Abstract
Virtus Academy - driving the development of elite sport for athletes with intellectual impairment
Highlights
In a fully inclusive society, all people should have the right to follow the self-chosen pathway in physical activity or sport, on any end of the continuum from purely recreational to high-performance competition
Competitive sport for athletes with II is often associated with Special Olympics by the general public
One of the most apparent differences between Special Olympics and Paralympics is that both organisations have a clearly distinct mission, with Special Olympics International (SOI) focusing on participation, inclusion, and experiencing joy whereas, the Paralympic Committee’s mission is to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence
Summary
Sport science in the Paralympics is a growing area of research (TuakliWosornu & Derman, 2018), there are major steps to be taken before the professionalization of II-sport reaches the same level as parasport. The challenges in elite II-sport performance from a sport-science perspective are multifactorial and multidisciplinary. Close cooperation between sport scientists from non-parasports and IIexperts is warranted, since both areas of expertise can reinforce each other transferring basic knowledge, theoretical models, and sport-specific applications. The central question in classification is, if and, to what extent the impairment impacts on sport performance (Van Biesen et al, 2021). For coaches and support staff this knowledge is imperative in order to help their elite II-athletes enhance sport performance despite limitations in cognitive and adaptive functioning
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