A Showcase of Ability, Athlete First traces the development of the
Paralympic Movement from the establishment of the first organized sports
for people with disabilities through the 2004 Paralympics.
Bailey notes that early development of organized sports for people
with disabilities was impeded by the misperception that these sports
were about rehabilitation rather than world championship competition
between elite athletes. The Paralympic Movement is helping to dispel
that myth.
Though many people think
the “para” in Paralympics refers
to paraplegia, Bailey explains that it actually derives from Greek
and Latin words meaning “next to” or “alongside” and “similar” or “the
same” respectively. Use of the word “Olympic” began
with German neurosurgeon Sir Ludwig Guttmann in 1949. At first that
use was opposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which
saw the word as its copyright. There have been a variety of names
over the years, but Paralympics has been the official name since
1988.
Sporting competitions for the disabled date back for almost a century,
according to the book. The first international sports federation for
people with disabilities was the International Committee of Silent
Sports (CISS), established during the first World Games for the Deaf,
held in Paris in 1924. Now known as the International Committee for
Deaf Sports, it still uses the CISS acronym. Though a founding member
of International Paralympic Committee (IPC), CISS withdrew from that
group in 1995. It now operates the Summer and Winter Silent Games,
also known as the Deaflympics, writes Bailey.
Bailey credits Guttmann for his leadership in establishing organized
sports for people with disabilities. The Stoke Mandeville games opened
the same day as the 1948 London Olympics. Guttmann, who established
the Stoke Mandeville Spinal Injuries Unit in England in 1944, had utilized
sports in the rehabilitation process. He saw the benefits of competition
between people with similar injuries. He was also involved in the creation
of the International Sports Organization for the Disabled, which provided
competitive opportunities for people with disabilities other than spinal
injuries.
For some time there
were many separate organizations for people with different disabilities.
This created problems as the various groups competed for assistance
from the IOC. Bailey writes that the IOC was “instrumental
in prompting confederacy among disability sports organizations.” Encouragement
by the IOC led to the establishment of the International Coordinating
Committee of World Sports Organizations for the Disabled (ICC) in 1982,
with the goal of “speaking with one voice.” The ICC managed
consolidation of individual organizations into what became the Paralympic
Games.
Bailey presents an overview of the many groups that have served disabled
athletes over the years. In 2004 the International Stoke Mandeville
Games Federation merged with the International Sports Organization
for the Disabled. This latter group was founded in 1964 to offer sporting
opportunities for amputees and other people with disabilities who were
then ineligible for the Stoke Mandeville Games. The 2004 merger formed
the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation.
Cerebral Palsy-International
Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA), created in 1978, also
serves people who’ve had strokes and traumatic
brain injuries. Bailey writes CP-ISRA is “very actively involved” with
IPC.
International Association for Sport for Persons with Mental Handicap,
International Special Olympics, Inc., and International Blind Sports
Association, though not affiliated with IPC, also provide sports opportunities
for people with disabilities.
Bailey cites the International
Paralympic Committee (IPC) as, “the
principal force for the Paralympic Movement, identifying as its vision: ‘To
enable paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire
and excite the world.’” In 2003, IPC introduced the new
Paralympic motto: “Spirit in motion.”
Among the challenges
IPC faces is classification of athletes to ensure meaningful competition.
The idea is that athletes with similar disabilities should compete
against each other. Classification has been an issue since Ludwig
Guttmann organized sports for former spinal patients because it
excludes people who don’t fit a
category.
Discussing the nature
of disability, Bailey writes, “individuals’ impairment
becomes a disability when the organization of society prevents them
from participating fully.” Continuing, “Effectively, society
causes the disablement of those individuals who are impaired in some
way. Inflexibility in organizational policies can be a barrier to enabling
normal functioning of persons with a disability in society, as can
cultural representations that patronize or dehumanize.” Bailey
believes it is these barriers that should be disabled, and sports help
to accomplish that. “The high profile Paralympic Movement has
served to force communities to address questions of accessibility and
inclusion for persons with a disability.” He also cites the role
of sports in creating community, which I’ve seen myself watching
the Minnesota North Stars quad rugby team. The player’s camaraderie
afterward was obvious, and asking for interviews gave me an opportunity
to meet some great guys. Google United States Quad Rugby Association,
then follow the links to our home team’s site. ![end of story]()
Athlete First, copyright
2008, is published by John Wiley & Sons
Ltd. of Chichester, West Sussex, England.
