Paralympics - Why?

[David Johnson]

"Are they? Don't you have to have something that you can identify with in your role models? Do you think kids watch and think, "I want to be like that bloke with no legs"?"


This shows a complete misunderstanding of why kids have certain people as their heroes.

When I was a kid, footballers like Pele were my heroes. Not because I wanted to be a black Brazilian but because I thought he was a fantastically skilful, cool footballer.

When the stadium went ballistic at Mo Farah's victories and I am sure loads of kids were cheering him on in front of the tele, it wasn't because they wanted to be a black, Somali asylum seeker. It was because:

1. He is British.
2. He is a winner.
3. They can understand the vast amount of effort and dedication that goes into being that good.

SImilarly when the stadium went ballistic when Hannah Cockroft, dominated, Usain Bolt-like, the 100 metres T34 wheelchair race, it was not because they all wished they were in a wheelchair it was because

1. She is British.
2. She is a winner.
3. THey are bright enough to understand that you dont just turn up and win a gold medal, there is a huge amount of training and commitment involved as with any other elite athlete.

That is why paralympians are and can be role models for kids.

[beutelwolf]

I find watching it a bit uncomfortable as well, it does sometimes cross that line to freakshow.

My biggest problem with it is the classification side of it, because that feels a bit arbitrary.

I mind less the events where the participants do something well despite the disability, possibly helped with some equipment, such as wheelchair basketball. But if the disability is directly impacting on the ability to do the sport then it is a bit freaky, not to mention that the classification then also pre-decides the competition.

Along the same lines we could have competitions for:
- dyslexics playing Scrabble
- all-you-can-eat competitions for people with food allergies
- speed-dating for people with Asperger's syndrome
- chess for people with learning difficulties
- motorbike-racing for OAPs
- 100m race for morbidly obese people; these should be subcategorised according to their mass-body-index

So, yes, this is a bit flippant. But it goes back to some fundamental issues: who is a Paralympian, and who is not? Which kind of disability qualifies, and qualifies to do what, and against which competition?

[Sam Slater]

[quote]This strikes me as utter nonsense. The South African, Oscar Pistorius who is a double amputee below the knee uses two blades. As a result of a scientific investigation which found that the blades did not give an advantage over and above the able bodied he was allowed to run in the London Olympics as well as the Paralympics.[/quote]

I'm sceptical of such an investigation myself and didn't think he should have been competing in the able-bodied Olympics. Any investigation can only compare the blades to the average performance of a human leg, not his individually. We do not know how fast Pistorius would run if he still had his own legs so he may well be at an advantage. Of course the blades are far lighter than real legs, which helps with speed if you still have the same push-off force. There would have to be some negative to using blades which balances out the weight advantage.

Other things to consider, which doesn't involve the actual performance is training. Muscles, tendons and bones all succumb to wear and tear. Cramp, pulls, stress fractures, general soreness and even blisters are all things that interrupt an athletes training schedule which affect the condition and form he/she is in at a competition. These are many problems Postorius will never encounter and something which cannot really be measured. They do, in my opinion, have an affect.

[David Johnson]

"There would have to be some negative to using blades which balances out the weight advantage"

Quite.

The Court of Aribitration for Sport decided that there was insufficient evidence.

At a two-day hearing, on 16 May 2008 the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Pistorius's appeal and the IAAF council decision was revoked with immediate effect. The CAS panel unanimously determined that Dr. Br?ggemann tested Pistorius's biomechanics only at full-speed when he was running in a straight line (unlike a real 400-metre race); that the report did not consider the disadvantages that Pistorius suffers at the start and acceleration phases of the race; and that overall there was no evidence that he had any net advantage over able-bodied athletes.

[Robches]

Strangely, now that he's lost a race, Pistorius seems to have changed his tune. Apparently having blades longer than his does give an unfair advantage. He bears defeat with the quiet dignity we have come to expect of the Boers.

[Essex Lad]

David Johnson wrote:

> "Are they? Don't you have to have something that you can
> identify with in your role models? Do you think kids watch and
> think, "I want to be like that bloke with no legs"?"
>
>


>
> When I was a kid, footballers like Pele were my heroes. Not
> because I wanted to be a black Brazilian but because I thought
> he was a fantastically skilful, cool footballer.
>
> When the stadium went ballistic at Mo Farah's victories and I
> am sure loads of kids were cheering him on in front of the
> tele, it wasn't because they wanted to be a black, Somali
> asylum seeker. It was because:
>
> 1. He is British.
> 2. He is a winner.
> 3. They can understand the vast amount of effort and dedication
> that goes into being that good.
>
> SImilarly when the stadium went ballistic when Hannah Cockroft,
> dominated, Usain Bolt-like, the 100 metres T34 wheelchair race,
> it was not because they all wished they were in a wheelchair it
> was because
>
> 1. She is British.
> 2. She is a winner.
> 3. THey are bright enough to understand that you dont just turn
> up and win a gold medal, there is a huge amount of training and
> commitment involved as with any other elite athlete.
>
> That is why paralympians are and can be role models for kids.

No, they can't - only to handicapped kids.

> This shows a complete misunderstanding of why kids have certain
> people as their heroes.

No, it doesn't. You wanted to be like Pele i.e. a great footballer, a skilful sportsman, not a black man. And no doubt during the 1970 World Cup when you were playing football over the park with your chums you were Pele, whoever went in goal was Gordon Banks, someone else was Bobby Moore, another Jairzinho... And when you were dribbling, you were saying either out loud or in your head, "Pele has the ball, goes past Charlton, past Moore... shoots - GOAL!" or something like that.

You really think any able bodied kid is going to imagine themselves as Hannah Cockcroft?

[David Johnson]

"That is why paralympians are and can be role models for kids.

No, they can't - only to handicapped kids.

Fortunately, kids aren't as mechanistic in their thought process as you.

Otherwise Mo Farah could not be a role model - I am not a black, Somali born refugee seeker and do not run 10K, nor could Jessica Ennis, for women, I am not a mixed race woman etc etc. and don't do heptathlon

First check on a definition of role model.

a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.

Behaviour - magnanimous in defeat, humble in victory.

Example - dedication, commitment, striving to be as good as you can.

Success - a gold medal winner.

On that basis then there is absolutely no reason why a disabled person cannot be a role model for an able bodied person, particularly when people like Sarah Storey and Oscar Pistorious have excelled both at Olympics and Paralympics.

[Essex Lad]

But surely a role model is someone you want to emulate, to be like - no one wants to be in a wheelchair.

[Sam Slater]

Like I said, that just covers what's going on during the race. It does not take into account the advantages he may or may not have when training that might/might not be help him achieve better results compared to if he had legs.

No days off due to blisters.
No weeks off due to a twisted ankle.
No stress fractures or shin splints from over-training.
No disadvantage with pronation and the bio-mechanical affect on knees, hips, the iliotibial band and overall posture.

I don't blame the guy and it's nice that he's had the opportunity but there are too many unanswerable questions and variables for me. You're replacing a complex joint made up of muscle, bone and ligaments and replacing it with carbon fibre springs that do not need to be trained, looked after and cared for. There's more to a race than the race itself. There is sometimes years of preparation and guiding your body through it all. I know it makes people uneasy to look at this guy with no legs and say, "you've got an advantage.", but I think he has, all things considered.


And what of Pistoria? Is he only allowed to compete as long as he loses? Because let me tell you, if he'd blow Usain Bolt away in the 200m final there would have been serious questions asked and you can bet your bottom dollar somebody somewhere would have found a reason why his blades helped him. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence and just a little more scrutiny would turn something up. I find that a little patronising. It's like patting him on the head for the effort and bravery and it makes everyone feel good that this 'cripple' is able to compete with the top athletes......as long as he doesn't win against some of the biggest names in the sport.

[Essex Lad]

David Johnson wrote:

> "That is why paralympians are and can be role models for kids.
>
> No, they can't - only to handicapped kids.
>
> Fortunately, kids aren't as mechanistic in their thought
> process as you.
>
You must be joking - kids say terrible things about anyone who doesn't conform to "normality" - fattie, big ears, wonky teeth, bad breath.

Either you were a perfect child or you've forgotten what cruel, nasty little beggars kids can be.