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Paralympics: A Panel Discussion
Written & Interview by Priyanka Paliwal
Visual Media by Aparna Premraj
Audio by Chinmayee Patil
Guest Contributors: Dr. Abhishek Wagh, Dr. Asha Shaikh, Dr. Aditi Patil
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Parasports are played by people with physical and mental disabilities. The list of para-sports is a modification of some able-bodied sports along with some which are specially designed for the PWDs.
Sports physiotherapists play a major role in paving the path of a PWD who chooses to go into para-sports. But how does this challenge us as physiotherapists? How do we make this journey possible along with the entire team? Our panel of experts, Dr. Abhishek Wagh(PT), Dr. Asha Shaikh (PT), and Dr. Aditi Patil (PT) have given us an insider view of this process.
Our experts have mentioned the role of classifiers. Who exactly are these classifiers and what is their role?
Classifiers are trained experts – physicians, physiotherapists, coaches, sports scientists, psychologists, ophthalmologists, and have a complimentary knowledge about impairments and their impact on the respective sports. The classifier’s qualifications and required competencies are determined by each International Sports Federation.
Indian Paralympic Society (IPS) explains how this works.
The important point to note is that physiotherapists willing to work in sports or parasports have a huge opportunity to excel at this unexplored field in India.
The journey of becoming a para-athlete is a roller coaster ride that requires a positive mindset, dedication, and persistence not only from the athlete but also from us physiotherapists. Our role as physiotherapists in the rehabilitation and training of para-athletes differs a lot as compared to training able-bodied athletes. How is that?
They mention the vital point which we as physiotherapists need to consider while training the para-athletes, “OPTIMAL TRAINING”.
After a thorough assessment and classification, the athlete is ready to train for his sport. For an able-bodied athlete, we always focus on improving strength, endurance, agility, balance, and coordination maximally. It doesn’t work the same way for para-athletes. We need to be extremely cautious about the parts we wish to improve and the parts that the sport/competition demands. Let’s hear what our experts have to say from their experience.
Our job doesn’t end with training and conditioning but we are on duty throughout the competitive events. On-field experience for a para-sports physiotherapist is certainly more challenging.
Dr. Abhishek Wagh (PT) shares his experience while at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020, where he was the physiotherapist for the Indian Contingent.
Lastly, awareness about parasports is a major concern in our country as of now. Our experts feel that we physiotherapists have a major role to play to create awareness about this opportunity for persons with disabilities.