Effect of the Athletes' Origin and Type of Impairment on Participation and the Likelihood of Winning a Medal in the Paralympic Games.

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated whether the origin (acquired or congenital) and type of impairment affect the participation and likelihood of winning a medal in different sports at the Paralympic Games.

Design: We analyzed competition data and athlete biographies web scraped from the International Paralympic Committee's website ( www.Paralympic.org ).

Results: In some sports, athletes with one origin or type of impairment were overrepresented. For example, 76% of Para-snowboarders had an acquired impairment. Furthermore, mixed effects logistic regression analyses showed that the origin of impairment had no effect on the likelihood of winning a medal in most sports. However, athletes with a congenital impairment had a significantly higher likelihood of winning a medal compared to those with an acquired impairment in Para-athletics, Para-alpine skiing, and Para-biathlon (odds ratio: 1.71, P < 0.01, odds ratio: 3.69, P = 0.002, and odds ratio: 3.70, P = 0.016, respectively). Athletes with a given origin-type of impairment combination also may have an advantage or disadvantage in some sports. For example, athletes with an acquired spinal cord injury win proportionally fewer medals in Para-powerlifting.

Conclusions: Understanding potential effects of the origin and type of impairment on participation and medaling chances in Paralympic sports can help shape the development of Para-sports and support talent identification.