Introduction
Every four years the Summer Olympic and Paralympic games combine to become the largest single sporting movement on the globe. The combination of these sporting events is characterized by a complex and contradictory relationship (Paralympic Sport: Are We Equal Yet, 2010). The Paralympics are intended as a parallel event to the Olympics and it is a relationship that often makes the Paralympics seen as nothing more than a "side show" to the Summer Olympics. These aspects in the relationship between the two events often introduces the question about whether it is in the best interests of the Paralympian athletes. This also brings rise of concern to the factors of the Summer Paralympics that reinforce concepts that are way outdated about the abilities, status and place of athletes with disabilities in the sport society.
The Paralympic Journey
The vision of the Paralypic Games, according to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), is to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world (paralympic.org). The induction of the Paralympics into the sporting world was held in Britain, in Stoke Mandeville in 1948 (Paralympic Sport: Are We Equal Yet, 2010). Sir Ludwig Guttmann was the father of the idea as his goal was to organize a sports event for World War II veterans who had suffered injuries. (Wikipedia: Paralympic Sports, 2014). These games attracted 130 competitors in the first year but the event repeated throughout the 1950s growing in popularity with 360 competitors from 24 countries competing in 1957 (Lacrinese).
The Paralyimpic games slowly grew in popularity from the 1960s and categories of participants expanded from exclusively wheel chair athletes in 1948 to the inclus...
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...Wikipedia: Summer Olympic Games, 2014). Thus when comparing the theory of equality one should not only consider financial and economic factors.
Conclusion
Though there are several key difference in all sports in Paralympics and Olympics, there are a few in the event as a whole that should be taken into consideration. As Paralympics is intended to parallel the Olympics more focus should go towards making it more equal. In regard to Athletics in the Paralympics a greater sense of patriotism should be implemented thus equaling that off the Olympics and making the Gold medals equally as important as being awarded one in the Olympics. The inclusion of Paralympians into the Olympics specifically in athletics should be taken as a huge step and a inaugural award.
The future of both worldwide events have great prospects if correctly governed and guided with a steady hand.
This inner strength helps her learn to live life as a paraplegic; as well as, the courage to become a wheelchair racer. The author’s competitive spirit and enthusiasm for life continues as her misfortune turns into opportunity, and finally emerges as an Ironman triathlete. Coupled with her perseverance, Downing transitions from an able-bodied cyclist to an athlete with a disability. Equipped with the true meaning of the words challenge and change, the author becomes the first female paraplegic to compete in an Ironman triathlon. In fact, to overcome her disability, Downing uses the strength, courage and determination learned as an
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
As a future special educator, I found the film to be most enlightening in relation to the sport as well as the equipment with accommodations provided to the players. The safety design of the special chairs was fascinating to witness since it’s constructed so the player cannot be ejected. Moreover, some players were leg amputees and those chairs were also especially fitted for safety and comfort. For the teammates that had elbow or hands amputated, I saw special endcaps or gloves being worn so they could grasp the ball and turn the wheels on their chairs. During Cavill’s episode, I observed the therapy center and all the devices that are used during the rehabilitation process. When he was taken home, his mother was also giving a tour of some assistive technology (A.T.) that was installed in the bathroom and closet. I also noticed that during the Paralympics clips in Greece, there were runners with Oscar Pistorius' running blades. As well as A.T. devices, there were glimpses of universal design in reference to the special vans with the lifts. Overall, the documentary educates a lot about the actual sport and special devices used. However, its true message is to nurture a person’s spirit and not their
Dylan was born with a tumor wrapped around his spinal cord, which was successfully removed however resulted in him becoming paraplegic. The first fourteen years of his life, Dylan defined himself by his disability. He felt ‘weird and different’ because of his disability and this was why he was excluded from his peers. It was not until Grade 9 that Dylan began to see that his disability did not have the power to dictate his life or set a limit to which he could achieve. Since then, Dylan has moved on to achieve phenomenal feats, namely, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics to becoming the world’s number one paraplegic tennis player. Dylan can be found wheelchair crowd surfing at concerts, advocating for people with disabilities and training for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Dylan is on a mission to ‘mainstream disabilities’ and shatter negative
I began to wonder where and how therapeutic riding originated. In my research I found that therapeutic riding was not taken seriously until Liz Hartel, a Danish rider who had paralysis from poliomyelitis, advanced to competitive riding. Despite the fact that Liz suffered from poliomyelitis, she “went on to win a silver medal in the Grand Prix Dressage competition at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games” (Young). After she won this great achievement, an interest around the world in the therapeutic effects of riding emerged; as a result, therapeutic riding programs were established and studies were initiated (Young). I think it is ironic how a person with a disability is so influential in helping other people with disabilities.
In Ancient Greece they formed the Greek Olympics in the year 776 B.C in which participants participate to honor the gods and demonstrate their physical abilities. What was amazing was that those who participated were only participating in honor and not prizes. Something that they would win was the olive wreath which was basically winning the honor and recognition of the people and the gods. Comparing to the ancient time and now is that there are now commercialized, endorsements, and sponsorships for athletes to represent companies in the Olympics. However, the Olympics still hold true to the idea that it is still a place for participants compete with the best in the world for the honor (gold,silver, and bronze medal). Also, if we look at the sculpture of the Diskobolos made by Myron of Eleutherae it represented the general athlete in motion and would symbolize the ancient times athlete. But something that is different about now and the Greek ...
Kindersly, Dorling. The Olympic Games: Athens 1896-Sydney 2000 Chronicle of the Games, 1 July 2000
The Special Olympics date back all the way to the year 1968. Many see these Games as a time to honor someone who is able to “overcome” a task, but author William Peace sees this as an insulting portrayal of people with disabilities. Peace is a multidisciplinary school teacher and scholar that uses a wheel chair and writes about the science behind disabilities and handicaps. As a physically handicapped individual, Peace is able to observe a negative portrayal of disabled persons. In his article titled, “Slippery Slopes: Media, Disability, and Adaptive Sports,” William Peace offers his own personal insight, utilizes several statistics regarding handicaps, as well as numerous rhetorical appeals in order to communicate to the “common man”
Differences and inequalities in relation to sport can be based on several elements such as race, gender, class, or disability. We will explain how different sort of evidences from DD102 support the claim made by Kath Woodward that 'Sport reflects and creates differences and inequalities' (Woodward, 2014, p. 73). This essay will look at how the Oscar Pistorius example demonstrates how rules are created in sport. The evidence will highlight differences between disable and body-able. Following that, we will consider barriers that prevent some social groups from participating in sport, namely people with disability and women. Then we will explore number based evidences supporting the claim that sport reflects and creates class differences and inequalities
Special Olympics is an association that allows the disabled to be active by participating and competing in the sport events. In the 1950s through the 1960s, Eunice Kennedy Shriver realized the difference in the way people acted toward the special needs population and the difference in the way people acted toward others. She began to think about the disadvantages of the disabled and their ability to do activities. She knew they were capable of doing some activities, but no one tried to achieve a difference in the way the special needs were treated. Shriver hated the fact that the disabled were ignored because people didn’t believe the special needs people were the same as others (Meyer).
The Olympic Games are the leading worldwide sport event that held every 4 years, featuring thousands of international athletes from more than 200 nations participating in a variety of sports competitions. Although the Games are about winning the sports competitions, they also provide a platform for the nations throughout the world to learn different cultures and share uniqueness. The Games are important, and have to be held because they transmit a message of friendship and peaceful between nations.
By doing this the author makes the audience question just how much they know about the sport; how many horse and rider deaths occur each year, how many of those are a direct result of a rotational fall, how many of those could have been prevented by the use of the proposed safety measures, the author does this by presenting facts and information from committees and the FEI.
Abstract: The Special Olympics not only give special athletes athletic skills, they offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicap peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets the child's needs. There were no community programs that catered to the mentally and physically challenged, so Eunice Kennedy-Shriver created "special games" in her back yard for her handicapped child. Shriver established the Special Olympics in 1968. Today there are more than one million special athletes competing in 140 countries. There are some problems with relying on the public school system to seek a child's full potential in the special education programs. The Special Olympics, however, have found an effective method of preparing children, teens, and adults for society through sport. The diverse selection of sports, their rules, and physical demands, is an advantage when there is a huge range of disabilities. There is a program offered for almost everyone. People who benefit from these games range from the athletes themselves, the officials, coaches, caregivers, parents, to the spectators and on-site first aid staff. Mrs. Kennedy-Shriver said this in regard to special athletes, "through sports, they can realize their potential for growth." Over and over this fantastic organization has demonstrated integrity, good sportsmanship, and goal oriented programs that work!
For the past few years there has been a very controversy issue that has been plaguing the Summer Olympics. The Summer Olympics was first held in 1896, it’s an international multi-sport where athletes around the world come to compete with other athletes from different countries. There are many events that are held in the Summer Olympics ranging from Track and Field all the way to Volleyball and Basketball. In each Olympic event there are medals that earned to the winners, the first place winners get a gold medal, the second place winners get a silver medal, and the third place winners gets a bronze medal.
The Olympic Games were a vital part of Greek culture which was heavily influenced by athletics. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest presentation of athletic skill and competitive spirit. Thousands of athletes and spectators participate in this universal event. Revived in 1896, the Olympic Games had their beginnings in ancient Greece, and since then the event is very much comparable to modern Olympic events.