2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang showcase elite athletes and spread awareness

As the 2018 Winter Paralympics get underway in PyeongChang, South Korean officials are estimating the largest international delegation of athletes with disabilities since the games began in 1976, thanks to the combined efforts of medicine, technology, and the sheer grit of the athletes.

Nearly 600 athletes will compete in the 2018 Paralympics, including 44% more female athletes than competed in the 2014 Sochi Paralympics. In the inaugural 1976 Winter Paralympics in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, only 53 athletes took part in two sports.

While advances in medicine and cutting-edge technology have resulted in powered exoskeletons and mind-controlled prosthetic hands, the bylaws of the Paralympics state that athletes who participate may not use prosthetics that “enhance performance beyond the natural physical ability of the athlete.”¹

This means that while technology certainly plays a role, the medals will be awarded based on the strength, skill, and heart of the competitors.

Athletes will compete in 6 sports for 80 medals, including:

• Alpine skiing
• Biathlon
• Cross-country skiing
• Ice sledge hockey
• Snowboarding
• Wheelchair curling

Since the Paralympians have differing levels of disability, The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has established six categories for both the Summer and Winter games. These categories are²:

• Amputee: Individuals with partial or total loss of at least one limb
• Cerebral palsy: Individuals with non-progressive brain damage
• Intellectual disability: Individuals with a significant impairment in intellectual functioning and associated adaptive behavior limitations
• Spinal injury: Individuals with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities that require the use of a wheelchair
• Visually impaired: Individuals with vision impairment ranging from partial vision to total blindness
• Les Autres (“The Others”): Individuals with a physical disability that does not fall under the other categories, such as dwarfism, multiple sclerosis, or congenital deformities

Within these categories, the athletes are further divided according to their level of impairment. The subdivisions vary from sport to sport, and are intended to open the games to as many competitors as possible and to keep the playing field level.

The Games’ Legacy

Traditionally, the Paralympics are a much smaller affair when compared with the Olympic Games. However, the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London sold 2.72 million tickets, making it the third biggest sporting event after the Olympics and the World Cup. Those Paralympic games were also the first Paralympics to see sold-out venues for the events.³

Martin Block, PhD, a professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Virginia, suggested that these Paralympics in South Korea could aid in outreach and understanding. He suggested that following the games, the Korean community could enlist Paralympians to travel to schools to discuss and promote disability sports and create workshops focusing on inclusion of athletes with disabilities in community sports programs.⁴

After the 2016 Summer Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Sir Philip Craven, former president of the IPC, expressed a hope that the games would have a lasting impact on people with disabilities worldwide.³

“Paralympians, your exceptional performances focused the world on your sensational abilities,” he said. “People were in awe at what you could do and forgot about what they believed you could not. You showed to the world that with a positive attitude the human body, and above all the human heart and mind, knows no limits and absolutely anything is possible. You defied expectations, rewrote the record books and turned ill-found pity into pride. You are now heroes and role models for a new generation of sports fans from all over the world.”

While it remains to be seen whether the expanded visibility of the Paralympics has been a boon or a bust for overall acceptance, improved accessibility, and improvement in the daily lives of people with disabilities, they have shown that the world enjoys watching elite athletes push their personal limits in search of the gold.

References:

1. https://www.paralympic.org/athletics/classification/rules-and-regulations. Accessed March 5, 2018.
2. https://www.paralympic.org/classification. Accessed March 5, 2018.
3. Legg D. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics. doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2018.01.008 (Article in Press).
4. Block M. Legacies of hosting the 2018 Paralympic Games, Presentation at the 2017 Olympic Legacy Conference, Pyeongchang, June 14, 2017.