Why Isn't Gymnastics a Paralympic Sport?

[Hatsumomo]

It's not as if we haven't seen disabled gymnasts: Marie Roethlisberger (deaf), Aimee Walker (deafblind; as an aside, it just tickles me her married name is Pond), Kate Foster (amputee), Jennifer Bricker (born w/o legs), Carol Johnston (born with one arm and also RIP), among others.

I'm guessing maybe it's logistics in coming up with a CoP that accommodates vastly differing disabilities? And considering the incompetency of the FIG as is, could they be trusted to come up with a Paralympic gymnastics CoP?

 

[Mthegymqueen]

Am I making this up or are there gymnastics Paralympic worlds?

 

[Hatsumomo]

So I went in a quick rabbit hole after I posted and I haven't seen an existing Para-gymnastics worlds, but it looks like it's a goal for 2027.

 

[arabiandoublefront]

So I went in a quick rabbit hole after I posted and I haven't seen an existing Para-gymnastics worlds, but it looks like it's a goal for 2027.

Well, that's the first step.

 

[xxParkerxx]

If there were paralympic gymnastics i would definitely look in to competing in it! I've wished there was for so long but never found anything on it in our area.

 

[MLSWAG]

Disabled person here (spina bifida). I was a wheelchair track/field/road racing athlete around the turn of the 90's, when I was a teen. Juniors only program, so I have no clue how one qualifies in racing or any other sport in the actual Paras, but I did represent the USA once, in track and field at the Junior World Wheelchair Games (or whatever the exact title was) in Miami in 1989.

But gymnastics I have no clue about. I'm sure I've seen in in the Special Olympics, but that's usually been a different beast, because you have been required to have a cognitive impairment of some sort.

I didn't watch this year's Paralympics because I'm sick of the coverage of disabled sport as some kind of "inspiration porn", and I just assumed the coverage would be insufferable in that way. But in retrospect, I realize I could have just muted it and watched while listening to Sea Power or New Order or something else on my Spotify. So I'll need to watch whatever feeds are still up belatedly.

But, back to Special Olympics, I thought I heard that the IOPC was creating new classes for cognitive disabilities, but maybe I misheard or maybe that person misheard. Anybody know?

As for physical disability classes, I have never seen any of that, but imagine it could be adapted for sight and/or hearing impaired classes, or amputee pretty readily. I really do need to read up on disability classification, though, because I only come from the perspective of a teenage junior wheelchair athlete of the late 80's/very early 90's. It seems like the disability world has gotten to be much more complicated and diverse.

 

[OnlyBeansOnToast]

It's not in the Paralympics because (shamefully) there isn't a structure to support and organise it at international level, which is a requirement for inclusion in the Games. You need consistent judging, qualifying standards, international competition, that kind of thing.

British Gymnastics (which is one of the better national federations when it comes to disability inclusion) launched a campaign to change this a couple of years ago but I've not heard of any progress.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

It's not in the Paralympics because (shamefully) there isn't a structure to support and organise it at international level, which is a requirement for inclusion in the Games. You need consistent judging, qualifying standards, international competition, that kind of thing.

British Gymnastics (which is one of the better national federations when it comes to disability inclusion) launched a campaign to change this a couple of years ago but I've not heard of any progress.

Same. I had a vague idea BG were pushing it, which as it should be and not surprising considering that the Paralympics probably have more cultural importance in GB than in most other places. But there probably needs to be a wider range of federations.

I wonder if China are interested? They've topped every Paralympic medal table since 2004.

 

[OnlyBeansOnToast]

I didn't watch this year's Paralympics because I'm sick of the coverage of disabled sport as some kind of "inspiration porn", and I just assumed the coverage would be insufferable in that way.

On that point, it's worth noting that British public interest in the Paralympics has always been above average but really took off from 2012 onwards. Part of that was down to London hosting that year - but the change also coincided with the TV rights shifting from the very earnest BBC to the more freewheeling commercial station Channel 4. Their coverage has been exceptional, largely ditching the "inspirational" back stories and "brave" struggles against disability in favour of a tone that's best described as "these are world-class athletes who just happen to be disabled".

 

[MaryClare]

I love wheelchair basketball, it feels like a sport in its own right. But all the different disability categories in Paralympics is unnecessary and often diminishes any sense of achievement.

 

[xxParkerxx]

I love wheelchair basketball, it feels like a sport in its own right. But all the different disability categories in Paralympics is unnecessary and often diminishes any sense of achievement.

I think for some sports the different categories make sense. You're going to have different challenges if you're in a wheelchair vs an amputee vs completely blind etc. It allows for the competition to me fair. It wouldn't exactly be fair for someone who's blind with fully functioning legs to run against someone in a wheelchair in a track race, because one can physically run and one can not.

 

[JDB]

I think the IPC should govern para gymnastics rather than the FIG. The FIG can't even govern able bodied gymnastics with clear and consistent rules. FIG para gymnastics would be even worse.

 

[OnlyBeansOnToast]

Ooh look, perfect timing:
BG reiterates ambition for gymnastics to become Paralympic sport by Brisbane 2032

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

British para gymnasts are trialling the new Para gymnastics code with the FIG working group in November. There will be an international in Norway.



Looks like things are progressing well here!

 

[Luca]

Am I making this up or are there gymnastics Paralympic worlds?

Ther are trying to get it into the brisbane paralympics 2032