COMPARISON OF MEN'S AND WOMEIU'S 100 M FREESTYLE PERFORMANCES AT THE 1996 PARALYMPIC GAMES

Swimming competition for persons with a loco-motor disability is organised according to a functional classification system. One manner of checking the validity of this system is to compare the race results of men and women, in this case for the 100 m freestyle at the 1996 Paralympic Games. Men swam faster than women and had longer stroke lengths but no differences in stroke rate. Starting and turning ability did not differ. Women finished faster. In general the pattern of differences between Olympic and Paralympic swimmers and among classes was similar in men and women, supporting the validity of the functional classification system used for freestyle

'A mockery of equality': An exploratory investigation into disabled activists' views of the Paralympic Games

This article offers an exploratory analysis of the opinions of disabled activists towards the Paralympic Games. With the use of a qualitative online survey, the work focuses on the perceptions of disabled individuals (n = 32) who are not Paralympic athletes but are affiliated to the disability rights group, the United Kingdom Disabled People's Council. Working on the premise that the views of disabled activists have been excluded from Paralympic sports discourse to date, the results illustrate a nuanced yet negative view of the Games to contrast with an existing, yet overly positive, academic narrative. Participants were particularly cynical of the portrayal and production of the Games and its Paralympic athletes as they perceived that the wider population of disabled people is misrepresented. The overwhelming perception in this preliminary analysis suggests that the Paralympic Games can be counterproductive to disability rights beyond sport