Introduction to Sport for People with Disabilities

Original Editor - User Name

Top Contributors - Wanda van Niekerk and Jess Bell  

Introduction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6krLeYduBY

Benefits of Sports Participation for People Living with Disabilities

Table 1. Experiences and perceived health benefits of people with a disability participating in sport

Children and Adolescents	Adults	Elite Athletes
Opportunity to socialise and create a sense of belonging Team culture experience Cultivating friendships increased physical and emotional wellbeing Ability to show off achievements and prove others wrong Creating a sense of pride Happiness and enjoyment Improved fitness, functionality and confidence	Experience camaraderie through being part of a team Equality and togetherness Breaking stereotypes and society-imposed limitations Manage stigma, defy expectations and challenge people's perceptions Provision of a sense of purpose and meaning Liberation in feeling free form impairment and not being restricted by perceived limitations Independence Empowerment Acceptance and adaptation of disability can be achieved through sports participation Improved fitness, functionality, strength and self-confidence	Support from team mates Creating strong interpersonal relationships Development and growth in dedication, mental toughness Funding opportunites Recognition Improved self confidence Improved self-esteem

Barriers to Adaptive Sports Participation

Barriers include:

• Accessibility
• Cost
• Transportation
• Variety of activities available
• Dependency on others
• Degree of impairment
• Lack of energy
• Pain
• Comorbidities
• General health
• Risk of injury
• Lack of time
• Lack of knowledge of opportunities
• Lack of interest and/or motivation

Recreational and Non-Para Sports

The word “Paralympic“ derives from the Greek preposition “para“ (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic“, meaning that Paralympics are parallel to the Olympics. Some examples of recreational and non-paralympic sports include:

• Wheelchair dance
• Baseball
• Ice-hockey
• Watersports
• Golf
• Power football
• Extreme or adventure sports

Special Olympics

Mission:

• Provision of year-round sporting activities and athletic competitions in a variety of sports for people with intellectual disabilities
• Providing continuing opportunities to:
  • develop physical fitness
  • demonstrate courage
  • experience joy
• Participate in the sharing of gifts and friendships with their loved ones, other athletes and the community

Read more: Special Olympics

Paralympics

The Paralympics are the ultimate competition for world class, elite athletes with physical disabilities. Athletes with disabilities should have opportunities to:

• pursue their goals
• dream of winning a gold medal
• commit to strenuous training regimes
• meet strict qualification standards
• exist in an environment of excellence and personal best performances

The four core values of the Paralympic movement are:

• Courage – “It encompasses the unique spirit of the Paralympic athlete who seeks to accomplish what the general public deems unexpected, but what the athlete knows as a truth.”
• Determination – “The manifestation of the idea that Paralympic athletes push their physical ability to the absolute limit.”
• Inspiration – “When intense and personal affection is begotten from the stories and accomplishments of Paralympic athletes, and the effect is applying this spirit to one's personal life.”
• Equality – “Paralympic Sport acts as an agent for change to break down social barriers of discrimination for persons with an impairment.”

Current Paralympic Sports

Currently there are 28 Paralympic sports (22 summer sports and 6 winter sports):

Table 2. Paralympic Sports

Summer Sports		Winter Sports
Para archery Para athletics Para badminton Blind football Boccia Para canoe Para cycling Para equestrian Goalball Para judo Para powerlifting	Para rowing Shooting Para sport Sitting volleyball Para swimming Para table tennis Para taekwondo Para triathlon Wheelchair basketball Wheelchair fencing Wheelchair rugby Wheelchair tennis	Para alpine skiing Para biathlon Para cross-country skiing Para ice hockey Para snowboard Wheelchair curling

Classification

Classification is an integral part of sport for people with disabilities. It provides structure to competition and ensure fair and equitable competition at all levels of sport. Specific criteria are put in place to ensure that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus.

Read more: International Paralympic Committee Classification Code

How Does Classification Work?

Athlete evaluation focuses on three fundamental questions:

1. "Does the athlete have an eligible impairment for this sport?"
2. "Does the athlete's eligible impairment meet the minimum impairment criteria of the sport?"
3. "Which Sport Class should the athlete be allocated in based on the extent to which the athlete is able to execute the specific tasks and activities fundamental to the sport?"

The IPC athlete classification code supports and coordinates the development and implementation of "accurate, reliable, consistent and credible" classification systems in parasport.

Download the IPC Athlete Classification Code from here.

The International Standards provide technical and operational standards for specific aspects such as eligible impairments, athlete evaluation, protests and appeals, classifier personnel and training and classification data protection.

Find the International Standards in the IPC Handbook

Eligible Impairment Types

There are ten eligible impairment types in the paralympic movement:

Table 3. Eligible impairment types and their description

Impairment Type	Description
Impaired muscle power	Athlete has a health condition that reduces/eliminates the ability to voluntary contract muscles in order to move or generate force Examples of conditions: spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome, spina bifida
Impaired passive range of movement	Athlete has a restriction/lack of passive movement in one/more joints Examples of conditions: arthogryposis, contractures from chronic joint immobilisation or trauma affecting a joint
Limb deficiency	total or partial abscence of bones or joints from trauma, illness or congenital limb deficiency Examples of conditions: traumatic amputation, amputation due to cancer, dysmelia
Leg length difference	Athletes with differences in the length of their legs Examples of conditions: disturbance of limb growth, trauma
Short stature	Athletes with reduced length in bones of the upper limbs, lower limbs and/or trunk Examples of conditions: achondroplasia, growth hormone dysfunction, osteogenesis imperfect
Hypertonia	Athletes with increase in muscle tension and reduced ability of a muscle to stretch due to damage to the central nervous system Examples of conditions: cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke
Ataxia	Athletes with uncoordinated movements due to damage to the central nervous system Examples of conditions: cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis
Athetosis	athletes have continiously slow involuntary movements Examples of conditions: cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke
Vision impairment	Athletes have reduced or no vision due to damage to the eye structure, optic nerves or pathways or the visual cortex of the brain Examples of conditions: retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy
Intellectual impairment	Athletes have a restriction in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour which affects conceptual, social and practical skills necessary for everyday life. Intellectual impairment must be present before the age of 18.

More information on Classification by Sports and Classification

Sport for individuals without disabilities

Weight

Gender/Sex

Age

Sport for individuals with disabilities

Weight

Gender/biological sex

Age

Type of disability

Functional mobility

Mixed

Members of the Classification team

Medical

Physician

Physiotherapist

Occupational therapist

Sport Technical

Coach

Official

Former athlete

Different Classification Models

Table

Medical Model

Diagnosis specific

Lesion level       

Oriented towards the individual’s disability

Functional Model

Sport-specific – uni – disability

7 a side football

Oriented towards the individual’s ability

Integrated Model

Sport-specific – multi diagnosis

Wheelchair basketball and swimming

Oriented towards the individual's ability

Minimal disability

Sport-specific – uni- and multi-diagnosis

5 a side football and sledge hockey

Main Organisations

IPC

Committee International des Sports des Sourds – CISS

International Blind Sport Association IBSA

International Sport organisation for disabled

International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair sport federation

Cerebral Palsy – International sport and recreation association

International sport federation for persons with intellectual disability

International wheelchair and amputee sports federation

Special Olympics International

Deafsports

Optional

What other sports are available in your country/ opportunities

Doping and Cheating in Paralympic Sport

Boosting – Doping Control Programme

Links

Cheating with Classification

Research on Classification

Publications to read:

Two articles James discuss

Resources

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