Inclusion through Sport: A Critical View on Paralympic Legacy from a Historical Perspective

Sylvain Ferez, Sébastien Ruffié, Hélène Joncheray, Anne Marcellini, Sakis Pappous and Rémi Richard
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Sylvain Ferez: Health, Education, Situations of Disability Laboratory, University of Montpellier, France / National Centre for Scientific Research, France
Sébastien Ruffié: Adaptations to Tropical Climates, Exercise and Health, University of the West Indies, Guadeloupe
Hélène Joncheray: INSEP—The National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance, Paris University, France
Anne Marcellini: Life Course and Inequality Research Centre (LINES), University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Sakis Pappous: School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kent, UK
Rémi Richard: Health, Education, Situations of Disability Laboratory, University of Montpellier, France

Social Inclusion, 2020, vol. 8, issue 3, 224-235

Abstract: Through its commitment to universalism, the inclusion of disabled people has become an increasingly prominent objective of the Paralympic Games. To achieve this, the organisers rely on the notion of legacy, which refers to the expected effects of major sporting events on host countries. This notion was initially founded on material aspects and then took an interest in certain intangible sides that were spotted within the organiser’s goals and studied in literature. Building on the historical literature about the Paralympic movement’s institutionalization, this article shows that this institutionalization took place in a context of tension between disabled communities, depending on their proximity to the Olympic model. What is the impact of this historical legacy in terms of inclusion of the greater number? By shedding light on the historical perspective of the obstacles encountered in the creation of an ‘all-disabilities’ sporting event, this article aims to discuss and challenge the current perspective on the inclusive legacy of the Paralympic Games.

Keywords: disability; inclusion; legacy; Paralympic Games; sport (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:socinc:v8:y:2020:i:3:p:224-235

DOI: 10.17645/si.v8i3.2735

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