Special Olympics vs Paralympics - Blog #8


I know that there is a lot of debate on pushback when discussing the separation of the Special Olympics and the Paralympics. I think that it is okay that the games are kept separate. initially, that sounds like bad writing but I have a reason why I think that the game should stay separate. The Special Olympics and the Paralympic Games both have their own set of classifications double the opportunities for athletes to be able to get into a sport that they want to play. combining games, merging all of the sports together would also mean merging the classifications. Not only with these major issues and controversy within the games, but it would create a lot of confusion for the people who are trying to figure out where to put certain people the Paralympic games do have an opportunity for people with intellectual abilities to test into a classification for a sport that they offer, so it doesn’t mean that everyone with intellectual abilities is completely cut off from competing in the Paralympic games. I understand that in the past there were cheating scandals, and that’s why the Paralympic events ended up putting severe restrictions in place for people with intellectual abilities to be able to participate in the games. Personally, I don’t think that the Special Olympics and the Paralympics should combine and turn into one major event. I think that they should stay separate allowing more athletes to be able to have the opportunity to compete in either of these games, keeping the games separate creates more opportunities for more people around the world to be able to participate in different levels in different classifications of the sport that they want to participate in.

Disabled athletes have already fought Tooth and nail to be able to get their own games such as the Special Olympics or the Paralympic Games and combining the two would just be taking away opportunity. I like the idea that athletes have the opportunity to participate in a sport they wish to play, regardless of their disability, because of the accessible programs that these offer for them. Especially since there have been scandals in the past, for example, the Sydney scandal that happened around the 2000 games scandals in the past which included several members of the Spanish basketball team, faking their impairments and taking the gold in the category of intellectual disability.

 References

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtw12K48Hyc

https://www.specialolympics.org/about/history/out-of-the-shadows-events-leading-to-the-founding-of-special-olympics?locale=en 

https://www.specialolympics.org/about/history/building-an-inclusive-world?locale=en

Athletes with intellectual disability battle for Paralympic space - France 24

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