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Let’s talk about the Paralympics!

 

I have to be honest with you. I did not know the Olympics had Paralympic Games like inclusive games that involves persons with disabilities. And What do I think about it? I think the Olympics might just be my favorite thing right now! 

It's the effort for me. So, the Paralympics were basically established to provide athletes with disabilities the opportunity to compete at the highest level of international sport. Sport is a thing that unites everyone; Allowing persons with disabilities to have their own sporting event. 
I don't think the Paralympics know how BIG of a deal this is. This challenges stereotypes that people with disabilities can't do anything; There is a general misconception that the minute one becomes disabled or is born disabled, the person can't succeed in things. These games cancels the stereotypes and remind us that persons with disabilities are living their life and CAN AMOUNT to something in life. The Games also draws attention to issues such as accessibility and equal rights. Who says that because you have a disability you can't compete in sports? 

The games are so inclusive that they focus on games like wheelchair basketball, para-judo, blind soccer, and unique Paralympic sports like boccia, which involves throwing balls.

And get this! In line with the Paralympic spirit of inclusion, the 2024 Games featured medals with Braille inscriptions for those visually impaired. 

I'm so excited about this! It proves that we don't have a long way to go for people to see how great disabled people are doing!

See also: Normalizing conversations about disabilities and disorders

Just to inspire you the more, Let’s feature five Paralympics athletes, shall we? 

Trischa Zorn (USA) who was born blind and competed in visually impaired swimming events. Zorn has 55 medals, including 41 golds, earned in swimming from 1980 to 2004. 

See also: A personal story on Cerebral Palsy: Can God really take away disabilities?



Henry Wanyoike is a visually impaired long-distance Kenyan runner who has won multiple gold medals in the Paralympics, including in the 5,000 meters (Sydney 2000) and the 10,000 meters (Athens 2004).



Zanele Situ made history by becoming the first Black South African woman to win a Paralympic gold medal. She won gold in the javelin throw at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics and followed up with another gold in Athens 2004.


A Nigerian powerlifter, Lucy Ejike is one of the most successful Paralympians from Nigeria. She has won multiple medals, including gold at the 2004 Athens Games, and set several world records. She also won silver medals in 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London), and another gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Esther Oyema – Oyema is another powerlifting champion who won gold at the 2012 London Paralympics, setting a world record in the process. She was also one of the leading figures in Nigeria's dominance in powerlifting!



I don't know I sense Nigeria’s dominance in Paralympic powerlifting and I don’t know about you but this is really so impressive. 

See also: Be Disability-friendly

 I truly hope that the Paralympics will continue to be a global movement for disability sports and I hope it inspires us to remember that irrespective of disabilities, people can still do things and one of them is compete in sports. 

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