Are Dryland Strength and Power Measurements Associated with Swimming Performance? Preliminary Results on Elite Paralympic Swimmers.

This study aimed to identify the relationship between dryland tests and swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers. Fifteen competitive swimmers (age: 27.4 ± 5.4 years, height: 1.70 ± 6.8 m, body mass: 67.9 ± 9.2 kg; 9 males, 6 females) performed a lat pull-down and a bench press incremental load test to determine maximum power (Pmax), the strength corresponding to maximum power (F@Pmax), and the barbell velocity corresponding to maximum power (V@Pmax) from the force-velocity and power-velocity profiles. These outcomes were also normalized by the athlete's body mass. Swimming performance was carried out from the best result in a 100 m freestyle race registered during an international competition. Lat pull-down F@Pmax was significantly associated with 100 m freestyle chronometric time (ρ = -0.56, p < 0.05), and lat pull-down V@Pmax presented a relationship with mean swimming velocity (ρ = 0.71, p < 0.01). Similarly, bench press F@Pmax and the normalized F@Pmax were significantly related to the mean swimming velocity (ρ = -0.51, ρ = -0.62, p < 0.05). Stepwise multiple regression showed that lat pull-down V@Pmax, bench press normF@Pmax, and V@Pmax accounted for 40.6%, 42.3%, and 65.8% (p < 0.05) of the mean swimming velocity variance. These preliminary results highlighted that simple dryland tests, although with a moderate relationship, are significantly associated with 100 m freestyle swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers.

An Examination of the Sport Commitment Model for Athletes With Physical Disabilities.

Sport commitment describes a psychological attachment to a sport that influences one's desire or resolve to continue involvement in it. Studying antecedents believed to influence long term commitment to sport among athletes with a disability will help ensure that participants gain those psychosocial and health outcomes from sport participation that benefit quality of life. Our purposes in this study were: (i) to examine the Sport Commitment Model (SCM) in terms of the magnitude of the contribution of antecedent factors (i.e., enjoyment, personal investment, involvement opportunities, social constraints, involvement alternatives) to sport commitment of athletes with disabilities; and (ii) to examine the model structure (i.e., original SCM, mediation, and direct/indirect model) that best reflects an understanding of the sport commitment antecedents for these athletes. A total of 157 adult athletes (M age = 34.87, SD = 11.78) with physical disabilities from both team and individual sports across the United States, Europe, and Asia completed the Sport Commitment Questionnaire. Data analyses indicated that sport involvement opportunities, followed by personal investment, were the strongest predictors of these athletes' sport commitments (R2 = .66). Based on the principle of parsimony, the original structural equation model (χ2 (215) = 384.95; RMSEA = .07; CFI = .95; SRMR = .06) was deemed better for understanding the mechanism of sport commitment than the mediation or direct/indirect models. We address implications of applying the SCM to athletes with disabilities, and we offer suggestions for future research.

Effects of Powerchair Football: Contextual Factors That Impact Participation.

The aim of this study was to identify contextual factors that negatively affect activity and participation among powerchair football (PF) players. Thirty-seven semistructured interviews were conducted with PF players (Mage = 27.9 ± 8.2 years) in France (n = 18) and the United States (n = 19). Participants reported acute back and neck pain as the primary morbidities resulting from PF participation, with sustained atypical posture in the sport chair as the primary cause. Competition-related physical and mental stress were also identified as participation outcomes. Accompanying the many benefits of PF, participants recognized negative impacts of discomfort, physical fatigue, and mental fatigue. Interventions such as seating modifications, thermotherapy to combat pain, napping to combat acute physical stress, and mental preparation to manage state anxiety were all identified as prospective interventions.

Exploring the experiences and perceptions of coaches, athletes, and integrated support teams towards the management of three national Paralympic teams.

This study explored the experiences and perceptions of coaches, athletes, and integrated support teams towards the management of three Paralympic teams across North America and Europe. Six focus groups with athletes, three interviews with head coaches, and 10 interviews with support team members were conducted and analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Our analysis resulted in three overarching themes to portray the coaches' role and behaviours in managing their (1) athletes, (2) integrated support teams, and (3) team as a collective unit. All teams were made up of a diverse group of athletes that required individualized considerations regarding age, finances, and disability. Coaches were successful when they fostered autonomy and managed interpersonal conflict by utilizing their integrated support teams to foster cohesiveness. This study provides an in-depth view of the role of the coach in managing national parasport teams by incorporating multiple perspectives from three teams around the world.

Women's wheelchair basketball lineup analysis at the Tokyo 2020 paralympic games: game related statistics explaining team sport performance.

Introduction: Performance analysis through game-related statistics in wheelchair basketball (WB) has focused mainly on the study of the individual efficiency of players according to their functional classification. However, there is little evidence focusing on lineup performances (five players on court) and their composition. Thus, the objective of present study was to analyze the efficiency of the women's WB lineups used during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (PG) and to determine the variables that best discriminated the lineup performances according to the final point differential. Methods: The sample comprised 507 lineups used in the 31 games by the 10 national teams during the competition. Fifty-one different lineup types (LTs) were categorized. A discriminant analysis was carried out to compare the lineups with a positive and negative point difference according to the game type (balanced and unbalanced games). Results: It was found that LTs 16 (1-1.5-2.5-4-4.5), 47 (1-2-2.5-4-4.5) and 14 (1-1.5-2.5-4.5-4.5) had the best means of efficiency in field goals (LT 16 = 52%; LT 47 = 44% and LT = 40%), while LT 50 (1-2-3-4-4) obtained the highest mean difference in points (3.67 ± 10.67). The variables that best discriminated winner teams in balanced games were field goal efficiency (SC = 0.55), assists (SC = 0.50) and turnovers (SC = -0.41). Discussion: Field goal efficiency, assists, turnovers and steals are the game-related statistics most associated with the success of a lineup used in balanced games in WB in PG competition; this could be taken into account by coaches when deciding how to compose a given lineup in a moment of the game, to adequately select players from different functional classifications for the final squad and to choose training content related to the indicated game-related statistics, as they explain success at this competition level.

Variability analysis of muscle activation symmetry to identify indicators of individual motor strategy: a case series on elite Paralympic powerlifters.

Introduction: In Paralympic powerlifting competitions, movement execution symmetry is a technical requirement influenced by individual athlete characteristics and motor strategies. Identifying the elements associated with individual motor strategies can offer valuable insight for improving sport performance. Therefore, this case series study aimed to explore muscle activation symmetry and its intra- and inter-individual variability to determine the muscles mostly related to individual motor strategies in elite Paralympic powerlifters. Methods: Bilateral electromyographic activation of the anterior deltoid (AD), pectoralis major (PM), latissimus dorsi (LD), triceps (TRI) and external oblique (EO) muscles were analysed in five elite Paralympic powerlifters while performing four sets of one-repetition maximum of Paralympic bench press. Muscle activation symmetry indexes (SI) were obtained and transformed to consider individual-independent evaluation. The coefficient of variation (CV), variance ratio (VR), and mean deviation (MD) were computed to assess inter- and intra-individual variability in electromyographic waveforms and SI. Results: Both transformed and non-transformed SI indicated overall symmetric activation in DA, PM, TRI, and LD. Transformed SI revealed asymmetrical muscle activation of EO when grouping data (mean bilateral difference: 10%). Athletes exhibited low intra-individual SI variability in all analysed muscles (CV < 10%) and low inter-individual variability in DA, PM, LD, and TRI (CV < 10%; VR: 4%-11%; MD: 29%-43%). In contrast, higher inter-individual variability was observed in EO (CV: 23%; VR: 23%; MD: 72%-81%). Conclusion: The highest variability and asymmetry in abdominal muscle activation among athletes emphasize the importance of personalized training approaches for targeting these muscles due to their role in individualizing motor strategies.

Exploring coaches' experiences and perceptions of a virtual parasport coach mentorship program.

Partnering with a provincial coaching association in Canada, we explored the experiences and perceptions of 15 mentor and 29 mentee coaches who participated in a formal virtual parasport coach mentorship program. Data were gathered via focus groups and individual interviews and analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Mentor coaches built a virtual relationship through mutual trust and respect and were perceived by their mentees as supportive, motivating, and knowledgeable. Mentee coaches valued conversations with their mentors surrounding disability-specific knowledge that enhanced their coaching efficacy. Coaches highlighted the need for a greater sense of community within parasport and recommended keeping a virtual component of the program to foster accessibility and learning. Findings provide insight into effective mentorship in parasport for researchers, practitioners, and organizations overseeing this important initiative. Our results will contribute to higher quality experiences for Canadian parasport coaches and athletes and work to progress the growth of parasport worldwide.

Canadian women's experiences in mixed-sex sport: Wheelchair rugby.

Wheelchair rugby was developed in Canada in the 1970s and named an official Paralympic sport in 2000. Wheelchair rugby is one of the few Paralympic or Olympic sports that includes mixed-sex participation. Where historically women with disabilities have had limited access to elite sporting competition, wheelchair rugby provides the opportunity for women to represent themselves as competitive and physical beings, capable of the physicality and aggressive nature of the sport alongside men. This project looks to fill the gap in research considering women's experiences in these potentially highly gendered sport settings. This study uses a thematic analysis approach to explore female athletes' lived experiences of participation in wheelchair rugby. Five provincial athletes were interviewed and shared their complex experiences competing in wheelchair rugby.

Effectiveness of exergames programme to modify body composition and health-related physical fitness in adolescents with down syndrome after COVID-19 quarantine.

AIMS: to determine the effect of a 20-week exergame program on different indicators of body composition and components of health-related physical fitness in adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods and Procedures Outcomes: 49 adolescents (19 female and 30 males; average age, 14.19 ± 2.06 years) with Down syndrome were recruited and randomized to two groups (control group vs. intervention group). Adolescents allocated in the control group carried out a physical activity program three times a week for 20 weeks meanwhile adolescents allocated in the exercise group performed an exergame program three times a week for 20 weeks. RESULTS: The exercise group had significant improvements in all health-related physical fitness variables and there is an improvement in some body composition variables (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: 20 week exergame program consisting of 3 sessions of 60 minutes is able to improve levels of body composition and health-related physical fitness in adolescents with Down syndrome.Highlights Research in body composition and health-related physical fitness of people with Down syndrome has revealed that an exergame programme increases levels of health-related physical fitness in adolescents with Down syndromeAn exergame programme can improve differences in markers of body composition between the control group and the intervention groupThe intervention group that performed the exergame programme showed increases in health-related physical fitness levels after 20 weeks of intervention.The control group that performed a based on developing motor behaviour programme did not show differences in body composition or health-related physical fitness after 20 weeks of intervention.

Investigating Strategies Used to Foster Quality Participation in Recreational Sport Programs for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Perceived Importance.

Quality experiences in sport programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can promote physical and psychosocial benefits and long-term quality participation (QP). Unfortunately, children with ASD often experience sport participation barriers and, consequently, participate less in sport compared with children without disabilities. This study investigated QP priorities and strategies that could foster QP for children with ASD. Caregivers (n = 13), volunteers (n = 26), and staff (n = 14) involved in sport programming for children with ASD rated experiential elements of QP using the Measure of Experiential Aspects of Participation. In addition , a two-round Delphi survey with staff (Round 1: n = 11; Round 2: n = 13) generated 22 strategies for promoting QP-each rated highly with regard to importance (5.69-6.85 on a 7-point scale). Strategies were substantiated with published research evidence. Findings informed the development of a QP tool designed to help instructors implement identified strategies in hopes of improving sport experiences for children with ASD.

Analysis of biomechanics in athletes with disabilities: a systematic and narrative review / Análise da biomecânica em atletas com deficiência: uma revisão sistemática e narrativa

Abstract Introduction Specifically in athletes with disabilities, investigations and biomechanical understanding seem to be even more relevant, as they provide data on how a certain type of disability limits sports practice and also describe parameters that allow the suggestion of relevant adaptations capable of guaranteeing a higher level comfort to practitioners. Objective To describe patterns of biomechanical behavior during exercise in athletes with disabilities, and to discuss possible relationships between the type of disability and the sport practiced. Methods This study performed a search in five electronic databases from the oldest records available until July 2020 using a search strategy that combined terms related to "athletes with disabilities" and "biomechanical analysis." Inclusion criteria: population (amateur or professional athletes with disabilities), intervention (sports practice), study design (observational), outcome (having evaluated biomechanics during sports practice). The biomechanical variables of interest included kinematic, kinetic, or electromyographic outcome measures. Results Tewnty-six articles met the inclusion criteria (n = 705 participants). Biomechanical analysis showed that there is a greater inclination in the angle of the head and an increase in the kinematic variables in blind athletes, which result in less distance, speed, and performance; compensatory body patterns, reduced mooring strength, speed, joint amplitude, and reduced final performance are observed in amputated limbs of amputees; and there was a strong correlation between the subject's functional classification and kinematic parameters in wheelchair athletes, with this being proportional to the level of impairment. Conclusion The outcomes demonstrated that the type of disability and the level of functional limitation are proportionally related to biomechanics in athletes with disabilities.

Resumo Introdução Em atletas com deficiência, as investigações e o entendimento biomecânico parecem ser ainda mais relevantes ao fornecer dados sobre de que modo determinado tipo de deficiência limita a prática esportiva e, ainda, descrever parâmetros que permitam sugestão de adaptações pertinentes capazes de garantir maior nível de conforto aos praticantes. Objetivo Descrever padrões de comportamento biomecânico durante o exercício em atletas com deficiência e discutir possíveis relações entre o tipo de deficiência e o esporte praticado. Métodos Este estudo realizou uma busca em cinco bases de dados eletrônicas a partir dos registros mais antigos disponíveis até julho de 2020, utilizando uma estratégia de busca que combinou termos relacionados a "atletas com deficiência" e "análise biomecânica". Critérios de inclusão: população (atletas amadores ou profissionais com deficiência), intervenção (prática esportiva), desenho do estudo (observacional), resultado (ter avaliado a biomecânica durante a prática esportiva). As variáveis biomecânicas de interesse incluíram medidas de desfecho cinemáticas, cinéticas ou eletromiográficas. Resultados Vinte e seis estudos atenderam aos critérios de inclusão (n = 705 participantes). Os resultados mostraram que há maior inclinação do ângulo da cabeça e aumento das variáveis cinemáticas em atletas cegos, resultando em menor distância, velocidade e desempenho; padrões corporais compensatórios, redução da força de amarração, velocidade, amplitude articular e desempenho final reduzido são observados em membros amputados de amputados; e parece haver relação entre a classificação funcional do sujeito e os parâmetros cinemáticos em atletas de cadeira de rodas, sendo esta proporcional ao grau de comprometimento. Conclusão Os resultados demonstraram que o tipo de deficiência e o nível de limitação funcional estão proporcionalmente relacionados à biomecâ-nica em atletas com deficiência.

The Top 50 Most Cited Articles on Special Olympics: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The Special Olympics was established in 1968 to "provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities". It has gained recognition in the field of sports and healthcare of persons with intellectual disability, with a large number of dedicated researchers and institutions all over the world. However, there is an urgent need to analyze the progress and current status of this research field to identify knowledge gaps and develop this discipline. The aim of this study was to analyze the scientific production of the Special Olympics and report the bibliometric characteristics of the top 50 most cited Special Olympics publications. A systematic search was conducted on the Scopus database and bibliometric data were extracted and analyzed. The top 50 publications received 1632 citations. A total of 138 authors (63 female and 75 male) contributed to these publications. The two main areas of study were the physical health of Special Olympics athletes (n = 27) and the psycho-social health of athletes (n = 12).

Injuries in Judo Athletes With Disabilities: Prevalence, Magnitude, and Sport-Related Mechanisms.

CONTEXT: The participation of judo athletes with disabilities in competitions has increased over the years as well as the burden of sports-related injuries and illnesses in this population. However, there is limited knowledge about sports-related injuries in judo athletes with different disabilities. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of injuries in judo athletes with disabilities, considering the different impairment groups, magnitude of injury (ie, mechanism, nature, and severity of injury), and specific body parts. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study (level of evidence, 3). SETTING: Brazilian Judo athletes with disabilities. PATIENTS: Fifty-one judo athletes with disabilities (15 men and 36 women) participated in this study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were obtained from an adapted injury report form. The prevalence of injuries was assessed, considering type of impairment, body parts, mechanisms, and severity as well as differences between male and female athletes, with the significance level set at P < .05. RESULTS: The results demonstrated a high prevalence of injuries in female athletes with visual impairment (n = 11, 73.3%) and male athletes with amputations (n = 14, 38.8%). A high prevalence was found in the national group, especially for male athletes (n = 29, 80.5%). Among athletes who had injuries, 69.4% (n = 12) of male and 80.0% (n = 25) of female athletes' injuries occurred due to direct contact with other athletes, and 72.2% (n = 26) of male and 86.6% (n = 13) of female athletes' injuries were in the training environment. The magnitude of injuries ranged from moderate to severe for male and female athletes. The knee (n = 25, 49.0%) and shoulder (n = 12, 23.5%) were the body parts most affected by injuries in both male and female athletes. CONCLUSION: A large percentage of judo athletes with disabilities reported experiencing an injury during the previous 2 years; percentages were greater in athletes with visual and physical impairment. Moreover, most injuries occurred in the knee or shoulder, during training, and in direct contact with other athletes and were of severe magnitude.

Three Simulated Goalball Games in the Same Day Cause Central Fatigue and Can Impair Game Technical Performance.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three simulated goalball games on neuromuscular, physiological, perceptual, and technical parameters. Ten male players underwent assessments before and immediately after each game. Heart rate was recorded at rest and during all games that were entirely filmed for further technical performance analysis. Exercise significantly decreased knee extensor muscles peak force and percentage of voluntary activation after the second and third games, indicating the presence of central fatigue. Heart rate responses remained predominantly in a range equivalent to moderate activity intensity in all games. In addition, perceptual parameters were associated with reduced frequency of throws and density of actions. These findings suggest significant implications for the management of physical training, game strategy during a competition, and fixture change from three to two games per day.

Performance of disabled swimmers in protocols or tests and competitions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Biomechanical and coordination measurements are useful tools to assess swimming performance. Regarding Paralympic swimming, function and technique make these measurements complex. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of studies on biomechanics, coordination and performance in disabled swimmers following swimming protocols and in competitions. Data sources: PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge, SPORTDiscus and Academic Search Premier. We selected complete studies, published until June 2018. Eighteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria and were selected for qualitative analysis; nine of these were included in the meta-analysis. Swimming speed and stroke length increase with less impact of physical, visual and intellectual impairment on performing specific swimming tasks. Stroke rate is more stable all through the sport classes than both swimming speed and stroke length. Most physically disabled swimmers adopt the catch-up coordination model. Stroke rate is responsible for most of the intracycle velocity variation in swimmers with amputations or malformations of the upper limbs. No study was found on propulsive efficiency. Swimmers with disabilities should work more on stroke rate, with small decreases in stroke length to achieve higher swimming speeds, lower swim coordination index (more negative) and lower speed variations.

Evidence-Based Classification in Powerchair Football: Determining the Determinants.

The purpose of this study was to initiate the development of an evidence-based sport classification system for powerchair football, a sport that serves athletes with physical impairments. Sport classification is designed to increase participation by minimizing the impact of impairment on competition outcome, and powerchair football lacks an evidence-based system of classification which is required of Paralympic sports. A number of approaches were used to build the theoretical model of sport performance (Step 2 of the International Paralympic Committee model). Key sport activities were identified through surveys of stakeholders and underlying determinants of those key activities were identified through game and database analyses. Current findings support drive control, ball control, communication, and adjustment to the ball as key activities in powerchair football with joint-specific strength and range of motion, sensory, and neurological variables identified as underlying determinants.

Cognitive-motor multitasking in athletes with and without intellectual impairment.

PURPOSE: We investigated cognitive-motor multitasking in 29 top athletes with intellectual impairment (II) recruited during the European Championship Games organized by Virtus (World Intellectual Impairment Sports) and 29 control (CT) athletes matched for age, sex, sports practiced, and lifetime accumulated practice hours. METHODS: Participants performed a cognitive task that required recognizing previously displayed visual objects among distractors. The motor task required maintaining a stable upright posture balancing on a rocking board placed atop a force plate which assessed center-of-pressure (COP) movement. Both tasks were performed separately (with participants seated for the cognitive single task) and concurrently under dual-task conditions, wherein participants memorized objects while balancing. We analyzed recognition accuracy, COP path length, and sample entropy of the COP trajectory as a measure for automaticity of postural control. RESULTS: As expected, CT-athletes outperformed II-athletes in the cognitive task but the two groups have comparable performance in the postural task under single- and dual-task conditions. When multitasking, CT-athletes switched to more automatic postural control and maintained their postural sway at single-task levels. II-athletes prioritized balance thereby successfully keeping COP excursion comparable to single-task conditions. However, this came with pronounced costs for memory performance, which was unaffected by multitasking in CT-athletes. CONCLUSION: The adaptive capacity observed in control athletes was not at the disposal of II-athletes who revealed pronounced sensitivities to multitasking interference. This sensitivity obviously was not compensated for by either athletic competence or potential transfer of athletic skill to domain-general cognitive functions.

U.S. Paralympic Hopeful's Athletic Identity and How It Has Been Affected by the Sport Disruption of COVID-19.

The purpose of this study was to explore the status of Paralympic hopefuls' athletic identity and how this identity was impacted by the training and competition cessation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews that explored the experiences of 29 Paralympic hopefuls who compete in thirteen different Paralympic sports. A thematic analysis yielded two superordinate themes: a) Prominent athletic identity, multiplicity over exclusivity; b) Various Impact on AI: Mental adaptation helps overcome the lack of sport participation. Participants in this study possessed prominent strong athletic identities from the benefits of sport participation. Their prioritized athletic role still remains despite setbacks due to the pandemic. However, athletes identified with multiple roles rather than an exclusive athletic identity during COVID-19. As for the impacts on identity, the severity of challenges are determined by the mindset of the athletes. All of the athletes experienced a decreased amount of time and physical participation in their sport. Paralympians whose sole focus was on the loss of physical participation were impacted the most. Athletes who felt unchallenged did so because of their mental adaptation. Through a positive outlook and mentality, athletes were able to effectively cope and not dwell on the negative aspects brought on by the pandemic. In conclusion, having a strong AI did not necessarily coincide with a negative impact on identity from COVID-19, and those who do not possess a strong AI felt their AI was unchallenged by the pandemic. More importantly, Paralympians' mindset of how they view and interpret their AI is crucial to how the individual's AI is affected by the sport disruption of COVID-19.

Fairness, technology and the ethics of Paralympic sport classification.

Fairness in sport is a widely shared meritocratic norm. Its application is usually restricted to equality of opportunity to compete for victory. Paralympic sports lay down a further challenge in that equality of opportunity must be shaped by considerations of fairness, evidenced by the development of discrete competition categories to construct fair and meaningful contests. In this article, we extend these philosophical ideas to consider how Fair Equality of Opportunity might operate in the context of Paralympic sports classification. We articulate three conceptions of fairness relevant to these sports: (i) background fairness; (ii) procedural fairness; and (iii) stakes fairness. We critically review the International Paralympic Committee's Policy on Sport Equipment in relation to the first two conceptions and argue that greater clarification, theorization and rule modification is required if physical prowess, as opposed to equipment technology, is to be assured as the dominant determinant of Paralympic athletic success.

The logic of categorisation in sport.

The aim of this paper is to examine the basis of eligibility rules in sport by exhibiting the logic of categorisation, with its associated ethical problems. We shall be concerned mainly with pre-competition categories - age, sex, weight and dis/ability - because they are directly relevant to sports performance and are relatively stable inequalities. We shall prefer to use the term "categorisation", although we mean by it just what others might mean by classification, to refer to divisions, classes, groups, etc. The paper argues that we have categories only because we consider it desirable to offer some groups protected status in order to enable and promote inclusion and fairness. This desirability condition determines eligibility. Only then do issues arise of which sub-categories we should have, and how they are to be policed. There will always be categories in sport, as a minimum to protect athletes based on age groupings, from children to veterans. But since every categorisation brings its own problems, we need to ensure that we keep them balanced, so that sport can strive for maximum inclusion of different kinds of athletes, and maximum fairness. This requires us to step back from the many particular debates in order to rethink the logic of the whole categorisation process.