When a media outlet covers an Olympic athlete, the story usually focuses on their raw speed, their tactical brilliance, or the intense training schedule that got them to the games.
But when that same outlet covers a Paralympic athlete, the story often changes. It turns into a heartwarming piece about overcoming tragedy or how inspiring it is that they can just show up and participate.
While it might seem well-intentioned, this constant focus on pity and pure admiration actually does para-athletes a disservice.
Parasport is not a feel-good hobby. It is a high stakes, elite competition that demands professional respect, not just a pat on the back.
Disability rights activists and sports psychologists often talk about a major trap in media coverage where society objectifies people with disabilities just to make non-disabled people feel good or motivated.
❝ When we look at an elite athlete like a paraswimmer and say that it is amazing that they even get out of bed, we are completely missing their actual achievement. ❞
A 2023 media study published in the International Journal of Sport Communication analyzed hundreds of articles covering international parasport events. The researchers found a massive imbalance in how journalists describe athletes. Non-disabled athletes were described using words like powerful, strategic, aggressive, and dominant. On the other side, disabled athletes were overwhelmingly described using words like courageous, tragic, heartwarming, and smiling.
By treating para-athletes like miracles instead of competitors, we subtly lower the bar for them. We act as if just existing is their greatest triumph, rather than the thousands of hours they spent grinding in the gym to shave half a second off their time.
❝ To understand why these athletes deserve raw respect, you have to look at the sheer science of what they do. Training an adaptive body requires an incredibly high level of athletic intelligence. ❞
Take elite paraswimmers who may have missing limbs or partial paralysis. They cannot rely on the standard, textbook swimming strokes taught to Olympic athletes.
Instead, they have to work with sports scientists and high performance coaches to completely reinvent the mechanics of swimming for their specific body. They have to calculate how to balance their core, keep a straight line in the water, and generate maximum power using entirely different muscle groups. It is a highly complex, intellectual, and physical puzzle. Treating this level of elite mastery as just a touching story ignores the brilliant sports science and athleticism behind it.
Para-athletes train just as hard, sweat just as much, and face the exact same high stakes pressure as any other professional athlete. They experience the same crushing disappointment when they lose and the same fierce drive to be the absolute best in the world.
A 2024 psychological study from the University of British Columbia interviewed elite para-athletes about how they prefer to be viewed by the public. The overwhelming majority stated that they hated being praised just for participating. They wanted to be judged strictly by their data, their speed, their strategy, and their medals.
❝ One athlete summarized it perfectly by stating that people should not admire them for having a disability, but rather respect them for being a champion. ❞
When we watch a young champion like Ismail Barlov dominate a race or stand on a Paralympic podium, our reaction should not be pity, and it should not just be a sentimental tear.
Our reaction should be the exact same respect we give to any world-class competitor. We need to look at their split times, marvel at their tactical execution, and recognize their grit. It is time to retire the old, patronizing stories and start treating parasport for what it truly is: elite, high performance sports entertainment at its absolute finest.
#BRAVO #BRAVOBIH #MAKETHEWORLDWONDER #ERASMUSPLUS
