The Paralympic Games: Semantics in Sports

I have never put much thought into the word “Paralympic” let alone focusing on the root word “para”. Whenever reading or hearing this word previously, with an assumed full understanding that these games are the Olympics for the disabled, I’d only ever think of an athlete with a prosthetic leg, sprinting down the track. I had never stopped to ask myself what this small part of the word meant, or how it carried meaning to the actual event itself, to me it was only ever just that, an event. When reading about the root word “para” meaning “next to”, I felt that the term wasn't exactly fair to the athletes who participate in the Paralympics. To be “next to” something, or always referred to as an extension of something else felt as if the Paralympics should be seen as a side event, or “less than”  in comparison to the Olympics. I share the same sentiment when comparing the words “Paralympian” and “Olympian”, in my mind, they both have won an olympic medal, and should be granted the same title. 

I have learned a bit about the concept of the “parallel games” throughout reading, and how the creation and support for this event has helped to change disabled lives for the better in our society that favors the able bodied. Sports in general have always had the power to unify people in their regions and nations. The fact that someone who is disabled can in recent times, participate in an event for their nation, and receive respect, from not only their own country, may help for close-minded, or simply ignorant people to see that disabled people are not something you can ignore, and that they can and will be important contributors to society. I hope that in future years, we start to see a more full integration of the Paralympic and Olympic Games, with changes akin to Paralympians receiving equal pay as their Olympian counterparts. And further, the more support for the Paralympics could lead to more positive change in accessibility for kids getting into sports, and in shared public spaces. 

 I think that people in power being able to see that disabled people can contribute to society in new ways through sport, bringing in tourism and press, and most likely what's most important to them; money, might help the causes of making our society more accessible to those who need it. Although I believe that disabled people should have the right to live a full life regardless of how they contribute to society, I do feel that some types of people need to see what's in it for them before they get on board. And I also think that sports is a great way to catalyze this change, after all, who doesn't love when their home team wins?