The 15th Workshop

November 5, 2015
"Media Coverage of the Paralympics and Paralympic Legacy"

Discussions of the legacies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games raise as a legacy the positive awareness of people with disabilities and the realization of a society of coexistence. 

Analysis of media coverage on the Paralympics reveals that much of what is written is based on existing values such as masculinity and femininity.

The Paralympics themselves embody contradictory values such as: (1) fairness and competitiveness, (2) lack of clarity in the placement of people with serious disabilities, and (3) people with disabilities who cannot become able-bodied people. However, if the Paralympics aspire to realize diverse values and a society of coexistence, they must present values that are different from the "faster, higher, stronger" goals of sports in general. This has raised the issue of how sports for people with severe disabilities such as Boccia, are covered in the media.

While general sports challenge the limits of physical strength, sports for people with disabilities challenge the limits of diversity. In this sense, the promotion of sports for people with disabilities can play a significant role in realizing a society of coexistence that recognizes diverse values.