Over the weekend, Australian Winter Paralympians broke their medal drought at Sochi to end the Games with two skiing bronze medals – one won by Toby Kane in Super Combined and the other by Jessica…
This is my last blog piece about the Paralympics and so I should finally look at the media coverage. Sitting in North America is was nearly a non-event given the invisibility in the traditional media…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
What do disabled people in the UK and the non-disabled British Public expect from the Paralympic Games? Let me give you some results of different polls reflecting the British public and disabled people’s…
The 2012 Paralympic Games open in London tomorrow morning (AEST). These Games will build upon the successes of Sydney and Beijing in making visible the ability of outstanding athletes. And they are taking…
I have had a long-term interest in the Olympics and Paralympics since the NSW government submitted a bid for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in 1990 and the subsequent announcement in 1993 by Juan Antonio…
When triple Paralympic gold mediallist Evan O'Hanlon steps up to the track for the 100m this week, you might notice something odd about his racing apparel. The 24-year-old, who is Australia’s fastest disabled…
Professor of Social Inclusion - UTS Business School - Centres for Business and Social innovation, and Business Intelligence and Data Analytics, University of Technology Sydney
Honorary Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Canada; Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University