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A look back on and celebration of Rick Hansen's Man In Motion World Tour, which began in 1985 and covered 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries on four continents before ending in Canada in 1987, and raised $26 million for spinal cord injury research and initiatives to improve the quality of life and accessibility for those with disabilities.

Sports and tourism are connected in various parts of economies, cultures, and nations. However, there has been a limited understanding of sports event tourism involving disabled athletes. This study explored the behavioral and socio-demographic implications of the disabled sports event tourism and investigated the motivational factors involved. An in-person survey was administered to 108 disabled athletes who attended the summer and winter Paralympics. A Structural Equation Model was used to determine the association between the factors of life satisfaction, emotional happiness, escapism, perceived value, and future intention, using the Monte Carlo parametric bootstrapping method to test significance of direct and indirect effects. Cronbach was acceptable because it exceeds 0.70 which satisfies the cut-off of confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, the individual values of average variance extracted (AVE), were greater than 0.50 (0.72) which meets the requirement and the convergent validity of all the constructs. The results showed that life satisfaction had a significant direct effect on future intentions. Emotional happiness had a significant direct effect on the perceived value of an event. Escapism had significant direct effects on perceived value and future intentions. Perceived value significantly influenced future intentions. The relationship between emotional happiness and future intention was fully mediated by perceived value. However, the relationship between escapism and future intention was only partially mediated by perceived value. The results of this study are valuable for developing future management and marketing policies for disabled athletes and tourists to advance the existing sports event tourism and disabled athlete’s behavior studies.

Coaching athletes with disabilities is essential for promoting inclusivity and equity in sports. However, societal attitudes (e.g., stigmatization and ableism) and structural barriers (e.g., insufficient funding and limited access to adaptive equipment) persist as significant obstacles to their full participation and optimal performance. This systematic review addresses a critical gap in the existing literature by examining the complex interaction between societal and structural factors and their impact on coaching practice for athletes with disabilities. A mixed-methods approach was employed to synthesize data from 26 studies sourced from PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar. By integrating both qualitative and quantitative evidence, this review explores how societal biases and resource limitations converge to create systemic challenges that hinder coaching effectiveness. This review indicates that societal perceptions, including ableism and underestimation of athletic potential, in conjunction with structural barriers, such as inadequate facilities and funding, significantly undermine the effectiveness of coaching practices. Moreover, the findings emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in coach education and policy implementation with a particular focus on improving accessibility and ensuring the equitable distribution of resources. Ultimately, the evidence suggests that addressing these interconnected barriers is essential for fostering a more inclusive and equitable coaching environment for athletes with disabilities.

RaceRunning is a sport for disabled people and successful performance depends on reducing the amount of time spent travelling a specific distance. Performance analysis in RaceRunning athletes is based on traditional methods such as recording race time, distances travelled and frequency (sets and reps) that are not sufficient for monitoring training loads. The aims of this study were to monitor training loads in typical training sessions and evaluate technical adaptations in RaceRunning performance by acquiring sensor metrics. Five elite and competitive RaceRunning athletes (18.2 ± 2.3 yrs) at RR2 and RR3 levels were monitored for 8 weeks, performing in their usual training sessions while wearing unobtrusive motion sensors. The motion sensors were attached to the waist and lower leg in all training sessions, each lasting between 80 and 90 min. Performance metrics data collected from the motion sensors included player loads, race loads, work/rest ratio and impact shock directions, along with training factors (duration, frequency, distance, race time and rest time). Results showed that weekly training loads (player and race loads) followed acceptable threshold levels, according to assessment criteria (smallest worthwhile change, acute/chronic work ratio). The relationship between race velocity (performance index) and race load was non-linear and statistically significant, which led to different performance efficiency groups. Wearable motion sensor metrics revealed small to moderate technical adaptations following repeated sprint attempts in temporal running performance, variability and consistency. In conclusion, using a wearable-based system is an effective feedback tool to monitor training quality, revealing important insights into adaptations to training volumes in disabled athletes.

The aim of this study was to identify, describe and synthesize the skill tests used in wheelchair basketball. A systematic review was carried out in the databases: PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of science and Google Scholar from inception to January 2021 with up to date in January 2022. the eligibility criteria used were Inclusion: (i) evaluation of wheelchair basketball athletes; (ii) using skill tests (defined as agility, speed, ball maneuverability, slalom, etc.) and (iii) papers needed to be written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals. Exclusion: (i) papers with poor description of the test methodology, (ii) participants not classified as wheelchair basketball athletes (less than one year of practice) and (iii) Participants were not people without disabilities. Our main findings were: a) the most explored skills were pass and speed, and the most frequent test was the pass tests and sprint tests, b) Strong associations were found between sports classes and performance in field tests, c) The most used tests for each skill were: pass = pass accuracy and maximum pass; speed = 20m sprint test with and without the ball; agility = slalom test; dribbling = obstacle dribbling tests and throw = free throw and spot shot. The most explored skills were passing and speed, and to evaluate these skills we highlight the two-handed chest pass test, 20m sprint test with ball and the WMP test. The use of specific tests can facilitate the creation of reference standards and possible comparison of athletes and, thus, enable better training conditions, aiming to meet the specific demands of each athlete and team.

In recent years the popularity of disabled sports and competition among disabled athletes has grown considerably. With this rise in exposure of, and participation in wheelchair sports comes an increase in related stressors, including musculoskeletal load. External mechanical loading may increase the risk of shoulder complaints. The objective of this literature review was to 1) identify and describe the prevalence and/or incidence of shoulder complaints in wheelchair athletes in the literature, to 2) examine the factors and underlying mechanisms that could be potentially involved, and 3) provide some insights into the development of preventative measures. A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus and Embase databases, to identify relevant published articles. All articles in the English language that contained any type of shoulder complaint in relation with a wheelchair sports player, at any level of status (recreational to elite), of any sport, were included. Articles were excluded if they did not include any statistical analysis. Articles that included studies with wheelchair athletes in combination with athletes of other disability sports were excluded in order to be able to differentiate between the two. Narrative, exploratory and case studies were also excluded. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion. Thirteen articles matched the selection criteria. These were judged on their quality by use of an adapted version of the Webster checklist. Of the included studies the overall quality was low. A relatively high prevalence of complaints was found, ranging from 16% to 76%. Pain was found to be a common complaint in wheelchair athletes. Based on the current literature the cause of shoulder problems is difficult to identify and is likely multifactorial, nevertheless characteristics of the user (i.e. increased years of disability, age and BMI) were shown to increase risk. Preventative measures were indistinct. There may be a role for balanced strength training regimens to decrease risk. Shoulder complaints in wheelchair athletes are a common problem that must be addressed further. Future studies on shoulder overuse injuries of wheelchair athletes should be directed towards biomechanical modeling to develop knowledge of load and its effects.

Monitoring the activities of athletes with lower-limb amputations who use running-specific prostheses is essential for evaluating their training regimes, as well as the effectiveness and mechanical fatigue wear of their prostheses over time. Recent advancements in Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and activity detection algorithms offer new opportunities for objective assessment, but their application in Paralympic sports remains unexplored. The aims of this work were to design and implement an innovative protocol and analytical software for short-term and long-term activity detection of athletes with transtibial and transfemoral amputation and then test its validity on a sample of elite Paralympic runners and triathletes. Overall, the ability of the model to detect activities presented an accuracy of 98%, and the error in the stride counting for all activities fell within a 1% margin.

The study had the goal to study the relationship between resilience, stress and injuries in the sport context. Eight female athletes, part of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Brazilian Team along the Olympic Cycle 2015-2016 participated in the study, with a mean age of 20.4±2.5 years. The following instruments were used: RESTQ-76 Sport, CD-RISC 10, documental analysis of physical therapy records, and structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics (frequency, mean and standard deviation); Repeated Measured ANOVA with Bonferroni's post-hoc, Student's \"t\" test, Friedman test, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, Cohen's d, and inductive thematic analysis. We found relatively stable levels of stress and recovery across the season; total recovery levels were higher than stress at all four measured timepoints (p<0.05); All athletes had at least one injury, with a total of 14 injuries; No significant correlations were found between the quantitative scores of resilience, stress and recovery; Training and the sport's scoring system were the most relevant perceived stressors; athletes presented meta-cognition and a non-positive evaluation (neutral) of stressors; Social support was considered the main psychological factor for the resilience process; such process resulted in improved control and interpretation of emotions; Our hypothesized model proposes that, in the relationship between stress and injuries, resilience acts by optimizing the injury recovery process. It was concluded that resilience plays a role in the process of injury rehabilitation and stress control in elite rhythmic gymnastics' athletes.

Paralympic Powerlifting is a sport in which the strength of the upper limbs is assessed through bench press performance in an adapted specific bench. It is therefore essential to optimize training methods to maximize this performance. The aim of the present study was to compare force production and muscle activation involved in partial vs. full range of motion (ROM) training in Paralympic Powerlifting. Twelve male athletes of elite national level in Paralympic Powerlifting participated in the study (28.60 ± 7.60 years of age, 71.80 ± 17.90 kg of body mass). The athletes performed five sets of 5RM (repetition maximum), either with 90% of 1RM in full ROM or with a load of 130% 1RM in partial ROM. All subjects underwent both exercise conditions in consecutive weeks. Order assignment in the first week was random and counterbalanced. Fatigue index (FI), Maximum Isometric Force (MIF), Time to MIF (Time) and rate of force development (RFD) were determined by a force sensor. Muscle thickness was obtained using ultrasound images. All measures were taken pre- and post-training. Additionally, electromyographic signal (EMG) was evaluated in the last set of each exercise condition. Post-exercise fatigue was higher with full ROM as well as loss of MIF. Full ROM also induced greater. EMG showed greater activation of the Clavicular portion and Sternal portion of pectoralis major muscle and lower in the anterior portion of deltoid muscle when full ROM was performed. Muscle thickness of the pectoralis major muscle increased post-exercise. We concluded that training with partial ROM enables higher workloads with lower loss of muscle function.

This study explores the potential for the temporal and kinematic datas link to propulsion technique and athlete performance collected here to contribute to evidence-based classification for wheelchair badminton athletes. Nineteen experienced wheelchair badminton players underwent propulsion tests with a badminton racket. Wheelchair were equipped with inertial measurement units. The first analysis conducted involved comparing the parameters between class WH1 and WH2. Subsequently, a hierarchical clustering analysis was performed on the parameters with significant differences. Regarding propulsion technique parameters, WH1 athletes exhibit a longer braking phase compared to WH2 athletes. Generally, the performance of WH1 athletes is inferior to that of WH2 athletes. Concerning hierarchical clustering analysis, the results reveal the formation of three clusters based on principal components explaining 70% of the variation in the parameters considered in the analysis. Thus, the results of this study indicate a longer braking time for WH1 athletes compared to WH2, along with lower overall performance. The clusters results could suggest a potential evolution of the current classification towards three distinct classes of wheelchair badminton players. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution, given that the included performance parameters can be influenced by numerous factors, potentially undermining the robustness of the clustering methodology employed. This study highlights the need to strengthen the current classification process in wheelchair badminton.