See the sport, not the disability: exploring the Paralympic paradox

Abstract

The Paralympic Games, a quadrennial global multi-sports competition for individuals with certain impairments, has increasingly become the focus of social scientific research. The aim of this paper is to explore the coexistence and subsequent tension between social interpretations of disability and elite sport as articulated in the context of the Paralympic Games. This is achieved through exploring members’ of the Paralympic community social perceptions of athletes involved in this elite disability sport competition. Empirical evidence suggests that Paralympic stakeholders possess a variety of opinions regarding the way in which sport and disability have been and should be articulated at the Paralympic Games. We use Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and capital to focus on the individual sportsperson’s body and the meanings derived and ascribed to it within the Paralympic Movement. In doing so, the authors develop the concept of the Paralympic paradox, which is a tension created by the representation of a Paralympian as either an impaired athlete or an athlete (with a disability). This concept is a useful tool in actively critiquing the images perpetuated in both mainstream and disability sports. In doing so, we are hopeful there will be a greater appreciation of elite disability sport on its own merits.