and no Paralympic results sections in our tabloids.</p>
<p>4) limited television coverage – although this might be slowly changing. This year the ABC is providing <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-03/young-paralympics-no-need-for-integration/4239168">120 hours</a> of coverage, the most extensive of any Australian broadcasting company in Paralympic history. </p>
<p>The ABC’s Evening Show hosted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_Brantz">Stephanie Brantz</a>, provides nightly entertainment, and the “lighter side” of the Paralympics is <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-23/abctv27s-paralympic-coverage/4132722">broadcast</a> during the day. </p>
<p>While these lighter commentaries are intended to attract people to watch the Paralympics, they adversely impact on the credibility of the event over time, as well as the strength of the brand. </p>
<p>And while we may have a high regard for the ABC, the reality is that the major networks – Seven, Ten and Nine – drive the largest audience numbers and, in consequence, advertising and sponsorships for the athletes.</p>
<p>5) no repeated coverage during the day for the viewing public.</p>
<p>6) a limited amount of extra stories or equivalent coverage (to the Olympics) in the news on the major networks. The ABC’s <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/racetolondon.htm">Race to London</a>, with coverage of Ahmed Kelly, Grace Bowman and Ryley Batt’s journey to the London Paralympics, appears like a one-off. </p>
<p>7) no widespread competitions by multinationals and sponsors encouraging engagement with the Paralympics.</p>
<p>8) no sponsored athletes telling us how great another product purchase would be.</p>
<p>These are only a few of many examples demonstrating the dearth of marketing spend for the Paralympics. Such realities do nothing to overturn the complacency, at best, in the public’s mind about the Games and the athletes who compete in them. Little, it seems, is being done to grow the brand.</p>
<p>But why?</p>
<h2>A global affair</h2>
<p>The Paralympics fares poorly when compared with coverage for the Olympics globally – even though the lines of engagement are shifting. </p>
<p>The International Paralympic Committee <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/31/paralympics-organisers-criticise-us-media">has expressed disappointment</a> with US coverage. NBC, which holds the rights to the coverage, will not broadcast any of the Paralympics live and is only expected to broadcast four hour-long highlights segments in total. </p>
<p>This is in comparison to the 400 hours the network dedicated to its recent Olympics coverage, 150 hours of which were shown in prime-time.</p>
<p>There’s no immediate reason why this should be the case. In the UK, Channel 4 this week achieved its [best Sunday ratings](http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/sep/03/paralympics-2012-pistorius-c4-ratings?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fmedia%2Frss+(Media) figures for seven years, peaking at 4.5m viewers for Alan Oliveira’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/beaten-by-a-length-pistorius-oliveira-and-paralympic-fairness-9251">controversial win</a> over Oscar Pistorius in the men’s T44 200m final. </p>
<p>The station in now <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/sep/02/paralympics-2012-channel-4">clearing its daytime schedule</a> to air more coverage of the Games. </p>
<p>Could, and should, we go further? Yes, I would argue, we should. If we want to increase the attention afforded to these national heroes, we would one day move towards integrating the Paralympics with the Olympics, so that the Paralympics are not peripheral to the Olympics but an integrated part of them. </p>
<p>We would provide coverage for all elements of the Games, on major networks, to increase the level of public engagement. </p>
<p>We would profile all of our national heroes, celebrate each medal win, acknowledge each achievement, and experience the journey with each athlete. </p>
<p>This would enable us to proudly recognise our Paralympians, alongside our Olympians, rather then having different Games for each.</p>
<p>As a society, we can organise the most impressive global events, so surely it’s not beyond us to achieve this – nor to effect changes to perceptions and attitudes, and ultimately create a sense of acceptance. </p>
<p>Perhaps our next point of growth should be to provide equity in the marketing of sport to help this change along. Indeed this would be the ultimate “spirit of the Games”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9049/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Angela Paladino does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Have you detected the not-so-subtle difference in the coverage afforded to our Paralympic and Olympic athletes? A sense that the marketing budgets are worlds apart for the two sporting events? It wouldn’t…Angela Paladino, Associate Professor of Marketing, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92842012-09-04T05:53:36Z2012-09-04T05:53:36ZDiscus farce prompts points pow-wow at Paralympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/15010/original/rppwnq8s-1346731142.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mariia Pomazan was stripped of her gold medal following an Australian protest.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Gerry Penny</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The final of the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/women-shot-put-f35-36/index.html">women’s discus (F35-36)</a> at the London Paralympic Games on Sunday (AEST) raised a question that doesn’t normally comes up once a sporting contest is over:</p>
<p>“So, who won?”</p>
<p>Ukrainian <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/classification/">F35</a> thrower <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athlete/pomazan-mariia-5515327/">Mariia Pomazan</a> was crowned as the winner of the event, having thrown a world record of 30.12m. China’s <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athlete/wu-qing-5507473/">Qing Wu</a>, a <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/classification/">F36 thrower</a>, was awarded second place with a throw of 28.01m (also a world record); and Jiongyu Bao was awarded the bronze.</p>
<p>But after a <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/more-sport/drama-on-paralympics-track/story-e6frfglf-1226462759986">protest was lodged</a> by the Australian team, the placings were reordered, including those of the medal winners.</p>
<p>So why did this happen?</p>
<p>Well, we first need to understand that some athletics field events (including shot put, discus, javelin and long jump) combine athletes from <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-classification-at-the-paralympics-9072">different classifications</a>. The discus event in question featured athletes from the F35 and F36 classes – both for athletes with cerebral palsy – all competing for the one set of medals.</p>
<p>In combined events such as these, there needs to be a system to level the playing field, to ensure those athletes less disabled by their impairment (in this case the F35) don’t have an unfair advantage.</p>
<p>The method currently used is called the <a href="http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/news-archive-pre-2011/april-2010/15-04-10-raza/">Raza</a> points system. In it, a mathematical formula is applied to each athlete’s throw or jump distance to calculate a point score. To quote from the <a href="http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/news-archive-pre-2011/april-2010/15-04-10-raza/?locale=en">United Kingdom Athletics website</a>, the goal of the Raza system is to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Enable direct comparison of performances, independent of classification or other event specific criteria.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Raza uses data from Paralympic Games and World Championships from 2000 onwards in conjunction with the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPCs) world rankings from 2004 to map trends for every single class.</p>
<p>A statistical model (which uses something called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gompertz_function">Gompertz function</a>) was applied to all classes and provides a point score based on previous comparative performances.</p>
<p>The Raza system aims to be sufficiently robust so as to provide a score in the event that a new world record is achieved in any given class (as was the case in the F35/36 event). The system also takes into account the population size of each class, set against the available performance data.</p>
<p>The problem in the case of the F35/36 discus event was that the organisers did not use the most up-to-date Raza data, meaning the point values given to each of the competitors were inaccurate.</p>
<p>Following the protest, the athletes’ performances were processed using the most up-to-date Raza data, <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/women-discus-throw-f35-36/index.html">changing the overall standings</a> in the event and prompting a second medal ceremony.</p>
<p>Qing Wu from China was awarded the gold, the original gold medallist Mariia Pomazan was awarded silver and Australian Kath Proudfoot, who originally finished fifth, was given the bronze.</p>
<p>But the drama didn’t stop there. The IPC decided Pomazan would be <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2197166/London-Paralympics-2012-Mariia-Pomazan-allowed-gold-discus-scoring-error.html?ito=feeds-newsxml">allowed to hold on to her gold medal</a>, meaning two gold medals and one bronze were awarded for the event. But while she was able to keep the gold medal, Pomazan’s gold wouldn’t count toward the Ukraine’s medal tally.</p>
<p>That was Monday. Just last night (AEST), the IPC ruled that Pomazan would <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1688843/Paralympics-Discus-thrower-stripped-of-gold-for-se">have to hand her gold medal back</a> after the governing body failed to “find a solution [that was suitable for] both the Chinese and the Ukrainians”.</p>
<p>Although remarkably messy I think this experience helps us understand the complexities of creating rules to support equity. Australian officials brought the anomaly to the attention of the Games’ organisers and in doing so, I believe, helped develop the robustness of the system, particularly when <a href="http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/news-archive-pre-2011/april-2010/15-04-10-raza/">Raza</a> coefficients are used.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9284/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Lyons does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The final of the women’s discus (F35-36) at the London Paralympic Games on Sunday (AEST) raised a question that doesn’t normally comes up once a sporting contest is over: “So, who won?” Ukrainian F35 thrower…Keith Lyons, Professor of Sport Studies, National Institute of Sports Studies, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/88952012-09-04T04:44:29Z2012-09-04T04:44:29ZThe Paralympics is more popular than ever – but what’s it for?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14987/original/t6znwzg4-1346720714.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In recent years there's been a noticeable leap in interest about the Paralympics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Tal Cohen</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Paralympics has become more prominent in recent times than ever before. Although it was first held in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Summer_Paralympics">Rome 1960</a> — drawing inspiration from the 1948 British <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14896776">Stoke Mandeville Games for Paraplegics</a> — the Paralympics only achieved significant global notice after being twinned with the Olympic Games from 1988.</p>
<p>Since then, the Paralympics have been held in the same city as the Olympics, making use of the same venues.</p>
<p>An Olympic endorsement proved a huge boost for the Paralympics, adding its status and legitimacy. The timing of the Paralympics, two to three weeks after the Olympics, is also auspicious. By then, people have recovered from the surfeit of Olympic sport and are ready for another sporting festival.</p>
<p>The Olympic relationship has enabled the Paralympics to surge ahead of the two other global sporting festivals for people with a disability: the older, established <a href="http://www.deaflympics.com/">Deaflympics</a>, which was first held in 1924, and the <a href="http://www.specialolympics.org/">Special Olympics</a> which began in 1968.</p>
<h2>Growing the Games</h2>
<p>New benchmarks have been set for almost every Paralympic Games from 1988, in terms of the number of athletes attending (from 3,053 in 1988 to 4,200 in 2012), nations represented (from 62 to 161) and accredited media (from 1,672 to around 4,000). There are no accurate figures on attendances from 1988 to 1996 because admittance was largely free.</p>
<p>Gate entry was first charged for all events at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000 when 1,159,249 people attended. Nearly all of the 2.5m tickets for the London Paralympics have been sold.</p>
<p>London will undoubtedly set new benchmarks as Britain is the home of Paralympic sport and also one of the stronger countries for Paralympic sport. The level of support for the London Paralympics will be something to watch.</p>
<p>An even more intriguing thing to observe is the media coverage of the Games because the media (and the public as well) have only a loose (and even vague) idea of the meaning and purpose of the Paralympics.</p>
<h2>Understanding the Paralympics</h2>
<p>The complexity of Paralympic sport, first of all, is difficult for the public to grasp. There are six different categories of athletes: wheelchair, amputee, cerebral palsy, visually impaired, athletes with intellectual disability and les autres (the others).</p>
<p>The public finds it easier to comprehend wheelchair sports, such as basketball, because it appears athletes compete on a level playing field. This is not the case because players on each team are required to have a <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/wheelchair-basketball/classification/">differing range of functional ability</a>. </p>
<p>Classification remains the greatest challenge in the delivery of Paralympic sport in that it is both complex and generally baffling to the public. Whereas there is only one men’s and one’s women’s 100m Olympic track final, there are potentially 20 for each gender in the Paralympics. The challenge for the organisers is to better <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-classification-at-the-paralympics-9072">explain the purpose of classification better</a>.</p>
<h2>Paralympics representation</h2>
<p>The Paralympic Games are even more western-centric than the Olympic Games with the big medal-winners traditionally coming from affluent western countries such as the USA, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Canada and the Netherlands.</p>
<p>Support for people with a disability is relatively weak in a number of African, Asian and Latin American countries. But some of the more affluent Asian countries, such as China and Japan, have made great strides in the last two Games with China heading the medal tally in 2004 and 2008. It will be interesting to observe whether a wider range of countries secure a greater share of the medals in London.</p>
<p>In the past the media have perpetuated many myths about the Paralympics and people with a disability. Athletes have been irked in the past by references they are brave and courageous in overcoming adversity – if you are born with a disability you know no other state.</p>
<h2>‘Supercrip’</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/superhip-to-supercrip-the-trickle-down-effect-of-the-paralympics-9009">The “supercrip” myth</a> suggests elite athletes with disabilities can overcome any obstacle by their superhuman efforts. By implication, anyone with a disability can play sport or surmount a physical challenge if only they try. The supercrip stereotype suggests the disability community as a whole should follow suit and “take up their bed and walk”.</p>
<p>The perpetuation of such myths raises the related question of whether the Paralympics creates greater awareness of the needs of the wider (non-sporting) disability community. Or does it generate resentment between the sporting “haves” and the non-sporting “have-nots” who resent all the resources being devoted to a small section of the disability community?</p>
<p>The Paralympics is a fascinating sporting festival in that its central purpose is a matter of debate. There is an ongoing discussion about whether the Paralympics exists to display the wide range of disability sports or whether it is a spectacle of elite sport.</p>
<p>The Paralympics is likely to increase in size and popularity in the future, not least because new sports are being featured (such as wheelchair basketball and rugby), extend the groups of people involved in high-profile sport.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8895/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Cashman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Paralympics has become more prominent in recent times than ever before. Although it was first held in Rome 1960 — drawing inspiration from the 1948 British Stoke Mandeville Games for Paraplegics…Richard Cashman, Director, Australian Centre for Olympic Studies; Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Business, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/89022012-09-03T20:35:12Z2012-09-03T20:35:12ZWe can all learn a lot from the Paralympics … and not just about sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14887/original/b84g94nw-1346396592.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Playing basketball in a wheelchair is hard enough; playing it at an elite level is something else entirely.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andy Rain/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s been a mystery to me, over many years spent watching sporting events such as the Paralympics, just <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-classification-at-the-paralympics-9072">how disability is classified</a>. With the London Paralympic Games now well underway, I’m sure I’m not alone.</p>
<p>If athletes, coaches and administrators have problems understanding the application of the classification process – and judging by recent conversations I’ve had, they do – what hope do armchair spectators have?</p>
<p>Many is the time I have listened to a commentator at a Paralympic or Commonwealth Games struggle to communicate clearly the classification system and how certain athletes can compete with other athletes of a different classification in the same event/discipline.</p>
<p>Let me state, though, that this lack of understanding of disability classification hasn’t stopped me enjoying the sporting event for what it is: athletes at the top of their craft and ability, fighting it out with others at the same level.</p>
<p>Nor has this lack of awareness stopped me cheering at the top of my voice for the athlete in the green and gold or from feeling immense pride when Advance Australia Fair is played at a medal ceremony.</p>
<p>In fact one of my favourite sporting moments was attending the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000 and experiencing a world-class sporting event with a terrific atmosphere and competition that is second-to-none.</p>
<p>Of course there is a wealth of information out there about the mysteries of the classification system, including the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au">Australian Paralympic Committee website</a> and an “Explainer” article <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-classification-at-the-paralympics-9072">published recently</a> on The Conversation.</p>
<p>(To recap, the classification system exists for a simple reason: to allow the grouping of similar athletes with a hope that an athlete’s disability has less of an impact on the outcomes of the competition.)</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wopRlzdXlj4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Sadly, I’m not sure many people know the difference between impairment – which refers to the loss or abnormality of body structure – and disability – the degree of difficulty someone experiences as a result of their impairment.</p>
<p>Few people probably know about the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/mm%5CDocument%5CPublications%5CJoinin%5C01%5C24%5C08%5C10%5Clondon-2012-guide-to-the-paralympic-games.pdf">four types of disability</a> covered by the classification process either. These are for athletes with:</p>
<ul>
<li>an amputation</li>
<li>celebral palsy</li>
<li>vision impairment or blindness</li>
<li>spinal injuries or other physical disabilities.</li>
</ul>
<p>And how many people know that every Paralympian at London has gone through a rigorous and regular assessment of their disability and that even when they reach the Games the games assessors might well assess their disability to a different classification than their national one?</p>
<p>(This happened to a friend of mine at the Seoul Paralympics and has <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/fillip-for-cowdrey-as-key-rival-is-reclassified-20120831-2543q.html">happened at London already</a>.)</p>
<p>These misconceptions bring me to what is probably the bigger issue: a general lack of understanding and appreciation about what it means to be disabled.</p>
<p>I don’t think many people truly appreciate the skill required to play a sport with a disability. Having played wheelchair basketball and floor ball (also known as <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/sitting-volleyball/">sitting volleyball</a>) on a number of occasions, I can tell you it really is hard work to control a chair, catch or shield the ball from the opposition, move into position without freedom of movement and shoot without being able to use the leg-lift that standing events of the sport allow.</p>
<p>And to do this when you can’t see the ball clearly or hear your teammates scream instructions would doubtless add another level of complexity to an already tough experience.</p>
<p>Playing these sports is hard enough; competing at a Paralympic level is something else entirely.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rb9hgwjxlKY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Sure, we’ve taken great strides in recent years to adopt the approach that discrimination is unlawful (the <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/dda1992264/">Disability Discrimination Act 1992</a>) and that we need to ensure all activities allow equal opportunities (e.g <a href="http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=1123&Itemid=569">Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010</a>), but much work is still to be done to even the playing field.</p>
<p>In comparison to Olympic athletes Paralympic athletes do not enjoy equality of structures, resources or even <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=8295913">media air time</a>.</p>
<p>Quite simply, athletes who are representing their country at the London Paralympic Games deserve a lot more respect and support than they currently receive. So how can we improve the general public’s understanding of Paralympic sport and the classifications of the athletes?</p>
<p>Personally I think <em>doing</em> is a far more powerful learning tool than <em>watching</em>. I would make it compulsory for all school children to experience playing at least one Paralympic sport. I would also ensure that the YouTube videos on the Australian Paralympic Committee website, entitled What is Paralympic Sport? (embedded near the top of this article) and Who competes in Paralympics Sport? (embedded above) should be shown at the beginning of TV reports in a bid to quickly educate the viewer.</p>
<p>Above all we need to appreciate these athletes are competing at the top of their ability, and at the top level. We mightn’t appreciate all the nuances around classification or understand what it’s like to be disabled, but we should take pride in supporting those that are competing for their country.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8902/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Doulton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s been a mystery to me, over many years spent watching sporting events such as the Paralympics, just how disability is classified. With the London Paralympic Games now well underway, I’m sure I’m not…Martin Doulton, Director of Monash Sport, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92502012-09-03T05:43:56Z2012-09-03T05:43:56ZPistorius’ loss to Oliveira fuels the ‘disruptive technology’ debate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14922/original/j2cth3ph-1346638465.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alan Oliveira came from behind to beat Oscar Pistorius, sparking further debate about the effect of prosthetic legs.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andy Rain/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“Blade Runner” <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athlete/pistorius-oscar-5503322/">Oscar Pistorius</a> is no stranger to controversy.</p>
<p>This morning in London (AEST) the South African athlete was involved in a remarkable race at the Paralympics, the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/men-200m-t44/phase=atm240100/index.html">men’s 200m – T44 final</a>, in which he was defeated by Brazilian sprinter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Oliveira">Alan Oliveira</a>. Both athletes are double amputees who run with J-shaped, prosthetic running blades with carbon-fibre feet.</p>
<p>Immediately after the race Pistorius raised his concerns about unfair advantage, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/disability-sport/19460868">questioning the legitimacy</a> of the prostheses worn by the race winner Alan Oliveira and the third-placed athlete <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/athlete-month/blake-leeper-athlete-month-july-2011">Blake Leeper</a>. Pistorius <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/disability-sport/19460868">was quoted</a> as saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are not running in a fair race here. I’m not taking away from Alan’s performance but I can’t compete with Alan’s stride length. The International Paralympic Committee have their regulations and their regulations mean that some athletes can make themselves unbelievably high - his knee heights are four inches higher than they should be.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Pistorius has been subjected to the long-term assertion that he has benefited from his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Pistorius#Dispute_over_prosthetics">prosthetic advantage</a>. In <a href="http://www.aipsmedia.com/allegati/Pistorius_Final_Report.pdf">2007</a>, a report on his running action observed that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>fast running with the dedicated Cheetah prosthesis is a different kind of locomotion than sprinting with natural human legs. The “bouncing” locomotion is related to lower metabolic costs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/3/215.full">an article for the British Journal of Sports Medicine</a> former Australian Paralympian (and now University of Sunshine Coast researcher) <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brendan-burkett-12466">Brendan Burkett</a> pointed out that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>athletes depend on their prostheses in order to run, and so the prostheses are essential for performance; however, based on the mechanical analysis alone, these same aids could be considered performance enhancement.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Pistorius broke the world record for the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/men-200m-t44/phase=atm240900/index.html">200m – T44 in the heats</a> and set a time of 21.30 seconds. Oliveira ran 21.88 seconds to win his heat and Leeper 22.23 seconds in his heat win. </p>
<p>Oliveira was the only athlete of the three to run faster in the final, winning in a time of 21.45 to beat Pistorius by 0.07s.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=836&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=836&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14925/original/73n5k2cs-1346638627.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=836&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With Oscar Pistorius expected to win the men’s 200m – T44 final, there was little pressure on Alan Oliveira.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andy Rain/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What is fascinating about this discussion is the role the prosthetics played in the result. As in the case of Richard Whitehead, who won gold and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2196730/London-2012-Paralympics-Richard-Whitehead-breaks-record-wins-gold-200m.html">broke the world record</a> in the men’s 200m – T42 over the weekend, Oliveira finished strongly to take the win.</p>
<p>I am left wondering if there were other co-acting variables in his performance. For instance, given the expectation of a Pistorius win, there was little or no pressure on Oliveira to come away with victory. This may, conceivably, have influenced his performance. </p>
<p>Pistorius’ comments about the stride length and foot length of the prostheses worn by his opponents will likely lead to research about stride length, “bouncing” running styles and any evidence of ergonomic advantage.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, in a discussion of inclusion in sport, US researcher Sarah Wild <a href="http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1059&context=plr&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com.au%2Fscholar%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3DSarah%2BWild%2BPistorius%2Blegal%26btnG%3D%26as_sdt%3D1%252C5%26as_sdtp%3D#search=%22Sarah%20Wild%20Pistorius%20legal%22">observed</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If the rules must change or if society’s view of acceptable sports practices must be altered, so be it. For if change is not forthcoming, then it is possible that there will be no place for athletes like Oscar Pistorius.</p>
<p>Indeed, if Pistorius is banned from able-bodied events, but is too competitive for disabled events, he is effectively left without a forum to display his athletic talent.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is a sense in which Pistorius’ prostheses have been a disruptive technology in Paralympic running. Within a year of Sarah Wild’s observation, Pistorius has found a competitor within Paralympic sport.</p>
<p>As this story comes to a close perhaps the next debate will be about the growing trend for long jumpers to take off on their <a href="http://poi.sagepub.com/content/36/3/297.short">prosthetic limbs</a>.</p>
<p>There is, it seems, no shortage of points for debate.</p>
<p><strong>Further reading:</strong><br>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beaten-by-a-length-pistorius-oliveira-and-paralympic-fairness-9251">Beaten by a length? Pistorius, Oliveira and Paralympic fairness</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9250/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Lyons does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius is no stranger to controversy. This morning in London (AEST) the South African athlete was involved in a remarkable race at the Paralympics, the men’s 200m – T44 final, in…Keith Lyons, Professor of Sport Studies, National Institute of Sports Studies, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92512012-09-03T02:03:32Z2012-09-03T02:03:32ZBeaten by a length? Pistorius, Oliveira and Paralympic fairness<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14913/original/6hjrctyf-1346636090.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Oilveira's come-from-behind victory raises questions about the advantages provided by prosthetic legs.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julian Stratenschulte/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a major upset, <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athlete/oliveira-alan-fonteles-cardoso-5502030/">Alan Oliveira</a> of Brazil beat Oscar Pistorius to win an extraordinary T43/44 200 metre race today. But did Oliveira have an unfair advantage? </p>
<p>The 20-year-old Brazilian finished ahead of 25-year-old Pistorius in what could only be regarded as a “flying” finish to take the gold medal (you can <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-03/pistorius-loses-200m-crown/4239406?section=paralympics">watch the full race here</a>).</p>
<p>Pistorius’ facial expression, body language and post-race interview showed his displeasure at the loss.</p>
<p>At the heart of Pistorius’ concerns was the fact Oliveira and the American <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athlete/leeper-blake-5510714/">Blake Leeper</a> had an unfair advantage through the lengthening of their prostheses - the blades the three athletes ran on in the race.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/9516463/Oscar-Pistorius-stunned-as-he-is-beaten-into-second-place-by-Brazilian-Alan-Oliveira-in-T4344-200m.html">post-race interview</a>, Pistorius went on to say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We’re not racing a fair race here. The regulations say that you can make yourself unbelievably high. I think Alan’s an unbelievable athlete but I don’t think you can come from 8m behind to win.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Can of worms</h2>
<p>The technicalities of prostheses length are best left to the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/">International Paralympic Committee</a> (IPC) and others to argue and the legality of their use in the race could be tested through protest if Pistorius’ concerns are within the realms of race considerations.</p>
<p>But whether Pistorius realises it or not, his post-race concerns about fairness have opened a can of worms for the IPC and the <a href="http://www.olympic.org/">International Olympic Committee</a> (IOC), which have been raised in academic circles since before the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=752&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=945&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=945&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14915/original/m2x8wp3d-1346636101.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=945&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The athletes exchange a handshake after the race.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kerim Okten/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As other articles have <a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-to-the-starting-line-easier-for-some-than-others-9177">recently examined on The Conversation</a>, the whole question of fairness and having a level playing field for Paralympic athletes is a complex issue that is a combination of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-classification-at-the-paralympics-9072">classification system</a>, the cyborgs of technology, and the relative imbalance between access to sport science and technology by developed and developing nations.</p>
<p>These issues have created considerable tension within the international Paralympic sporting movement and have raised significant issues about <a href="http://soc.sagepub.com/content/45/5/868.abstract">the role of advances</a> in technology and athletes with disabilities.</p>
<p>The history of the Paralympic movement has been dominated by <a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-to-the-starting-line-easier-for-some-than-others-9177">medicalised notions</a> of disability. </p>
<p>While there is now a greater representation of people with disability within international Paralympic sport administration, efforts to “normalise” the disabled body remain and have been raised to extraordinary lengths. </p>
<p>These efforts now see the Paralympics as an international showcase for the latest breakthroughs in medicine, sport science and sport’s equivalent of the technological “arms and leg race”.</p>
<p>In an Olympic context, the “cyborg factor” - the technology-body interface - <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17511320802221802">raises significant issues</a> with respect to whether technology “normalises” the disabled body, restoring the body within normative ranges of human ability, or creates an unfair advantage by extending performance beyond normal function of what would have been an athlete’s bodily potential.</p>
<h2>Where to now?</h2>
<p>Pistorius has asked, in a very public way, whether Oliveira and Leeper’s actions of the lengthening the blade length create an advantage beyond what should be regarded as fair?</p>
<p>Apart from the notions of fairness and equality of sport performance, the question also raises further questions as to the nature and positioning of the Paralympic games as the pinnacle event for disability sport, and the involvement of athletes with disabilities who <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-define-oneself-as-less-able-a-prerequisite-for-a-paralympian-9241">use prostheses in non-disabled sporting contests</a>, including the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.</p>
<p>The answer to Pistorius’ question will be hotly debated in the press, by the IPC and the IOC over the coming hours, days, weeks, months and years as we move towards the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.</p>
<p><strong>Further reading:</strong><br>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/pistorius-loss-to-oliveira-fuels-the-disruptive-technology-debate-9250">Pistorius’ loss to Oliveira fuels the ‘disruptive technology’ debate</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Darcy has received funding from the Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Paralympic Committee. Simon has also conducted research approved by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.</span></em></p>In a major upset, Alan Oliveira of Brazil beat Oscar Pistorius to win an extraordinary T43/44 200 metre race today. But did Oliveira have an unfair advantage? The 20-year-old Brazilian finished ahead of…Simon Darcy, Professor & Co-Director Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre - UTS Business School, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92282012-09-02T20:11:58Z2012-09-02T20:11:58ZDoping, boosting and other forms of cheating at the Paralympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14869/original/j4qv29kg-1346386766.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Common boosting practices by athletes include breaking their own toes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Foxtongue</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the next few weeks, the newspapers in Australia and overseas are going to be full of stories describing Paralympians as inspirational role models. Such reports might or might not be true … it just depends on the individuals involved.</p>
<p>As with all elite athletes, Paralympians must concern themselves, first and foremost, with their competition and personal performance. Without a performance that puts them at the top of their sport – or for Australians in the top-ten internationally – they would not have been able to represent their country at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.</p>
<p>This creates a pressure on the individual to perform at an elite level day in, day out over the years before selection. For some, whose performances are without peer nationally and internationally, this may be a <em>fait accompli</em>. For others, a qualifying performance could be decided by:</p>
<ul>
<li>1cm</li>
<li>1/100th of a second</li>
<li>having an attribute the coach needs to fill a team in <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/goalball/">goalball</a>, wheelchair rugby or wheelchair basketball, where teams are made up of players of mixed ability.</li>
</ul>
<p>These vagaries of selection have seen some would-be Paralympians from all around the world “cheat” – transgress the rules of competition and sportsmanship to achieve Paralympic selection.</p>
<h2>Cheat to compete</h2>
<p>The Paralympics are, in many ways, just like the Olympics. There’s a regime of anti-doping measures to detect performance-enhancing substances. There’s also a series of other more complex considerations (such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-classification-at-the-paralympics-9072">the classification system</a>) which helps to achieve the Paralympic ideal of people of equal ability competing against one other.</p>
<p>Paralympic media releases continually feature <a href="http://english.cri.cn/8046/2012/08/22/3123s718301.htm">announcements of positive tests</a> for performance-enhancing drugs across disability groups and many sports.</p>
<p>This affirms that some Paralympic athletes are just as willing as some Olympic athletes to resort to drug use to assure their selection.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/">International Paralympic Committee (IPC)</a> recognises this as a significant issue and are a signatory of the <a href="http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/code_v2009_en.pdf">World Anti-Doping Code (WADC)</a> through which they promote a doping-free sporting environment at all levels for “the spirit of fair play”.</p>
<p>To ensure this anti-doping message filters to all participatory levels of Paralympic sport, the IPC and the international federations and the national Paralympic committees have developed their own <a href="http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Publications/General/01/25/26/18/IPCAnti-dopingCode_Neutral.pdf">IPC Anti-Doping Code</a>.</p>
<h2>Beyond doping</h2>
<p>While doping may be a high-profile and media-grabbing example of the lengths some Paralympic athletes will go to to ensure success, it is by no means the most common way of “cheating”. The Paralympic athlete classification system and processes are one of the ongoing controversial issues of the international Paralympic movement.</p>
<p>In their most simple form, Paralympic classification systems seek to get people of equal abilities competing against each other. But the classification system is controversial because it is not an exact science – people can underplay their level of ability.</p>
<p>Speaking to past Paralympic athletes, there are some who had concerns their competitors were not classified properly and that they were “cheating” by competing against other athletes of less ability as a way of ensuring success.</p>
<p>Classification is a highly technical process involving both medical and biomechanical assessment of athletes across the six major categories in the Paralympics:</p>
<ul>
<li>amputee</li>
<li>cerebral palsy</li>
<li>vision impairment</li>
<li>wheelchair</li>
<li>intellectual disability</li>
<li><em>Les Autres</em> (a French term for the “others”)</li>
</ul>
<p>One of the classification embarrassments of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games was the stripping of the gold medal from the Spanish intellectually disabled basketball team shortly after the Games concluded. It emerged that the certification processes had not been properly carried out, supervised or audited nationally or internationally. Quite simply, a number of the Spanish basketball team did not have intellectual disabilities.</p>
<h2>Medal-mania</h2>
<p>Within each sport there are further classifications that led to what was known as “medal gigantism” – the creation of so many classes of event that the number of available medals is out of control.</p>
<p>This peaked at the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games when there were 733 gold medals on offer and 2,208 medals in total. (Medals will be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Paralympics_medal_table">awarded in 502 events</a> in London.)</p>
<p>Similarly, because of the number of classification types, there were a proliferation of world records being broken every Games. This also peaked at the Seoul Paralympics when 971 world records were broken.</p>
<h2>Boosting</h2>
<p>The other form of “cheating” is euphemistically called “boosting”. Boosting is practised by some athletes with spinal cord injury who seek to increase their blood pressure, therefore enhancing performance.</p>
<p>Due to the nature of spinal cord injuries, some athletes are unable to feel parts of their body. But if the body becomes injured in areas where they don’t have any feeling, it triggers a physiological reaction that increases blood pressure – a response known as an <a href="http://www.streetsie.com/autonomic-dysreflexia/">autonomic dysreflexic reaction</a>.</p>
<p>To stimulate this response, some athletes deliberately self-harm. Common boosting practices have included breaking toes, having extremely tight-fitting clothing, overfilling the bladder or, in males, trapping the testicles.</p>
<p>This might be extreme behaviour but it is just another example of what Paralympic athletes will engage in to be successful (see <a href="http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/Bhambhani_final_report_2009.PDF%5D(http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/Bhambhani_final_report_2009.PDF)%20for%20further%20info">here</a>.</p>
<h2>Fair play</h2>
<p>While the Paralympics is based on elite athletic performance and principles of fair play, this is not extended to the participation of all involved.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.routledge.com/articles/routledge_online_studies_on_the_olympic_and_paralympic_games_roso/">Recent research</a> has shown that while the Olympics has been criticised for its lack of gendered participation by many nations and across all sports, the Paralympics has a far more critical shortage of female athletes across nations and across sports.</p>
<p>This gendered under-representation is further complicated by an under-representation of people with high-support needs (such as Class BC3 those with cerebral palsy) in comparison to those athletes who are independent and require no support by attendants.</p>
<p>In a sport where disability is front-and-centre, questions must be raised as to whether selection decisions are being made because of resource implications due to athletes having higher levels of disability. Surely this could not be the case?</p>
<p>So when you are watching the Olympics and being inspired by the elite athletes, spare a thought for the more complex issues of Paralympic sport and darker side of the Games that need to be addressed by the international Paralympic movement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9228/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Darcy has received funding from the Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Paralympic Committee. Simon has also conducted research approved by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.
</span></em></p>Over the next few weeks, the newspapers in Australia and overseas are going to be full of stories describing Paralympians as inspirational role models. Such reports might or might not be true … it just…Simon Darcy, Professor & Co-Director Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre - UTS Business School, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/92302012-08-31T22:16:26Z2012-08-31T22:16:26ZProwess and poise: Paralympians should be household names<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14872/original/rk8x6jf9-1346389961.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australia's Jacqueline Freney celebrates after the Women's 100m Backstroke on August 30.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kerim Okten/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As I peered out of a frosted Canberra window with child-like amazement at the gossamer snowflakes cascading from the muted grey sky, I thought of my friend training in the warm Swiss sun in preparation for one of the most momentous occasions of his life – the Paralympic Games. </p>
<p>That was a few weeks ago but now, with the Paralympics underway, I still reflect on the incredible journey to London 2012 he and his teammates have had. I hope we can celebrate their achievements and athletic prowess, as we do for all our elite athletes, rather than just focusing on their courage and “triumph over adversity”.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=848&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14874/original/cx9t38tc-1346390446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Felicity Johnson.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia </span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Trying to compare Olympians with Paralympians is an exercise in futility. Everyone’s career and background is unique. All roads to the Games have different ups and downs. Each preparation is personal; none is less arduous or impressive than the other.</p>
<p>Editor of ABC’s <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/">Ramp Up website</a>, Stella Young, has her own take on it. She recently wrote to compare Paralympic swimmer Matt Cowdrey to the likes of James “The Missile” Magnussen <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/rampup/articles/2012/08/09/3564305.htm">would be unfair</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>After all, Magnussen’s accomplishments, while of course significant and admirable, pale in comparison to those of Cowdrey. Having broken his first world record at 13, Cowdrey is well on the way to becoming Australia’s most successful Paralympian. He already has eight gold medals under his belt, along with four silver and two bronze.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The wisest words I have heard on comparisons belong to author and motivator, Nido Qubein, <a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/winners_compare_their_achievements_with_their/179445.html">who said</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=802&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1008&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1008&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14875/original/cvxxmk4f-1346390487.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1008&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Greg Smith.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many people got to know the intimate details of our Olympians and their journey to the 30th Olympiad. We shared the vicissitudes of Magnussen, Stephanie Rice, Lauren Jackson, Steve Hooker, Sally Pearson and co. prior to and during the Games. </p>
<p>We vicariously held on with them on their physical and emotional rollercoaster rides, because in a small way they represented our dreams and aspirations for our nation.</p>
<p>But what do we know of our Paralympians? You might have heard of our three-time Paralympic marathon champion <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/kurt-fearnley">Kurt Fearnley</a>, who will also compete in four other track events in this, his fourth Paralympic Games. But how many people know of Cowdrey and his 84 world records? </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=878&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=878&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=878&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1104&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1104&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14876/original/5mt43763-1346390527.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1104&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kurt Fearnley.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Or <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/felicity-johnson">Felicity Johnson</a> and her pilot <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/stephanie-morton">Stephanie Morton</a> - two-time world champions and among our best chance at the velodrome? Or wheelchair rugby player and Australia’s flag bearer <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/greg-smith">Greg Smith</a>?</p>
<p>Or our shooter <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/libby-kosmala">Libby Kosmala</a>, who is competing in her 11th Paralympic Games at the age of 70? Or my mate <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/richard-nicholson">Richard Nicholson</a>, competing in the 100m, 400m and 4x400m relay.</p>
<p>The fact we don’t know our Paralympians as well as our Olympians is a crying shame. Their stories are just as rich and colourful, and their achievements just as impressive. As colourful London Mayor Boris Johnson <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/borisjohnson/9501379/Paralympians-have-more-of-the-Right-Stuff-than-anyone-on-Earth.html">wrote recently</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>These are people who have so comprehensively vanquished disability that they are defined by what they can do rather than what they can’t do.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=977&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=977&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14877/original/ds8qkxmp-1346390582.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=977&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Libby Kosmala.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Perhaps I’ll be following the Paralympics so intently because I personally know someone who is competing. Yet we can all get to know our 161 athletes better by simply jumping on the ABC’s website and watching their excellent series of <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/sport/paralympics/athlete-profiles/">Paralympian profiles</a>. </p>
<p>By doing this we can find out what the 13 sports the Aussie team are competing in are and what the various categories mean. We can learn their stories and hopefully start to share their dreams and aspirations also.</p>
<p>Or why not send them a <a href="http://www.bigpondsport.com/Olympics/HeroMessage/tabid/725/Default.aspx">Telstra HeroMessage</a> – I’m sure they’d welcome our support and encouragement just as much as our Olympians did.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=881&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=881&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=881&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1107&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1107&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14878/original/kzhfbmdg-1346390614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1107&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Richard Nicholson.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We could do worse than emulate our British friends who are definitely getting into the spirit of the Games. Not since the Paralympic movement began in 1948 has there been such a rush for tickets.</p>
<p>Out of the total of 2.4m there is only a handful still to be sold. The International Paralympic Committee says they have never seen such interest and enthusiasm.</p>
<p>The Paralympics have already received an enormous boost in profile thanks to South African “Blade Runner”, Oscar Pistorius, and his stirring performances at the London Olympics in reaching the semi-final of the individual 400m and anchoring South Africa’s squad in the 4x400m relay. </p>
<p>In the process he became a “symbol of acceptance and recognition for a generation of Paralympians”.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=837&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=837&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=837&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1052&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1052&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14879/original/2ddksgrv-1346390643.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1052&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Matthew Cowdrey.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The extent to which this message rippled and permeated around the globe was reflected in a Twitter message I saw recently that said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>A friend teaching his kids to tackle in footy (rugby league), says go low for the ankles, says have you ever seen a man run without legs, my son says yes – Oscar Pistorius.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Pistorius <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/in-depth/oscar-pistorius-is-symbol-for-acceptance-and-recognition-for-a-generation-of-paralympians/story-fnf990ez-1226458453706">has said</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The UK is very forward thinking when it comes to disabilities and people will watch the Games for what they are - hard-core sport with triumph, failure, sacrifices and personal bests. People will admire the athletes for what they achieve, not focusing on their disability.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What a spectacle – 4,280 athletes from 166 countries pushing themselves to their outer limits over 11 days of intense competition. </p>
<p>If that doesn’t “inspire and excite” the world and demonstrate what amazing sportspeople they are, nothing will.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9230/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Oliver is affiliated with the Australian Sports Commission.</span></em></p>As I peered out of a frosted Canberra window with child-like amazement at the gossamer snowflakes cascading from the muted grey sky, I thought of my friend training in the warm Swiss sun in preparation…Paul Oliver, PhD candidate - Sport and social inclusion, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/90722012-08-31T01:20:38Z2012-08-31T01:20:38ZExplainer: what is ‘classification’ at the Paralympics?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14851/original/tm3v7m2g-1346375558.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Classification allows athletes to compete against those with a similar level of impairment.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Louisa Gouliamaki</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you’re watching the Paralympics on TV, listening on radio or reading about the Games in the papers or online, you’ll notice different sports are sub-divided into separate classes.</p>
<p>If you’re listening to the swimming, you won’t hear about the men’s 100m freestyle – instead you might hear about the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/swimming/event/men-100m-freestyle-s2/index.html">men’s 100m freestyle – S2</a> or the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/swimming/event/men-100m-breaststroke-sb9/index.html">men’s 100m breaststroke – SB9</a>.</p>
<p>Similarly, if you’re watching the track and field events, you won’t see the women’s 400m sprint as you would in the Olympics. Instead you might see the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/women-400m-t12/index.html">women’s 400m – T12</a> or the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/women-400m-t37/index.html">women’s 400m – T37</a>.</p>
<h2>What is classification all about?</h2>
<p>So what does S1 mean in the context of a swimming event? And what does T12 mean in the context of a race on the track?</p>
<p>Quite simply, athletes are classified according to the extent of their impairment. The different classifications
indicate the type and degree of disability possessed by the athletes in that particular class.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/swimming/classification/">swimming</a>, freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events are prefixed with the letter “S” and run from S1 up to S14:</p>
<ul>
<li>Classes 1-10 are for athletes with a physical impairment</li>
<li>Classes 11-13 are for athletes with a visual impairment</li>
<li>Class 14 is for athletes with an intellectual impairment</li>
</ul>
<p>“SB” is used to refer to breaststroke events and “SM” is used to refer to individual medley events.</p>
<p>If a swimmer is classified as S1, he or she will have a significant loss of muscle power or control in his or her legs, arms, hands and torso. These impairments may be caused by spinal-cord injuries or polio. A swimmer in this class usually uses a wheelchair in daily life.</p>
<p>A swimmer classified as S10 will be impeded far less by their impairment when competing.</p>
<p>In short, the lower the classification number, the greater the impact the athlete’s impairment has on their performance in that particular event.</p>
<h2>Track and field</h2>
<p>In <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/classification/">track and field events</a>, a different classification system is used. </p>
<p>The letter “T” is used to refer to a track event (such as the 100m or the 1,500m) and the letter “F” is used to refer to field events (such as long jump or discus). These letters are combined with the following classes to designate a particular event:</p>
<ul>
<li>Classes 11-13 are for athletes with a visual impairement</li>
<li>Class 20 is used for athletes with an intellectual impairment</li>
<li>Classes 31-38 are for athletes with celebral palsy</li>
<li>Classes 40-46 are for athletes with an impairment that affects their arms or legs (including amputees)</li>
<li>Classes 51-58 are for wheelchair racers or field athletes who throw from a seated position</li>
</ul>
<p>As with swimming events, the lower the number in track and field classifications, the greater the impact the athlete’s impairment has on their performance in that event.</p>
<p>And while there are slight similarities between some schemes, each of the 21 Paralympic sports has <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/sports-amp-classification/summer-sports/summer-sports">a different classification system</a>.</p>
<p>More information about individual sports can be found by going to the <a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics">London 2012 Paralympics website</a>, navigating to the sport of interest, and clicking on the “Classification” tab.</p>
<h2>What types of impairments are recognised?</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/">International Paralympic Committee</a> has produced a <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/120716152047682_ClassificationGuide_1.pdf">Guide to Classification</a> which documents ten impairments for classification:</p>
<ul>
<li>reduced muscle power</li>
<li>passive range of movement</li>
<li>loss of limb or limb-deficiency</li>
<li>leg-length difference</li>
<li>short stature</li>
<li>hypertonia (abnormal increase in muscle tension)</li>
<li>ataxia (lack of co-ordination of muscle movements)</li>
<li>athetosis (unbalanced, involuntary movements)</li>
<li>visual</li>
<li>intellectual</li>
</ul>
<h2>What is the classification system for?</h2>
<p>The purpose behind the Paralympics classification system is to ensure all athletes have equal opportunities to compete, and an opportunity to compete against athletes with the same type and degree of impairment. </p>
<p>Each of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_at_the_2012_Summer_Paralympics">161 Paralympic athletes</a> representing <a href="http://www.paralympic.org.au/classification-faqs">Australia</a> has been assessed by a sport-specific, <a href="https://theconversation.com/classifying-australias-vision-impaired-paralympians-9161">certified classifier</a> who determines how their impairment influences their sporting ability. </p>
<p>The evaluation process for a classification includes: medical, visual or cognitive testing; demonstration of sport skills; and observation during competition.</p>
<h2>Goalball</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/goalball/about/">Goalball</a> is a good example of the efforts made through classification to ensure equal opportunities to compete at the Games.</p>
<p>It is a sport for participants who share the one disability: visual impairment. It has participants who are completely blind and have no light perception, and some who have a low visual acuity. Athletes with a visual field of a maximum diameter of less than 40º are eligible to compete.</p>
<p>But in order to create a level playing field, all players must wear dark eyeshades during the game. This means the athletes must rely solely on their hearing (the ball has two bells in it) to predict the trajectory of the incoming ball.</p>
<p>Yes, the Paralympic classification schemes can seem slightly confusing – but they shouldn’t take away from your enjoyment of the Games. </p>
<p><br>
<em>See more <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/explainer">Explainer articles</a> on The Conversation.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9072/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Lyons does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If you’re watching the Paralympics on TV, listening on radio or reading about the Games in the papers or online, you’ll notice different sports are sub-divided into separate classes. If you’re listening…Keith Lyons, Professor of Sport Studies, National Institute of Sports Studies, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/90092012-08-30T20:17:51Z2012-08-30T20:17:51ZSuperhip to supercrip: the ‘trickle-down’ effect of the Paralympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14598/original/rpynx4q7-1345773518.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Paralympics might be more popular than ever, but do disabled people see and feel the benefits?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adam Scotti</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sport is seen as important for the quality of life, self-esteem, independence and <a href="http://www.euractiv.com/sports/sport-disability/article-168119">social integration</a> of people with disabilities, and the Paralympics are one expression of this importance. But what effect do they have for the “average” person with a disability? </p>
<p>No-one would question the spectacle. The [London Paralympic Games](http://www.paralympic.org/Events/London2012/AboutUs](http://www.paralympic.org/Events/London2012/AboutUs), running from this week until September 9, will feature 4,200 athletes from 160 countries competing in 20 sports. </p>
<p>It’s worth noting the growth curve here. The Summer Paralympic Games <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/ParalympicGames/Summer">have exploded</a> from 400 athletes representing 23 countries in 1960 to 3,951 athletes from 146 countries in Beijing 2008.</p>
<p>Size hasn’t been the only gain. The popularity of the Paralympic Games has also increased. Ticket sales for London 2012 are brisk, having already <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/9480256/London-2012-Paralympics-45000-extra-tickets-put-on-sale-as-demand-increases.html">reached record highs</a> and are expected to reach 2.5m.</p>
<p>This isn’t a one-off. Ticket sales of 230,000 at the [2010 Winter Paralympic Games](http://www.paralympic.org/paralympic-games/vancouver-2010](http://www.paralympic.org/paralympic-games/vancouver-2010) in Vancouver, Canada also set a new record.</p>
<p>But despite the increased popularity of the Paralympics there are problems. As a 2010 Australian government report <a href="http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/368597/Australian_Sport_the_pathway_to_success.pdf">stated</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We as a nation can do more to ensure that people with disability and our high performance athletes with disability have opportunities to participate in sport at all levels. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>According to Senator Mobina Jaffer, chair of a 2012 Canadian Senate committee on human rights <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/411/ridr/rep/rep07jun12-e.pdf">report</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There are 4.4 million Canadians with disabilities, and certain studies indicate that as low as 3% of these individuals may be participating in regular organised physical activity. </p>
<p>Too few persons with disabilities are able to participate, due in part to barriers such as costs for specialised equipment and transportation, a lack of specialised coaches and information regarding the sport opportunities that do exist.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Not only that, as the Paralympics have become more popular, this has not improved the participation of disabled people in recreational sport and physical activity.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14595/original/g4tynh5n-1345772392.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia’s Cameron Rahles-Rahbula competes in the Men’s Downhill at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Dominic Favre</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://paralympic.ca/en/Media/Four-time-Paralympian-Elisabeth-Walker-Young-named-Canadas-Assistant-Chef-de-Mission-for-the-London-2012-Paralympic-Summer-Games.html">Elisabeth Walker-Young</a>, a former Paralympic swimmer from Canada, was <a href="http://topsy.com/www.vancouvermetro.com/vancouver-news/former-paralympic-swimmer-named-assistant-chef/?utm_source=otter">quoted in 2010</a> as being “thrilled” by the increase in participation at the Paralympics and the awareness the Games generated for people with a disability. </p>
<p>What still frustrated her was how this growth at the elite level had not “trickled down” into more people with disabilities becoming active. </p>
<p>Helping motivate people with disabilities to become more involved in some form of physical activity will be one of Walker-Young’s goals in her role of <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/news/canada-announces-145-athletes-london-2012">assistant chef de mission</a> for the Canadian team at the London Paralympics. </p>
<p>The same article went on to report that <a href="http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html">Statistics Canada</a> estimated only 3% of people with a physical disability considered themselves physically active, adding that: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some disabled people may feel uncomfortable at a gym or pool because of the looks they receive.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Barriers</h2>
<p>Recently, my student and I have performed an as-yet unpublished systematic review of academic literature covering barriers encountered by disabled people to various sport activities. From elite- to recreational-level sport, the top five barriers mentioned in the 256 articles we looked at – in order of dominance – were: </p>
<ol>
<li>attitudes</li>
<li>money</li>
<li>accessibility of facilities/architecture</li>
<li>knowledge/skill of staff</li>
<li>transportation</li>
</ol>
<p>The nature of the barriers might explain why no trickle-down effect has occurred. Reasons two to five really aren’t linked to the success of the Paralympics. The popularity or otherwise of the Paralympics does not trigger accessible transportation, enough income to participate in sport, accessible facilities or knowledgeable staff.</p>
<p>But the first reason – attitudes – should give the Paralympics organisers’ pause for thought.</p>
<p>In 2003 the <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/">International Paralympic Committee (IPC)</a> General Assembly adopted a <a href="http://www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/120203111830492_Sec_i_chapter_1.1_Paralympic_Vision_and_Mission_0.pdf">vision statement</a> that, among other things, supported creating “the conditions for athlete empowerment through self-determination” – in so doing, making a “contribution to a better world for all people with a disability”.</p>
<p>The attitudes we found, through our research, hindering wider sport participation of disabled people included bullying, insensitivity of staff, a “you can’t do” sentiment and self-consciousness of the disabled person.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14596/original/5db6c8kt-1345773023.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian wheelchair basketballer Justin Eveson celebrates winning gold at the Beijing Paralympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Oliver Weikin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A question of cool</h2>
<p>Let’s look at the last two reasons [“you can’t do” sentiment and self-consciousness of the disabled person] through the one story that seems to have captured the media and public’s attention in the last four years – namely the quest of the South African Paralympic track and field athlete <a href="https://theconversation.com/oscar-pistorius-and-the-olympics-good-news-or-bad-for-sport-8122">Oscar Pistorius</a> to run in the Olympics. </p>
<p>One can expect that the next generation of “<a href="http://www.ossur.com/?PageID=13462">Cheetah legs</a>” – as used by Pistorius – will be even more powerful, and down the road we might see other bionic devices be used by Paralympic athletes.</p>
<p>But what will this do to the self-consciousness, the self-esteem of disabled people who cannot have these “cool” devices whether for monetary reasons or because no “cool” device exists for their “disability”? </p>
<p>What will it do to the ability expectations others have of disabled people? Will the ones without the cool devices be seen as even less able, feeding into the “you can’t do” sentiment?</p>
<h2>Deep impact</h2>
<p>There’s long history of analysing the impact of high-performance people with disabilities (athlete or not) on the “average” person with a disability. </p>
<p>The term <a href="http://www.trinimex.ca/disabilityinmedia/lesson6.htm">supercrip</a> was coined to highlight the negative consequences of a situation whereby some people with disabilities are seen as “heroes” and are admired in superlative terms for their “courage” and determination.</p>
<p>Technological advancements such as the Cheetah legs lead to changed ability expectations of disabled people, feeding further into this supercrip narrative.</p>
<p>Sport on all levels is important for disabled people, and it’s great the Paralympics have gained, and look set to keep gaining, popularity. </p>
<p>But much has to be done to ensure this popularity leads to real changes for the average person with a disability.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9009/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregor Wolbring receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He is affiliated with the University of Calgary, Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Litke receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He is affiliated with the University of Calgary.</span></em></p>Sport is seen as important for the quality of life, self-esteem, independence and social integration of people with disabilities, and the Paralympics are one expression of this importance. But what effect…Gregor Wolbring, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of CalgaryBrian Litke, Student, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/91842012-08-30T01:51:55Z2012-08-30T01:51:55ZParalympics opening ceremony – a tour de force for humanity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14768/original/j3btmpn6-1346289442.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The myths of disability are giving way to a new sense of normal.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Karmann/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympics was nothing short of a tour de force. But as a new <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/enlightenment-gala-opens-londons-paralympics-194351908--oly.html">“enlightenment”</a> (the theme for the ceremony), it also raised as many questions about disability as society as it represented a new dawn in <a href="http://www.olympic.org/olympism-in-action">olympism</a>.</p>
<p>The coming-home of the Paralympics, which started in <a href="http://www.abilityvability.co.uk/files/factsheets/FS3%20-%20The%20Stoke%20Mandeville%20Games%201948.pdf">Stoke Mandeville in 1948</a>, began with celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking urging athletes to “look at the stars, not your feet”. From there on, the theme of science and the limitless potential of human discovery and inventiveness was threaded into a dazzling spectacle.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=372&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14764/original/fgw7pkvp-1346288871.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">British scientist Stephen Hawking during the opening ceremony of the London Paralympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tal Cohen/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sir Isaac Newton and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton's_law_of_universal_gravitation">the discovery of gravitation</a> was brought to life through the humble apple, a revolving book showing the text of the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a>.</p>
<p>Courtesy of William Shakespeare’s <a href="http://shakespeare.mit.edu/tempest/full.html">The Tempest</a>, the ceremony had a play within a play – a clever twist with Prospero (played by Sir Ian McKellen) and a disabled Miranda (Nicola Miles-Wilden), declaring: <a href="http://shakespeare.mit.edu/tempest/tempest.5.1.html">“Oh brave new world, that has such people in’t”</a>.</p>
<p>Prospero’s books took on a huge form, followed by a succession of great moments in science, culminating with the Big Bang. The parade of the athletes themselves, always an extended affair, came to a rousing climax with the entrance of the Great Britain team, resplendent in gold and white outfits, grooving to David Bowie’s immortal line: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYjBQKIOb-w">“we can be heroes, just for one day”</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
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<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Artists perform around a replica of the sculpture ‘Alison Lapper Pregnant’ during the opening ceremony. Lapper is an English artist born without arms who posed for British artist Marc Quinn.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jonathan Brady/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The great flourishing of creativity, long incubated in the disability arts movement, took centre-stage with a beautiful solo dance by <a href="http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/david-toole-performs-during-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-news-photo/150951888">David Toole</a>, Ian Drury’s <a href="http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/65815">“Spasticus Austisticus”</a> performed by Graear Theatre Company, and the flawless voice of blind opera singer <a href="http://www.deniseleigh.com/">Denise Leigh</a> was simultaneously interpreted into sign language.</p>
<p>For me, much of the power of the event had to do with the recognition of our social diversity. Finally, we can now see a greater breadth of people with disabilities centre-stage, with starring roles, in such official rituals and global media events. </p>
<p>In this respect, the singing of the national anthem in sign language, as well as with raised voice – to the Queen, the royal party, assembled dignitaries and a packed stadium – holds an importance all of its own.</p>
<p>Yet this magic celebration also powerfully presented the central tensions and problems with the state-of-play in disability and society. It is true we have come a long way, with a still relatively new <a href="http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=150">United Conventions on the Rights of Disabled Persons</a>, widespread support for the <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/ndis">National Disability Insurance Scheme</a> in Australia, and some progress on tackling the real barriers and oppression that face people with disabilities in our society.</p>
<p>Compared to the Sydney Paralympics in 2000, athletes with disability are covered in ways more consistent with coverage of other elite spokespeople. We don’t hear so much about the “brave” athletes “overcoming” their disability. </p>
<p>Many now have a celebrity, and feature in everyday life in unremarkable ways – in Qantas informational videos on fastening your seatbelts in a plane, to give but one example.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14766/original/mgxyjq8q-1346289330.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Mexican Paralympic team enters the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jonathan Brady/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But much still remains to be done and real issues of exclusion and discrimination are still to be overcome. And our social imagination of disability, and the way much media still reflects this, takes strange forms indeed.</p>
<p>“Brave” althetes have been edged out by
“superheroes” (as the British Paralympics <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKTamH__xuQ">video</a> would have it). There is a fascination with South African sprinter, <a href="https://theconversation.com/oscar-pistorius-and-the-olympics-good-news-or-bad-for-sport-8122">Oscar Pistorius</a>, and how technology can allow us to do things hitherto unthinkable.</p>
<p>And the ABC commentators for the Opening Ceremony found themselves often lost for words, without the ideas, frameworks, or cultural scripts, to communicate the important event unfolding.</p>
<p>In this, the transcendence of the soaring dancers and athletes in today’s ceremony – courtesy of the <a href="http://www.bdfa.net/">Aerobility</a> charity flying towards the celestial realm – represents an old, double-edged myth of disability. </p>
<p>It is certainly an evocative way to imagine the plumbing the mysteries of the universe, and exploring our limits as humans. It might also be about the desire to lift us away from what it is to be mortal and all too human, and the lived realities of disability. </p>
<p>The brave new world of disability lies precisely in this double-bind. Disability, as the Paralympics can show us, is becoming the new normal. Our ways of talking about disability, especially in the media, however, still lag well behind the social transformations that are well underway and irreversible – and stand to enlarge, for the better, our notions of what is it to be human.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9184/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gerard Goggin receives funding from the Australian Research Council for research on digital technologies.</span></em></p>The Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympics was nothing short of a tour de force. But as a new “enlightenment” (the theme for the ceremony), it also raised as many questions about disability as…Gerard Goggin, Professor of Media and Communications , University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.