Para-sport activism is gaining attention around the world due to the potential of disabled elite athletes to highlight forms of oppression that disabled people experience, such as negative attitudes, inaccessible environments, or social exclusion (see Haslett & Smith, 2020 ). In Para-sport
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The Influence of Confucianism on Para-Sport Activism
Inhyang Choi, Damian Haslett, Javier Monforte, and Brett Smith
Understanding Injury and Injury Prevention in Para Sport Athletes
Shana E. Harrington, Sean McQueeney, and Marcus Fearing
challenge to Para sport competition is the threat of one-sided and predictable competition, in which the least impaired athlete always wins. 6 In Olympic competition, the results of a competition are based on each athlete’s skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability, and mental focus. 7 To promote
The Volunteer Experience in a Para-Sport Event: An Autoethnography
Erik L. Lachance and Milena M. Parent
through a focus on the impacts and interrelationships of satisfaction, motivation, commitment, and sense of community, rather than a single outcome (e.g., satisfaction). An additional issue within the sport (event) volunteer literature pertains to research on para-sport (event) volunteers. In comparison
Para Sport Development Experiences: Perspectives of Para Swimmers and Parents
Darda Sales and Laura Misener
due, in part, to a general lack of research into para sport ( Jaarsma et al., 2014 ). Dehghansai et al. ( 2017 ) conducted a systematic review of the literature related to the development of para athletes showing only four articles focused on long-term development frameworks. Mann et al. ( 2017
Time−Motion Characteristics and Physiological Responses of Para-Footballers With Cerebral Palsy in Two Small-Sided Games and a Simulated Game
Matías Henríquez, Aitor Iturricastillo, Arturo González-Olguín, Felipe Herrera, Sonny Riquelme, and Raul Reina
modifications in the rules (e.g., five substitutions, no offside) and the field dimensions (i.e., 70 × 50 m) to be played by para-athletes with eligible impairments of hypertonia, ataxia, or dyskinesia. Despite the adaptations included in this para-sport, a lot of training methods are used with CP Football
Performance Analysis in Football-Specific Tests by Para-Footballers With Cerebral Palsy: Implications for Evidence-Based Classification
Javier Yanci, Daniel Castillo, Aitor Iturricastillo, Astrid Aracama, Alba Roldan, and Raúl Reina
Football (soccer) for people with cerebral palsy (CP) is a para-sport regulated at the international level by the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football. It is a sport discipline that is practiced by footballers with central neurological injuries like CP, traumatic brain injury, or
Promoting Para Athlete Activism: Critical Insights From Key Stakeholders in Ireland
Damian Haslett, Javier Monforte, Inhyang Choi, and Brett Smith
Academic literature highlights arguments for and against promoting disability activism through Para sport contexts (see Haslett & Smith, 2020 ). One argument against promoting disability activism is that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has been, historically, a source of annoyance
Neuromuscular Responses and Physiological Changes During Small-Sided Games in Wheelchair Basketball
Aitor Iturricastillo, Javier Yanci, and Cristina Granados
The aim was to analyze the changes of physical performance and physiological responses during a high-intensity training task in wheelchair basketball (WB) players. Thirteen Spanish first division WB male players participated in this study. A test battery (change of direction ability, sprints, and sled towing) was performed to study neuromuscular responses before (pre) and after (post) the small-sided games (SSG). Furthermore, tympanic temperature and blood lactate concentration were measured before and immediately after players finished the SSG. The SSG tasks consisted in four players against four, 4 bouts of 4 min with 2 min of recovery periods. There was a 1.10% decline in performance in both 5- and 20-m sprints (p < .01; effect size [ES] ≤ 0.14), 1.82% decline in 5-m sled towing (p < .05; ES = 0.18), and 2.68% decline in 20-m sled towing (p < .01; ES = 0.27) between pre- and post-SSG. As in physical performance results, significant differences were observed between pre and post in physiological markers, with increasing tympanic temperature (36.21 ± 0.60 °C to 36.97 ± 0.59 °C; p < .001; ES = 1.27) and blood lactate concentrations (1.95 ± 1.30 mmol/L to 5.84 ± 2.04 mmol/L; p < .001; ES = 2.99) after SSG. The SSG produced a decrease in sprint and sled towing performance after 16 min of intense exercise. Moreover, the decrease in physical performance was accompanied with an increase in physiological responses. These neuromuscular responses could be similar in the real game; thus, coaching staff could benefit from this information when changing bench players.
Initial Maximum Push-Rim Propulsion and Sprint Performance in Elite Men’s Wheelchair Basketball
Aitor Iturricastillo, Jordi Sanchez-Grau, Gerard Carmona, Adrián García-Fresneda, and Javier Yanci
Objectives: This study sought to report the reliability (intrasession) values of initial maximum push-rim propulsion (IMPRP) and sprint performance in elite wheelchair basketball (WB) players and to assess the involvement of strength in sprint capacity. Methods: Fifteen Spanish international WB male players participated in this study. The maximum single wheelchair push from a stationary position (IMPRP) and the sprint performance (ie, 3, 5, and 12 m) of WB players were measured in this study. Results: IMPRP mechanical outputs V, V max, P, Rel. P, F, and Rel. F variables presented high reliability values (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] ≥ .92; coefficient of variation [CV] ≤ 8.04 ± 7.37; standard error of measurement [SEM] ≤ 29.92), but the maximum strength variables Pmax, Rel. Pmax, F max, and Rel. F max (ICC ≥ .63; CV ≤ 13.19 ± 16.63; SEM ≤ 203.76) showed lower ICC values and by contrast higher CV and SEM values. The most substantial correlations were identified between maximum IMPRP values (ie, V, V max, P, Rel. P, F, and Rel. F) and sprint performance in 3 m (r ± confidence limits ≥ −0.74 ± 0.22, very large; R 2 ≥ .55), 5 m (r ± confidence limits ≥ −0.72 ± 0.24, very large; R 2 ≥ .51), and 12 m (r ± confidence limits ≥ −0.67 ± 0.27, large; R 2 ≥ .44). Conclusions: The IMPRP test and sprint tests (3, 5, and 12 m) are practical and reliable for measuring strength and speed in WB players. In addition, there were large to very large associations among strength variables (ie, P, Rel. P, F, and Rel. F) and all sprint variables. This could indicate a need to implement specific strength exercises in WB players to improve sprint capacity.
Investigating the Nexus of Paralympic Bodies With Medicine
Nancy Quinn and Laura Misener
). It is our world view that ableism is deeply rooted in medical assumptions around impaired sporting bodies, and these assumptions are critical to how athleticism and ability are understood. We argue that ableism in medical and rehabilitation professions exists at the peril of the Para sport athlete
