How to Get into Paralympics With a Spinal Cord Injury

How to Get into the Paralympics With a Spinal Cord Injury

To most, having a spinal cord injury would prevent them from doing anything (let alone thinking about doing anything) related to exercise. however if you want to make the most out of life in spite of a spinal cord injury and empower yourself with some great competition, one of the best things you can do is try out for the paralympics. There are a number of injuries that are eligible, including spinal cord injuries, so you owe it to yourself to do everything that you can to sign up and figure out what is required of you. With this in mind, read on and use these guidelines to the best of your ability.

The Eligibilities For Joining The Paralympics

Prior to reaching out to officials, you owe it to yourself to learn a little bit more about what makes you eligible for these games. Doing this will allow you to put your best foot forward and to know exactly what to expect. In terms of eligibility, you first and foremost need to have an eligible impairment that allows you to play a particular sport. There are a variety of minimum disabilities that you must be able to prove in order to applied to compete as an athlete in these games. There are a variety of sport classes that you will be eligible to sign up for once you have studied these impairments and determine your own eligibility. Spinal Cord injury is of course one of the impairments that is recognized. 

Becoming A Paralympic Athlete

When you want to your put your bid in for joining the Paralympics, you will be able to make the most out of this opportunity by reaching out to your local committee chair. From there, they will be able to assess your disability and put you in a classification system. This way, you will be able to find out more about tryouts and training in order to compete as an individual or to join a team, depending on the sport. In addition to spinal cord injuries, you may be able to join based on intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy andt other such disabilities (if they apply).

Picking The Best Sport For You

When it comes to getting the most out of your athletic ability, you should choose the sport that will best suit your likes. Some options include badminton, cycling, equestrian, sailing and hockey. By taking advantage of these sports, you have the opportunity to receive the coaching that you need and will be able to take your skills to the next level so that you can compete against some of the highest-quality Paralympic athletes in the world as you look to leave your mark on these games.

If you keep these points in mind, you’ll know exactly what is required to join the paralympic games. This is a great way for you to take these matters into your own hands and bounce back from your spinal cord injury. You can put these guidelines to use in a way that makes sense to you, so that you are best able to join these games and begin training.