This year is the first time I’ve watched the Olympic games, and I absolutely loved watching judo. Imagine my thrill when I found out judo will also be featured in the Paralympics!
Anybody else planning to watch the Paralympics? If so, what sport? I am a bit curious about “blind football” and “wheelchair basketball” (as titled in my language), so I might give those a try as well.
I watch about the same of both, and watch similar categories of sports - athletics, gymnastics, swimming. Not really in to team sports, cycling, weights, martial arts, stuff like that.
I also stay braced for an unnecessary amount of ableism from the reporting and viewing public, and the athletes achievements being turned in to “inspiration porn” instead of being regarded as excellent in their own right, but try to focus on the idea that seeing disabled athletes is enough to “normalise” disabled people to some (though it will also give some the wrong impression that disabled people who don’t compete are just being “lazy”), and that that’s better than being completely excluded from participation.
I think my favourite part of the Paralympics though is hearing the athletes talk about how incredible it is to be the majority for two weeks. Where everywhere you turn it’s disabled people as far as the eye can see, of all different shapes sizes ethnicities and abilities, and for a rare and brief moment, you’re surrounded by people who truly understand and share your experience of the world.
Wheelchair basketball is brutal - they slam around the court like charioteers. Really exciting.
I’m all Olympiced out. I feel guilty for not watching every time, but I would genuinely watch it if it was on the year after.
A 4 year cycle of Olympic, paralympics, winter, winter para would be ideal for me.
There are also the Special Olympics and Deaflympics, which have their own cycle. I didn’t check, but there is probably something every year already.
I didn’t think Special Olympics was an acceptable phrase. I also thought deaf people compete in the paralympic games.
I could do with a better understanding, but as I mentioned above I’m all Olympiced out and I’m not really interested enough to read up. It might seem harsh, but I don’t care enough and don’t think I should feel guilty about it.
(I’m not saying you suggest I should feel bad by the way)
My thoughts as a layman:
They probably have very different rulesets. Deaflympics “only” has to account for the fact that the athletes cannot hear sounds like speaker announcements, starting pistols etc., whereas Paralympic athletes have physical disabilities that directly influence their performance.
Wheelchair basketball is probably the most exciting sport I have ever had the pleasure of watching live. Definitely tune in for that.
Those athletes move up and down the court in a CHAIR 2 or 3 times as fast as I could at a full sprint.
Sadly climbing/bouldering won’t be in the paralympics until 2028
