The Paralympics and the Special Olympics are distinct events that are often confused

Geoff Cook
Geoff Cook Member (Full) Posts: 86
in Fitness, Sports and Adventure

The Paralympics and the Special Olympics are distinct events that are often confused because they focus on athletes with disabilities.

  • Paralympics: Held after the Olympics, the Paralympics feature athletes with physical disabilities or visual impairments who compete at an elite level. Athletes are classified based on their disabilities.
  • Special Olympics: This organization focuses on athletes with intellectual disabilities and offers year-round sports training and competitions. It emphasizes participation, inclusion, and personal achievement rather than elite competition.

Both events celebrate their athletes' abilities but cater to different types of disabilities and competition levels. You can watch the video here. https://www.instagram.com/p/C-pXAUptDpP/?hl=en

Comments

  • Ali Ingersoll
    Ali Ingersoll Posts: 96

    Thanks for this clarification Geoff. I do believe people who are not familiar with the disability community often get confused between the distinction.

  • Michael Nique
    Michael Nique Posts: 7

    Thanks Geoff for this clarification and I have to say I wasn't aware of it. I also recently came across that campaign from the International Paralympic Committee to challenge the narrative in some media to cover the games https://www.paralympic.org/paris-2024/news/paralympians-not-participating-paris-2024-paralympics

    "Paralympians aren’t playing games at Paris 2024. They’re here to compete, not just participate."

  • Sarah Tuberty
    Sarah Tuberty Posts: 38

    I really appreciate this conversation around "participating" and "competing" and how that frames the subconscious expectations for the abilities and level of competition.

  • Geoff Cook
    Geoff Cook Member (Full) Posts: 86

    I spent a lot of years working in and around high level sports. The idea that we're all just happy to be out there is BS. Everybody has a role to play in winning and losing and that's what I'm there to do.

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