Adaptive sports (disabled sports)

Adaptive sports are athletic activities where the rules, equipment, and playing fields are altered to accommodate people with physical disabilities. They are also known as disabled sports or parasports. Adaptive sports are different from events such as the Special Olympics, which are sporting events that are adapted for persons with both physical and intellectual disabilities. Adaptive sports competitions are often held at the same time as sporting events for those without disabilities. Nearly any sport or leisure activity can be adapted for those with a disability. Events are available for both individual and team sports. Such events are viewed as important because they offer an opportunity for people to remain physically active despite any limitations they may have. Adaptive sports may help people continue to take part in favorite activities despite their new challenges or they may provide a new activity for them to enjoy. Adaptive sports also provide opportunities for interaction with others.

Background

A physical disability is defined as a condition that limits at least one life activity in a major way. This condition can be caused by an injury, an illness, or by a developmental issue. Adaptive sports are sometimes referred to as disabled sports or parasports. One major adaptive sporting event is the Paralympics, international competitions held following both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games. Parasports take their name from the Greek term para, which means “alongside or beside.”

The earliest sporting events specifically for participants with disabilities were organized by German clubs for the deaf in the late 1880s. Later, the events for the deaf were expanded to establish the Deaflympics. Also known as the Silent Games, this event was held for the first time within weeks of the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris and continued into the twenty-first century. Events for other athletes with disabilities also developed in the beginning of the twentieth century. For example, an athletic event for people in wheelchairs was held in St. Louis in 1911.

German neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttman is credited with establishing the Paralympics shortly after World War II (1939–1945). Guttman, who was Jewish, fled Nazi Germany for Great Britain in 1939. He became the director of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, England. There, he worked with soldiers who had become disabled by war injuries.

Guttman believed exercise would help his patients recover as much physical function as they could and would also help alleviate the depression brought on by their injuries. Guttman observed some of his patients playing a sport similar to polo from their wheelchairs. When he noticed that many of them got hurt playing this new sport, he created a wheelchair version of netball, a variation of basketball.

The doctor also taught patients to shoot archery from wheelchairs. This led to an international competition called the Stoke Mandeville Games, also called the Guttman Games, held at the same time as the 1948 Olympic Games in London. In 1960, Guttman organized a parallel version of the Olympics for disabled athletes. This became the first Paralympics. The event is now held every four years following the Olympic Games.

Overview

Nearly any sport can be adapted for athletes with disabilities. Adaptations can include altering the rules or allowing for special equipment to assist the athlete. For example, basketball is played from a modified wheelchair and ice hockey from a special sled with sticks to help people push themselves along the ice. Athletes who may be missing a limb are allowed to play with a prosthetic arm or leg. Those with vision impairments might use equipment that makes it easier for them to see markers on the playing field, be assisted by a sighted person, or play with a ball that makes a sound. Track and field participants may use lighter shot puts or javelins, and archers might shoot at larger targets or targets that are closer.

Adaptations can also be made to allow for team play. In addition to allowing for adaptive equipment, parasport leagues often use a classification system to help ensure fair competition. The system uses a combination of letters and numbers to classify the type of event or sport the athlete participates in, the condition that causes their disability, and the level of disability. Officials track these classifications and add them up for all the athletes participating, making sure that the total for all participants on a team stays at or below a certain level. This helps to ensure competitors are more evenly matched. Additional classifications for children and teens add age into the equation as well.

Playing rules are often adapted to make play possible by people using adaptive equipment. For example, adaptive tennis allows for two bounces of the ball instead of one to allow for the extra time to move a wheelchair. In some cases, the standard rules apply but the way they are enforced may be slightly different. For instance, typical basketball players cannot take more than two steps in without dribbling the ball. In wheelchair basketball, the equivalent rule is that the player cannot push their chair more than twice without dribbling.

Adaptive sports have come a long way since the earliest games played more than a century ago. Specialized equipment has been developed to allow participation in nearly every sport. There are even multiple types of devices that are customized to accommodate specific sports. For instance, some wheelchairs developed for racing have three wheels and a crank much like bicycle pedals that the athlete “pedals” with his or her hands. Wheelchairs for rugby have protective covers over the wheels to guard against damage during contact. Wheelchairs for sports that require frequent pivoting and turning, such as tennis and basketball, have special supports with small wheels under the chair to improve stability.

Athletes have many opportunities to participate in adaptive sports. Physical and occupational therapists can help individuals find techniques and equipment to adapt to some sports. Many state and national organizations also provide guidance and assistance to help athletes get involved in adaptive sports. Some groups are dedicated to specific sports, while others are more general in nature.

Experts say there are many benefits to adaptive sports. In addition to improving physical health and conditioning, the sports can also have a positive impact on mental health. They can help people connect with others as a means of overcoming depression caused by their limitations. They can also aid in preventing conditions such as obesity and heart disease.

Bibliography

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Faulkner, Beth. “Portrait of Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann.” National Paralympic Heritage Trust, 11 Oct. 2017, www.paralympicheritage.org.uk/professor-sir-ludwig-guttmann. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

Gottfried, Barbara. Adaptive Sports and the Paralympic Games. Rosen, 2019.

“History of the Paralympic Movement.” International Paralympic Committee, www.paralympic.org/ipc/history. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

Isidoro-Cabañas, Eva, et al. "Benefits of Adaptive Sport on Physical and Mental Quality of Life in People with Physical Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis." Healthcare, vol. 11, no. 18, 2023, pp. 2480. doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11182480. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Ries, Eric. “The Competitive Edge of Adaptive Sports.” PT In Motion, 1 June 2019, www.apta.org/PTinMotion/2019/6/Feature/Competitive-Edge-Adaptive-Sports/. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

“What Is Adaptive Sports or Para Sports?” Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association, 2019, chasa.org/adaptive-para-sports/. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.