Organizations (NSOs) and often Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) are increasingly mandated to support parasports and para-athletes throughout the athlete development pathway. Evidence suggests, however, that the integrated parasport model in Canada has not become the bastion of inclusion that it was
Search Results
(Un)imaginable (Para-)athletes: A Discourse Analysis of Athletics Websites in Canada
Danielle Peers, Timothy Konoval, and Rebecca Marsh Naturkach
Respiratory Muscle Training in Para-Athletes: A Systematic Review on the Training Protocols and Effects on Reported Outcomes
Buket Akinci, Cigdem Emirza Cilbir, Ahmet Kocyigit, and Goksen Kuran Aslan
advantages, future research is recommended to focus on the description of sport-specific RMT protocols for athletes. 8 Para-athletes, depending on their type of disability, may experience various degrees of respiratory muscle impairment. 9 This impairment can be a result of reduced physical activity, direct
Evaluating the Validity of Tests to Predict Sprint and Change of Direction Speed in Para-Athletes With Brain Impairments
Raul Reina, Emma M. Beckman, Mark J. Connick, Jemima G. Spathis, and Sean M. Tweedy
( 2015 ) requires that the methods are reliable and based on the best available scientific evidence and current best practice for allocating eligible para-athletes to classes as has been described previously ( Tweedy et al., 2014 ). People with brain impairments (i.e., damage to the central nervous
Variability Analysis in Judo Para Athletes With Visual Impairments: Match-Outcome Performance in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games With Evidence From the New Classification System
Rafael Lima Kons, Danilo França Conceição dos Santos, Raiane Carvalho, Adriano Ferreira da Silva, João Paulo Lopes-Silva, Emerson Franchini, and Daniele Detanico
impairments ( Krabben et al., 2018 ). The classification process is based on medical criteria, which include visual acuity and visual field tests ( Krabben, Mashkovskiy, et al., 2021 ). Additionally, Para athletes are allocated based on sex, four weight categories, and sports classes ( International Blind
The Efficacy of Ischemic Preconditioning on Handgrip Strength and Strength Endurance in Para-Athletes With Spinal-Cord Injury: A Pilot Study
Lexi Kasofsky, Rebecca Cross, Dallin Tavoian, and Jason Siegler
high level, para-athletes with SCI, and hypothesized that IPC would improve exercise performance. We observed no statistically meaningful influence on maximal voluntary isometric force or exercise time to task failure in either ISO or INT trials (Figures 2 and 3 ), tentatively refuting our
Needs and Strengths of Australian Para-Athletes: Identifying Their Subjective Psychological, Social, and Physical Health and Well-Being
Hannah Macdougall, Paul O’Halloran, Emma Sherry, and Nora Shields
The well-being needs and strengths of para-athletes in a global and sport-specific context were investigated across subjective psychological, social, and physical health and well-being dimensions. Data were drawn from (a) semistructured interviews with Australian para-athletes (n = 23), (b) a focus group with the Australian Paralympic Committee (n = 9), and (c) a confirmatory para-athlete focus group (n = 8). The well-being needs and strengths of para-athletes differed across gender, sport, level of competition, and nature of impairment. Well-being needs were an interaction between physical pain, emotional regulation, lacking purpose outside of sport, and a lack of self-acceptance, especially for athletes with acquired impairments. Well-being strengths were perceived to increase as athletes increased their level of competition, and included personal growth, optimism, strong social support networks, and contributing to multiple communities. The importance of well-being as a multidimensional concept within the global and sport-specific context for para-athletes is discussed.
Promoting Para Athlete Activism: Critical Insights From Key Stakeholders in Ireland
Damian Haslett, Javier Monforte, Inhyang Choi, and Brett Smith
, Bundon, and Best ( 2016 ) defined Para athlete activism as the action taken by disabled athletes to create sociopolitical change by resisting and transforming discourses, attitudes, nonverbal acts, policies, and environmental structures that can socially oppress disabled people in their everyday lives
Correlations Between Medicine Ball Throw With Wheelchair Mobility and Isokinetic Tests in Basketball Para-Athletes
Frederico Ribeiro Neto, Irineu Loturco, Guilherme Henrique Lopes, Jefferson Rodrigues Dorneles, José Irineu Gorla, and Rodrigo Rodrigues Gomes Costa
vertical jumps, which have been associated with competitive performance 6 and used to assess fatigue 7 in Olympic sport disciplines, the MBT is a fast, feasible, and accessible test to measure performance outcomes in para-athletes. However, it is necessary to determine whether the MBT presents strong and
Effect of a Neuromodulation Protocol Associated With Sports Training on the Precision Sports Performance of a Wheelchair Basketball Para-Athlete: A Case Study
Larissa S. Oliveira, Gabriel F. Aleixo, Gustavo J. Luvizutto, and Daniel F.M. Lobato
cerebellum is crucial in the sensorimotor processes that adapt upper limb movements, thus making them more precise and coordinated. 7 Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of a tDCS neuromodulation associated with sport-specific training in a WB para-athlete with myelomeningocele on the
The Sleep Parameters of Paralympic Athletes: Characteristics and Assessment Instruments
Isadora Grade, Henrique Andrade, Renato Guerreiro, Eduardo Stieler, Flavia R. da Silva, Hesojy G.V. da Silva, Roberto Vital, Renan A. Resende, Dawit A.P. Gonçalves, André G. Andrade, Marco T. de Mello, and Andressa Silva
Context: Sleep serves many important functions for athletes, particularly in the processes of learning, memory, recovery, and cognition. Objectives: Define the sleep parameters of Paralympic athletes and identify the instruments used to assess and monitor sleep Paralympic athletes. Evidence Acquisition: This systematic review was carried out based on the PRISMA guidelines. The survey was conducted in April 2020, the searches were carried out again in September 2021 to check whether there were new scientific publications in the area of sleep and Paralympic sport, searches were performed in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, Virtual Health Library (BIREME), and SciELO. This systematic review has included studies that investigated at least one of the following sleep parameters: total sleep time, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, number of awakenings, quality of sleep, daytime sleepiness, and chronotype; the participants were comprised of athletes with disabilities. Studies published at any time in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, were included. Evidence Synthesis: Data extraction and study selection were performed by 2 researchers independently, and a third author was consulted as necessary. The search returned a total of 407 studies. Following the screening based on exclusion and inclusion criteria, a total of 13 studies were considered. Paralympic athletes have a low amount (7.06 h) of sleep with poor quality and sleep latency (28.05 min), and 57.2% have daytime sleepiness, with the majority belonging to the indifferent chronotype (53, 5%). Moreover, 11 studies assess sleep using subjective instruments (questionnaires), and 2 studies used an objective instrument (actigraphy). Conclusions: Sleep disorders are common among Paralympic athletes, poor sleep quality and quantity, and high rates of daytime sleepiness. Subjective methods are most commonly used to assess sleep.
