After all the excitement of the Paris Olympic Games 2024, we are ready for even more world-class sporting action coming up over the next few weeks. Whether you are planning to watch the Paralympic Games on TV or have been lucky enough to secure tickets to watch in-person, the upcoming Games promises to be exciting, inspiring and uplifting.
Image description: A photo of the Paris 2024 Paralympics logo, with the Eiffel Tower on a sunny day featured as a backdrop.
Initially coined the Stoke Mandeville Games and organised by German-British Neurologist Dr Ludwig Guttmann, the first athletes to take part in the competition were 16 injured servicemen and women. Taking place within the 1948 London Olympic Games, the athletes participated in the sport of archery. From the 28th of August to the 8th of September, the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games will feature 4400 athletes competing in 22 wide ranging sports.
Keep reading to learn about some of the athletes who will be taking part in the Paralympics, and the key mental strengths, skills, qualities and wider influences that enable them to succeed.
In a previous blog post, we shared a video featuring Belgian Para Equestrian hopeful Manon Claeys, who reflects on her journey after suffering severe injury in 2007. Following years of rehabilitation and training—facilitated by her own determination and positive support network, she went on to win two medals in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Another Para Equestrian athlete to watch out for in the Paris Paralympic Games is France’s Chiara Zenati. In a recent article, we learn about the importance of acceptance and understanding in enabling her to compete at the Paralympic Games.
“My greatest challenge is to show that I can do things like an able-bodied person, that even if you have a disability, you can do the same things, just differently, regardless of the disability”. Chiara Zenati
You can read the article to find out more about the importance of acceptance and understanding in Zenati’s journey to sporting success.
The important theme of acceptance also emerges across other Para sports. Croatian Ivan Mikulic, who was born without a left forearm, is competing in Taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He has shared his views about the importance of acceptance and self-confidence in relation to dealing with abusive social experiences. Importantly, Mikulic highlights that both confidence and acceptance, as well as vital mental skills such as focusing on a goal, can be nurtured in us all through participating in sport. Read the full article here.
Want to find out more about the different sports that are included in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games? Check out this insightful explainer on the Paris 2024 website.
Interested in finding out about your own unique strengths? You can check out the SPRINT Project’s strengths profiling tool here. You can also uncover and learn about your own positive social support network by checking out the Dream Team page here.
Image description: A digital picture of the Paris 2024 mascots depicting a runner with a blade jumping in the air celebrating.
Image and quote credit: Wheelchair Basketball Canada & Paris 2024.
Written by Dr Sally Reynard, Post Doctoral Researcher in the SPRINT Project.
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