As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games approach, one question is on our minds: why are athletes with intellectual disabilities poorly represented? Indeed, these athletes will only have access to three disciplines: swimming, table tennis and athletics. This is in stark contrast to the diversity of events available to other disability categories.
The history of the Paralympic Games for athletes with an intellectual disability began in 1996, but was abruptly interrupted in 2000 following a fraud scandal with the Spanish basketball team. Since 2009, their reintegration has been underway, confirmed by a partial return at the London 2012 Games, but the challenges remain... The question ofeligibility and disability classification remains thorny.
Even more complex, athletes with Down's syndrome are completely excluded from competitions, despite the theoretical possibility of taking part. According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), this "over-disability" complicates their inclusion due to the high performance criteria.
The Fédération Française de Sport Adapté (FFSA) is campaigning for a new category specifically dedicated to athletes with Down's syndrome. However, the number of athletes at the Paralympics, set by the Olympic Committee, makes this inclusion difficult without removing another category.
This year in Paris, 11,000 athletes are taking part in the Olympic Games and 4,400 in the Paralympics.
