Identity reconstruction among people with physical disabilities practising Race Running

The main aim of the article is to present the results of research concerning the reconstruction of the identity of people with disabilities who practice Race Running. In the scientific literature focused on disability, sport is presented as one of the important elements serving for the reconstruction of the identity of people with disabilities and their integration, inclusion with the surrounding social world. However, previous studies did not analyze in this context the role of Race Running, which is a niche, developing sport discipline. Therefore, this article fills a significant gap in the scientific literature dedicated to the role of sport in the reconstruction of the identity of people with disabilities by undertaking an analysis of sport, which has not been the subject of research so far. Starting from the concept of ‘pendulum’ developed by Karen K. Yoshida, the following article provides a model of identity reconstruction based on five processes: Socialising, Becoming independent, Exposing, Proving, Realizing. The conceptualization of this model is based on the results of qualitative research using the in-depth interview technique. The respondents were people with disabilities practicing Race Running in Poland, their family members and their coaches. The results of the research show not only the possibilities for people with disabilities, which comes with practicing Race Running, but also limitations, because the specificity and technical requirements of this sport mean that its benefits can only be used by people with a certain type of disability.

Physical Activity Promotion for School-Age Children With Disabilities

Physical activity (PA) promotion for children with disabilities tends to be less of a priority in physical education teacher education programs when compared with a focus on motor and sport-specific skills and strategies. As a result, physical education teachers tend to have less competence in promoting PA of students with disabilities, leaving students with disabilities to feel disconnected from the physical education class. Students with a disability subsequently are likely not to benefit from physical education in terms of PA participation. This paper aims to provide guidelines and strategies to promote PA in inclusive physical education settings. In this paper, we define PA and provide specific strategies grounded in self-determination theory and the socioecological model to promote PA during physical education class. Strategies proposed include (a) selection of disability sport and instructional models, (b) grouping practices to facilitate relatedness, skill development, and participation, (c) approaches to increase choice and encourage decision making, and (d) use of goal setting and self-evaluation.

Covid-19: ¿Una oportunidad de cambio para el periodismo deportivo? Análisis de la cobertura deportiva de El País, El Mundo y La Vanguardia durante el estado de alarma = COVID-19: An opportunity for change in sports journalism? Analysis of the sports coverage of El País, El Mundo and La Vanguardia during the state of alarm

El periodismo deportivo se ha caracterizado por la uniformidad y la baja diversidad temática, que se traduce en la excesiva focalización en determinados deportes, competiciones y protagonistas con alta capacidad de atracción económica. La crisis del Covid-19 ha ofrecido al periodismo deportivo la oportunidad de reexaminar sus estrategias y articular una agenda distintiva. A través del análisis del contenido de 1,409 piezas y 195 portadas, se examina la cobertura desarrollada por El País, El Mundo y La Vanguardia durante los primeros 65 días del estado de alarma, con el objetivo de determinar si los periódicos aprovecharon la crisis para desarrollar un periodismo deportivo más diverso. La crisis del Covid-19 no modificó las prioridades existentes, sino que intensificó la atención sobre aquellos deportes que ya acumulaban más poder mediático. En un escenario sin competiciones, la atención sobre el fútbol masculino y profesional permaneció intacta. La ‘futbolización’ contrasta con un escaso tratamiento del impacto de la pandemia sobre otras disciplinas minoritarias y el deporte femenino y adaptado. La prensa también fue ajena a varias temáticas, personajes y perspectivas de importancia a nivel mundial. Las disparidades en la agenda conllevan repercusiones sociales, económicas y deportivas de primer orden. AbstractSports journalism has been characterized by uniformity and low thematic diversity, which translates into excessive focus on certain sports, competitions and protagonists with a high capacity for economic attraction. The Covid-19 crisis has offered sports journalism the opportunity to reexamine its strategies and articulate a distinctive agenda. Through content analysis of 1,409 pieces and 195 front pages, the coverage developed by El País, El Mundo and La Vanguardia during the first 65 days of the state of alarm is examined, with the goal of determining whether newspapers took advantage of the crisis to develop a more diverse sports journalism. The Covid-19 crisis did not modify the existing priorities, but rather intensified attention on those sports that already accumulated more media power. In a landscape without competitions, the focus on men's and professional football remained intact. ‘Footballization’ contrasts with a scant treatment of the impact of the pandemic on other minority disciplines and women's and disability sport. The press was also oblivious to various themes protagonists and perspectives of worldwide importance. The disparities on the agenda carry major social, economic and sports repercussions.

Negotiating Multiple Identities of Brazilian Paralympians

In this article, I draw on the personal narratives of 41 Brazilian Paralympic athletes who competed in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games to explore their multiple identities shaped within and outside sport and how they negotiated those self-representations. Parathletes’ narratives gave a sense of who they are, how they live their lives, and what their struggles, hopes, and aspirations are within and outside sport. The available studies in disability sport and the representation of disabled athletes have largely failed to examine the stories of these individuals and address their unique realities and perspectives. Five major themes emerged from the interview analysis regarding the parathletes’ self-representation: athletic identity, gender identity, disability identity, national identity, and activist identity. These accounts also revealed how these individuals negotiated their multiple identities in different settings and the tensions they experienced in their social interactions. The Rio Paralympics presented such a new interaction setting for the Brazilian parathletes who competed on such a grand scale at home for the first time and provided multiple examples in the athletes’ accounts of their identities.