Zareena is at the Paralympics in Paris. Watching the opening ceremony, learning about muscles and playing some wheelchair basketball.
Paris, France (30 August 2024) – The Paralympics, unlike the Olympics, truly seem to be in Paris—actual Paris. There are more people living on the streets, fewer police officers with big guns, and a whole lot less English spoken. Basically, no English. Even the Main Press Centre is almost entirely in French.
The Olympics brought with it tourists, internationalism, and an undeniable vibe of prestige. While things haven’t quite returned to normal—signs everywhere still proclaim “Game Not Over Yet”—the Paralympics don’t carry the same sheen. The Opening Ceremony wasn’t overflowing; in fact, there were whole empty stands. But the volunteers and athletes still looked overjoyed to be there, and at least this time, it didn’t rain!
A Focus on the Athletes
With 32 athletes, we have a similarly sized team but in more disciplines compared to Tokyo. And that’s what this is all about—the athletes. These are individuals who have worked hard, earned their place on the team (not a given, with limited country spots), and are ready to represent on a similar, if not the same, stage as their able-bodied counterparts.
In preparation for this, I went on two press tours. The first was at the Institute of Myology, a centre of excellence focusing on muscles in general and neuromuscular diseases in particular. Because despite us all having muscles, very little is actually known about them. The institute believes that muscle strength should be better recognised as a general health indicator and has devoted years and expertise to finding ways to better evaluate and treat it.
I found out that, based on my simple muscle tests, I am definitely right-handed, although I have a fairly symmetrical (10 kg difference!) profile. I also have a fair, but not great, pinching strength for my age, which is useful for tasks like taking a card out of an ATM. These devices, though not available in Africa, can measure pressure to the gram and show a person that, although they may feel weak, they do actually have a level of strength—and that can be life-changing.
Experiencing Wheelchair Basketball
I can’t tell you anything about the power in my lower limbs, but that wasn’t needed for my second visit. This time, I went to learn about and try out wheelchair basketball. Chatting to a member of the French Women’s National Team, she explained that everything is the same as the classic version. The court is the same size, the baskets are the same height, and fouls and travelling are still part of the game. But dribbling becomes quite complicated as you need to steer and propel the chair while controlling the ball.
The competition chairs really don’t like to stay still, with their angled wheels. They have a bar in the front to prevent collisions, which I heard being referred to as the “moustache”—a term that may or may not have been lost in translation, as I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else. But it will always be that for me now.
The most intriguing thing I found is that technically, all you need to play is to be in a chair. So, able-bodied people can join in too. There’s a points differential system, where each disability is assigned a number of points—the most severe being 1 point, and able-bodied people being 5 points. Only 14 points are allowed on the court at a time. This means that if you know someone in a wheelchair and want to play sports with them, wheelchair basketball is an option. You’ll need a special chair and a willingness to learn a new skill, but it is accessible to all.
The Heart of the Paralympics
And I think that’s the thing about the Paralympics. You never know what will happen in life—whether it’s genetics or an accident later on—but the Games provide an opportunity for the best in their class to showcase what they do better than the rest. For the next week and a bit, we will see people excel and inspire, not because of their struggles, but because of their successes.
I can’t wait to see Team South Africa and all the athletes find their limits and stretch them.
Zareena Gaibee will be on the ground in Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics events, sharing her take on the prestigious sporting event, giving exclusive insights into life at the games, and hopefully meeting many of the South Africans in Paris who are competing and supporting. She will be reporting her findings for Good Things Guy, giving readers a glimpse of what flying the flag in Paris is all about.
You can follow her series via Good Things Guy here.
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Sources: Zareena Gaibee
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