From the Olympics to the paralympics this summer has the Physiopedia team gripped. As this summer paralympics gets into full flow this week we are learning more about the event and celebrating the sports performance of the athletes as well as the rehabilitation and technology that underpins this global event.

Did you feel the same as us right after the Olympics ended…that feeling of not knowing what to watch or do with ourselves? Fortunately, the 2024 Paralympic Games have now begun and as rehabilitation professionals, we at Physiopedia are super excited about these games.

The Paralympic games remind us of how much the rehabilitation community has to celebrate and offer. It is a showcase of the extraordinary resilience of the athletes, as well as the latest advancements in adaptive technology, rehabilitation techniques, and the integration of rehabilitation and therapeutic interventions into sports performance.

The prefix “Para” in Paralympic comes from the Greek term meaning “alongside” or “beside” signifying that these games occur alongside the Olympic games. The Paralympic symbol , called “Agitos”, consists of three waves and translates from Latin to “I move” – a fitting representation of the spirit of these games.

Here are some interesting facts about the 2024 Paralympic Games:

The games started on Wednesday 28 August and will run until Sunday 8 September
Over 4000 athletes will compete in 549 medal events in 22 sports
Badminton and taekwondo are the two newest sports, and made their debut at the Tokyo games
Most sports have Olympic counterparts (e.g., archery, swimming, track and field, rowing), but sports like goalball and boccia are exclusive to the Paralympics
Athletes are classified based on functional ability, ensuring they compete against others with similar movement, balance and coordination. Each sport has its own classification system, and medical and technical experts evaluate the athletes to ensure fair competition

Technology and rehabilitation are at the heart of the Paralympics. A team of dedicated and experienced orthotists and prosthetists, wheelchair specialists and welders are available to all athletes in onsite technical repair service centres near the athlete’s village and at some training facilities and venues. This team ensures that athletes’ equipment is professionally repaired and maintained, regardless of their nationality or their brand of prosthesis or adaptive equipment they use. The Paralympics gives us a glimpse into the future of assistive technology, showing how innovation and technology is helping athletes achieve feats that were once thought impossible.

Rehabilitation enables sport, and sport is a powerful tool and motivator for rehabilitation. Every athlete competing in the Paralympics shows us how athletic training can complement therapy goals. We see athletes pushing the boundaries of their physical capacities, demonstrating the benefits of their perseverance, hard work, intensive training and targeted rehabilitation. Athletes of all abilities can teach us so much about the importance of mental resilience, with their stories of overcoming adversity, learning how to use adaptive equipment and rising to the challenges in competitive environments.

The 2024 Paralympic Games are not just another competition, but a celebration of the incredible journey of each athlete. Their stories of dedication and perseverance offer learning opportunities for rehabilitation professionals, showing us what is possible through targeted interventions, collaboration and motivation in clinical practice.

We hope that these games will be an inspiration for all of us in the rehabilitation community, reminding us of the profound impact our work has on human potential.