The Paralympic Games
Dr. Ludwig Guttman is a man who is often mentioned when discussing the Paralympics. He is commonly known for his role in creating the Paralympics before it became official. While the Summer Olympics were being held in 1948, he organized the
“Stoke Mandeville Games”
which has evolved into the Paralympics we know today. These games were originally created for disabled veterans. At the time, they were using sports as a type of rehabilitation for the wounded and injured veterans after World War II. Now, the Paralympics is a global event that advocates for equality and inclusion.
Although his name is frequently used when talking about the Paralympics, he is someone I have never heard of before. As I began to look into the Paralympics, I learned that there were many things that I did not know.
For example, I had never seen the flag for the Paralympics before. The Paralympic flag is the picture included at the beginning of this blog. The flag consists of three different marks known as “Agitos” which is the latin word for “I move.” The three different colors were used to represent the colors most commonly used in nations flags, to further the idea of inclusion and how people from all over the world can participate.
The Paralympics have been happening officially alongside the Olympics since the 1960's. However, there were a lot of events that happened to create the Paralympics. Here is a link to a timeline of the history of the formation of the Paralympics.
The Paralympics – A Brief History - Disabled Spectator
Before learning about the Paralympics, I had not really thought about the meaning of “para.” My mind immediately goes to the word “for” which is the translation of “para” in Spanish. In this case, that does not make much sense when talking about the Paralympics. I thought about the meaning a little more and concluded that the prefix could have the same meaning as the para in paralyzed. According to the dictionary, the prefix in paralyze means “abnormal” or “half.”
After learning that the word “para” is derived from the Greek word meaning “alongside,” I felt bad for thinking my previous thoughts. I did not realize that there was so much I did not know about the Paralympics. The “para” refers to hosting the Paralympics directly after or alongside the Olympics.
The Olympics and Paralympics have a contract where they will be held at the same venue one after the other until at least 2032. I think that hosting the two with each other is a good way to advocate for the Paralympic community. Already, the Paralympics are the third most watched event on television following the Olympics and the World Cup.
I was happy to hear that the Paralympics was the third most watched event since I knew so little about it myself. Still, I feel as though there is not a lot of recognition for the people that are involved in these events. The athletes are not recognized along with the people working behind the scenes.
I was also shocked to learn that people with certain disabilities were fighting for a spot to compete in the Paralympics. In 1976, people with cerebral palsy and the visually impaired began pushing for inclusion in the Paralympics. After doing deeper research, it became clear that each sport has its own rules and regulations.
To learn more about the classification of those eligible to compete, you can click the link below.
https://www.paralympic.org/classification
I think that the Paralympics are a great way to create communities and practice inclusion on a global scale. I will definitely be tuning in to the next Paralympics in Paris 2024!
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