The Paralympic Movement and the Boycott Agenda: South Africa, Apartheid and the Paralympic Games

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to highlight that even the Paralympic Movement is not immune to international politics and in particular the boycott agenda by outlining the case of South Africa during the apartheid regime of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The story of South African participation in international disability sport, long beyond the expulsion of its Olympic team from the Olympic Games, is extremely complex with numerous individuals, organisations and issues all playing a part. The chapter will begin by describing why apartheid was such a major issue and the impact reactions to it, in both South Africa and around the world, had on South Africa’s involvement in international sport. It will briefly outline South Africa’s participation in both the Olympic and the international disability sports movements. It will then highlight some of the key reasons for the differences between the two, and look at some of the possible reasons why South Africa was able to continue competing in international disability sport despite their expulsion from the Olympic Movement.