The True Meaning Of "Para"

   
    The Olympics, to me, have always just been athletes competing for a medal. Whenever I have watched the Olympics and Paralympics, I have always thought that these names were different due to one displaying people with physical disabilities competing and the other displaying people with no physical issues. The truth is, the only noticeable difference is in what we can physically see with our own eyes. It is similar to confirmation bias, which is when you believe what you see, and see what you believe. I thought that para was associated with the physical disability just by what I saw, but in reality, it was completely different.
   Once I learned that the true meaning of "para" was beside. This meant that the Paralympics are associated directly with the Olympics. Originally, I thought para meant paraplegic, meaning someone losing function or sensory in a lower area of their body. The whole point of the Paralympics is so that even though the athletes are of different capabilities, they are still able to compete in the same physical space, interacting directly with the Olympic athletes in competition. It helps represent an exclusive and welcoming environment for all athletes, no matter what they look like. This was able to create fair competition for athletes with impairments as well.
   I think it was a great motivator, especially during war, to help rehabilitate the people who served our country. If it were not for these people who sacrificed their lives for our country, these Paralympic Games would have never evolved to what they are today. After the war, they were able to use these games as a way to rehab and make the people who served have a longer life expectancy and increased survival rates. It evolved from just wheelchair users and now includes over 10 different kinds of impairments.
     I do not think that we would be where we are today if we did not have the Paralympics. It is an eye-opening movement that has opened many opportunities for so many different kinds of people. The Paralympics have challenged our world's depiction of how ability is viewed and that athletic success is not limited to one certain body. With dedication, discipline, and training, it can be proven that anyone can surpass any physical limitations set. The differences do not rely on capability, it rather relies on the obstacles every athlete must overcome to reach the goal. Greatness comes in many different forms. When you look at the bigger picture in sports, everyone is working for the same reward; it just depends on how badly you really want it. 

The word 'Paralympic' derives from the ...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IPC Values Dilemma

Image
       The decision made by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to ban the Russian and Belarusian National Paralympic Committees (NPC) has sparked a great debate about fairness and inclusion and how the sport plays a role in politics. The IPC promotes courage, determination, and equality. Whether the ban is in line with the IPC values, it can be taken both ways, but which way is the right way? It can be interpreted in different ways depending on your own personal values.        In my opinion, the IPC is not making the right decision. I think it conflicts with their own values that they hold, and banning them does not make them look like a well-rounded committee. Paralympic athletes already go through many mental and physical behaviors. When the IPC excludes them from the Paralympics, it can be seen as more of a punishment. These athletes have no real effect on the government, so the decisions that the IPC makes should not include ban...
Read more

My Relationship to Disability

       Growing up in a small town, I was not exposed to people with disabilities at a young age. Once I was in high school, I had gained a small amount of exposure to people with disabilities; this included the Special Olympics club I was in, which helped host events for kids with disabilities, like baseball games, kickball, occasionally eating lunch with them, and a prom! This gave me an idea of what it is like, then once I got into college, I was exposed to a whole new world. My Experience     One specific experience that helped me learn more about disabilities was in my sophomore year of college, in my Ethics and Teamwork class. In this class, we were required to complete a service learning experience as teams. For my service learning, I chose to go to The Arc, and developing and implementing this service-learning project as a team was a very engaging experience. A lot was learned along the way; I learned a lot about my team and how helping the com...
Read more