Challenges experienced by disabled people various activities
For an extended period, disabled people have experienced a lot of challenges in various activities, especially in the sporting world. In the past, disabled people were not even featured in significant sporting competitions like the Olympics. It was not until 1904 when George Eyser took part in that year’s summer Olympics. George Eyser was a German immigrant who moved to the USA when he was only 14. He had lost his leg in an incident where it was run over by a train. It was later on amputated. A wooden prosthesis was attached to the missing part of his left leg, which was a significant disadvantage to him in the competition. It is a situation that highlighted difficulties the disabled people were facing during that time.
There was a lack of equality in sporting opportunities between the ordinary people and the disabled people at that time. There were two different sets of competition in the gymnastic category in the 1904 summer Olympics. The first was the International Turners’ Championship that comprised triathlon, team, and all-around events (Goggin & Newell, 2015). The other was the Olympic Gymnastics Championship that consisted of the combined event and seven individual events. Eyser participated in both these events, but his performance was weak in the first one. He was ranked 10th in the all-around (9-event). He became 71st on the all-around competition (gymnastic) and was last in the triathlon. A large number of people following the sports sympathized with him and protested against the sporting body in charge because of how he was treated. He had been placed under the same conditions as his competitors, yet he had an artificial leg.
It is not until 1948 that a major sporting event was formed for disabled people. The Paralympics was established as a means of treatment for the injured war veterans and also as a leisure activity they could enjoy. There was no funding for the race since the society looked down on the sport because it was for the disabled people. The primary sponsor of the event was Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which was the same hospital where the game was invented and first hosted. Politicians in power at the time did not provide any support for the sport or for the people that participated in it. There was also little media coverage of the competition because it had few participants. There were only two women and fourteen men that participated in the race (Goggin & Newell, 2015)
However, in recent years, more disabled people have been participating in major sporting events. Oscar Pistorius, a renowned South African sprinter, participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics but failed to qualify for the 400-meter competition by 0.70 seconds. Both Pistorius’ legs were amputated, and he used carbon fiber blades to run (Goggin & Newell, 2015). During this event, people also protested because he was subjected to normal conditions as the rest of the competitors. They argued he failed to qualify for the race because he was disadvantaged by his disability, and he should have been given special consideration. He again took part in the 2012 summer Olympics and reached the semi-finals (400 meters race).. There was also a lot of criticism after his participation in 2012 to the organizing body. It was because of again giving him the same treatment as the rest of the participants.
Paralympics has largely grown over the recent years. In 1960, the International Group for the Disabled Sportsmen was established to study problems people with impairments face during Paralympic. Again in September 1989, Internal Paralympic Committee (IPC) was created as an international body that governs the Paralympic Movement. In recent years, more disabled people have participated in the Paralympics. However, there are still challenges that are similar to the first Paralympic event in 1944. There still has been criticism for insufficient funding compared to the Olympics. A good example is a lawsuit that was filed in 2003 by 3 Paralympic athletes Jacob Huiveli, Tony Iniguez, and Scott Hollonbeck from the USA (Goggin & Newell, 2015). They accused United States Olympic Group of underfunding the American Paralympic Committee. There is also biased coverage of Paralympics compared to the Olympics. During the 1992 Paralympics, live coverage was only limited to 45 hours and made available in Europe alone. In the United Kingdom, it is also a requirement for the Paralympics to be broadcasted by a major broadcaster. Nevertheless, British Broadcasting Corporation was criticized for minimal coverage during the Winter Paralympics of 2010 compared to its coverage of the summer Olympics of the same year.
In conclusion, disabled people have experienced a lot of challenges in various activities, especially in the sporting world for an extended period. In the past, disabled people were not even featured in significant sporting competitions like the Olympics. The Paralympics was the first major sporting event established for the disabled people in 1948. It has dramatically evolved over the years. However, there are still challenges similar to those when the sporting event was first introduced.